Blue Star launches a new range of over 100 affordable and premium models of room air conditioners
The market for room ACs is
witnessing significant demand owing to burgeoning middle-class consumers with
higher disposable incomes and the category becoming more of a necessity than a
luxury. The Company is experiencing demand from first-time buyers, especially in
the Tier 2,3 and 4 markets, as well as the replacement market.
Blue Star has launched a
slew of products to cater to this growing demand, leveraging its manufacturing,
R&D and innovation capabilities to roll out new, differentiated and best-in-class
ACs.
New
Range of Air Conditioners for 2024
The Company has launched
three categories in the inverter split AC segment. These include flagship, premium
and affordable ranges in 2-star, 3-star, and 5-star variants, which are
available in various cooling capacities from 0.8TR to 2.2TR at attractive
prices starting from Rs 29,990.
The new ACs launched are
embedded with various customer-friendly features. These include a new
innovative feature called ‘AI Pro’, which is a complex and intuitive algorithm
that senses various parameters, adjusts and delivers maximum comfort. In
addition, these comprise features such as ‘Turbo Cool’ for fast cooling; ‘Convertible
6-in-1 cooling’ where the customer can vary the cooling capacity upwards or
downwards; and NanoBluProtect Technology and Hydrophilic ‘Blue Fin’ coating,
for both IDUs and ODUs, to prevent coil corrosion and leakage and for longer
life, respectively. Some other unique features include DigiQpenta sensors that
deliver unparalleled accuracy and reliability;a 4-way swing for uniform
cooling; high cooling performance for fast and effective cooling; precision
cooling technology for setting temperature at every 0.5°Cand a PM2.5 filter
with activated carbon for clean air. All Blue Star inverter ACs are Smart Ready
and can be upgraded to Smart ACs with the addition of a separate smart
module.Another important aspect of Blue Star’s inverter ACs is that they have a
wide operating voltage range, thus eliminating the need for an external voltage
stabilizer.
Flagship
Range
The Company has launched a
formidable range of flagship models comprising ‘Super Energy-Efficient ACs,’
‘Heavy-Duty ACs,’ ‘Smart Wi-Fi ACs,’ ‘Hot & Cold ACs’ and ‘ACs with Anti-Virus
Technology’. Further, it has launched an 80th-year special edition AC to commemorate
its legacy. This model is power-packed with comprehensive technologies and
boasts several innovative features, making it the most advanced air conditioner
available in the country.
Blue Star’s ‘Super Energy-Efficient ACs’ include a
unique Dynamic Drive Technology to achieve enhanced energy efficiency with
optimised cooling by delivering high airflow volumes. As a result, the 1TR
Inverter Split ACs achieves a 6.25 ISEER, which is 64% more energy efficient
than a 3-Star Inverter AC.
Every year, India witnesses
a steady rise in temperatures across the country during peak summers. The
Company’s range of top-of-the-line ‘Heavy-Duty
ACs’ designed with superior specifications are extremely powerful and can
deliver faster cooling and comfort even at 56°C. These ACs also come with a
powerful air throw of up to 55 feet and deliver 100% cooling capacity at even
43°C.
The Company has also rolled out
one-of-a-kind ‘Smart Wi-Fi ACs,’
which have unique and smart features such as ‘Customised Sleep’, where one can
preset the temperature, fan speed, cool/fan mode and switch on/off the AC every
hour for 12 hours for uninterrupted sleep. With Voice Command Technology,
customers can operate their ACs through their smart devices, such as Amazon
Alexa or Google Home, through English or Hindi voice commands.
‘Hot
& Cold ACs’,are designed to provide comfort all year round. Blue Star has
developed one model that can operate at ambient temperatures down to -10°C,
specifically designed for markets such as Srinagar, and another range that can
operate at ambient temperatures down to -2°C for locations in the rest of the
country that face harsh winter.
Finally, the Company’s new
range that integrates comfort and health, ‘ACs
with Anti-Virus
Technology,’ can effectively filter out harmful microbes and particulate
matter. Customers can also operate these ACs as air purifiers, especially in
the winter.
Blue Star’s air
conditioners, besides providing consumers with exceptional cooling even at
affordable prices, are well-known for their quality, reliability and
durability.The Company provides a lifetime warranty on the inverter compressor,
a 5-year warranty on the PCBs and easy financing options for its products.
Since the Company’s foray
into the residential AC segment in 2011, Blue Star has grown from strength to
strength in this segment, outperforming the industry year after year. The
Company targets to achieve a market share of 15% by FY26 in the Room Air
Conditioners segment.
Enhancing
Manufacturing Footprint
Blue Star,through its
wholly-owned subsidiary Blue Star Climatech Limited, has set up
a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh which
commenced commercial production in January 2023. In addition, Blue Star’s two
plants in Himachal Pradesh are dedicated to manufacturing room ACs. These
facilities are well-equipped with the latest automation techniques and tools for
assembly lines and material handling, among others, as well as extensively
deployed with a host of initiatives towards IoT and digitisation. With these
plants, Blue Star now has a production capacity of over a million room ACs,
which will gradually scale up to 1.8 million ACs in due course.
Expanding Outreach
The Company
continues to make aggressive strides in e-commerce and modern trade channels
where it has been a prominent player and plans to sustain its investments in
in-store demonstrators in retail stores, as this has immensely helped in
enhancing off take. Besides, it continues to adopt appropriate promotional
methods both online and offline, amplifying off take across all tiers. The
Company is also strengthening its distribution network, especially in the
north.
In addition, Blue
Star’s value proposition of ‘Gold Standard Service’ and unmatched technical
competency are significant differentiators that the Company continues to invest
in. It now has a cohesive network of over 2,100 service centers to reach all
markets effectively. It also has a fleet of over 150 service crew vehicles that
make reliable after-sales service easily accessible throughout the country.
Brand Ambassador Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli
continues to be Blue Star’s brand ambassador for Room ACs. He has significantly
helped in building up the Company’s brand awareness and equity. The TV commercials featuring
Virat Kohli, revolving around the personification of heat, have been very well
received among external stakeholders.The Company is releasing new TVCs on the
same theme, which will be launched on TV and Digital channels in March. In all,
it plans to invest over Rs 40 crores in advertising during the summer season.
80th Anniversary Special
Consumer Offers
The year marked
the completion of Blue Star’s 80 years of existence. To commemorate this
momentous milestone, the Company has launched a host of limited-period special
consumer offers. These include an 80-month warranty, Rs 80 per day EMI, Rs 680
subsidised installation and several cashback and consumer finance offers on all
ACs.
Future Prospects
Speaking to the press at a conference held in Chennai,B
Thiagarajan, Managing Director, Blue Star Limited, said, “The market for room
ACs is at its inflection point and is poised to grow exponentially over the
next few years. Industry estimates reckon that the market will more than double
by 2030. This represents a huge opportunity for us, having over 80 years of AC
expertise and being well-entrenched in the marketplace. Blue Star continues to
make significant investments in R&D, manufacturing as well as supply chain
to enhance competencies and capabilities to leverage the growing demand
effectively. We anticipate the forthcoming summer season to be strong and
expect the demand for room air conditioners to be robust. We are confident that
with our formidable battalion of room ACs, cutting across all consumer segments
and price points, we will grow faster than the market.”
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