Air cooler market in India to grow substantially over the next few years

Aim to reach untapped markets, opportunities and democratise comfort, providing eco-friendly air cooling solutions.

Your perception about the air-cooling market in India and what growth do you see in the coming years? 

The household air cooler market in India is quite well-established and is expected to grow substantially over the next few years. However, the industrial and commercial cooling in India still has a long way to go. Most of these spaces manage with fans or they simply operate at ambient temperature. The workers at such workspaces still work in harsh climatic and ambient heat conditions. That, in turn, affects their productivity. While there exists a solution for this, there is not enough awareness and penetration of the same at present. Most MSME industries can benefit from Symphony Large Space Venti-Cooling, as also many large industries. The opportunity in customer facing retail spaces is also enormous. India has 180 lakh commercial spaces, 22 lakh educational institutions, 30 lakh religious places of worship and 400 plus industrial zones. A vast majority of these can benefit from Symphony Large Space Venti-Cooling. There are other diverse application areas: hospitals, hotels, gyms, warehouses, showrooms, workshops, banquet halls, prayer halls, service centres, offices, bungalows, theatres, cloud kitchens apart from factories and industries. 

What is the purpose and initiatives taken by Symphony brand for 27-Degree C World? 

As per the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) State of the Global Climate 2021 report, the last seven years have been the warmest. Owing to the rising temperatures and to ensure overall well-being, we have launched the mission of ‘27-Degree C World’ to provide comfortable and eco-friendly air-cooling solutions for individuals and businesses. 

According to research by NASA, the productivity of an individual can be severely impacted by working in high temperatures. The report denotes that 27 Degrees Celsius is an ideal ambient temperature for human beings. At this temperature, humans are at their most productive and creative selves. If this temperature is not managed, then an individual can experience a loss of up to 40% accuracy in their output. Symphony aims to make this comfort accessible to all with their new mission. 

To ensure the wide reach of this comfortable temperature, we will be constantly innovating to deliver the most accessible, sustainable, and affordable air-cooling technologies for all applications. We will be engaging with like-minded partners and communities to maximise the impact of our commitments. The endeavour is to create sustainable solutions that can positively impact our lives without any detrimental cost to nature. 

Could you share details about large space Venti-cooling? 

There are primarily two methods of cooling large spaces- Evaporative Air Cooling and Air-Conditioning. The latter is not economical for open / semi-open and very large spaces. For other spaces, most commercial/ industrial businesses would use one of these methods of cooling. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought health related concerns into sharp focus, especially when it came to the health and wellness of employees and workers. As highlighted by experts, ventilation and circulation of fresh air is crucial to slowing down the air-borne spread of the Covid-19 virus. It has been scientifically proven that the virus does not spread as easily in open, cross ventilated work environments. Whereas in closed, air-conditioned workspaces, where the same stale air is recirculated, the virus spread is more rapid and rampant. Since air coolers require fresh air for effective cooling, they naturally circulate cool, fresh air in large spaces. Air Coolers can be used with windows and doors open and they still effectively cool the working spaces. So, the natural process of ventilation and cooling are happening simultaneously with air coolers. It was important to highlight this significant advantage of air coolers over air conditioners, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, it was decided to bring to fore the lesser known ventilation benefit along with the known cooling benefit of air coolers. Symphony Large Space Venti-Cooling (LSV) is a customer facing category nomenclature of our industrial and commercial air-cooling solutions. 

The manufacturing excellence that distinguishes Symphony, as the competitive scenario is changing rapidly with new technologies penetrating the cooling segment. 

We deliver market-leading products that are a wonderful combination of design innovation, energy efficiency, distinctive styling, and customer-centricity. From pioneering branded air coolers in India to equipping them with world class features, Symphony has continually been at the forefront of innovation. For the LSV business, in particular, we have further innovated to bring in solutions that offer high degree of customisation as per site requirements, fast installation to minimise operations, disruption and pan-India express service network to ensure high system uptime. At present, Symphony is the only national brand that is into industrial and commercial air cooling. Made of UV resistant engineering non-corrosive and weather resistant plastic, our air coolers are rust proof and weather resistant. The discharge and installation are customisable at scale using our wide range of accessories like Mouthpiece, Elbow, Modular duct, Front grill with auto louvres, Metal Trolley, Wall mounting metal stand, Variable speed controller. These accessories can replace the existing unorganised installation process, which is highly time-consuming. The current process involves metal ducting which compromises heavily on quality, durability, and aesthetics. All our products are manufactured locally in India and come with a promise of consistent after sales support. Our endeavour has always been to offer unparalleled experience and solutions to our esteemed customers. 

What relevance does comfort cooling have in relation to workspace productivity? 

Heat Stress is a major cause of disruption/ slowdown of productivity in workplaces. This is especially true where the summers are harsh, and the atmosphere is dry. Also, in industries that generate a lot of heat in the course of the manufacturing process (furnaces, cutting, grinding, welding etc.). As we have mentioned earlier, there is a lot of global research which highlights that heat stress impacts concentration, physical and mental health, causes dehydration and can lead to accidents and injuries due to loss of focus. Heat strokes are a common phenomenon in hot workplaces. Heat Stress leads to absenteeism, worker attrition, more downtime, lower turnaround time, lower productivity, lower throughput, worker irritation and insubordination/ indiscipline. When comfort cooling is provided at such workspaces, there is an immediate and significant impact on all the above parameters. 

Heat is an occupational safety and health hazard. Excessive heat during work creates occupational health risks; it restricts a worker’s physical functions and capabilities, work capacity and productivity. Temperatures above 24–26°C are associated with reduced labour productivity. At 33–34°C, a worker operating at moderate work intensity loses 50 percent of his or her work capacity. Exposure to excessive heat levels can lead to heatstroke, sometimes even with a fatal outcome. Workers in all sectors are affected, but certain occupations are especially at risk because they involve more physical effort and/or take place outdoors. Such jobs are typically found in agriculture, environmental goods and services (natural resource management), construction, refuse collection, emergency repair work, transport, tourism and sports. Industrial workers in indoor settings are also at risk if temperature levels inside factories and workshops are not regulated properly. At high heat levels, performing even basic office and desk tasks becomes difficult as mental fatigue sets in. 

Your views about commercial and manufacturing facilities air cooling market penetration, as factories, warehouses and large open spaces are vulnerable needing fresh air exchange? 

Air Cooling and Ventilation go hand in hand. Which is why the Symphony business targeted at industrial and commercial spaces is called Large Space Venti-Cooling. More than ever before, the need for ventilation has been underlined by the unprecedented pandemic that has gripped the world. Air conditioning requires closed spaces, and the same air is recirculated; whereas, air cooling works on the principle of cooling fresh air. Any space that has people, needs a comfortable environment and provision of fresh air. Symphony VentiCooling can be done with windows and doors open. You can also do spot cooling of spaces that are manned by people in instances where the entire industrial space does not need to be air cooled. Customer-facing commercial spaces also feel the need for air cooling. Places like schools, hospitals, religious institutions, wedding halls, etc., can benefit and profit from providing comfort cooling to their customers. Currently, the majority of industrial and commercial spaces have no cooling; some have fans, and, at best, some parts are air conditioned. The market is large, untapped, and waiting to be expanded. It will require evangelising the idea of comfort cooling and ensuring that such customers experience the benefits of air cooling. We see major potential in this business. Not only will the average revenue per customer be higher but also the operating margins. There is a business of AMCs which can provide recurring income. The lifespan of a venti-cooling solution is roughly 10 years, and we envisage a saving of Rs.75-80 lakhs for an area of 3000 sq. ft. 

Expansion and innovation plans you espouse for the future, considering changing scenarios globally? We have enhanced and expanded our sales network for the Large Space Venti-Cooling category over the last few months. 

We have also strengthened our after-sales service network to make sure that our customers have a hassle free and smooth experience post installation. We are very well equipped to serve any part of the country. While we have been air cooling segments like warehouse, factory, restaurants, of late, we have also discovered some new segments which can be air cooled and we had never thought of them before. We are consistently working towards providing solutions tailored to the needs of every segment. We still feel there are numerous untapped markets and opportunities out there. Our aim is to reach them all and democratise comfort by providing affordable and eco friendly cooling solutions.