Bosch and Siemens home appliances to set up R&D unit at Pune

Hyderabad: German home appliances major Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances will be setting up a new R&D centre for refrigerators at Pune to cater to the Indian market, said Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Manufacturing Pvt Ltd managing director and chief executive officer Gunjan Srivastava.

"We will be setting up a new R&D unit for refrigerators as it is a big category in the home appliances market. We have already finalized the land and are in touch with local authorities for getting clearances. The R&D unit is expected to be operational by the end of the year with a staff strength of around 30," said Srivastava.

Speaking about its future plans in the Indian market, he said, the company aims to become a "dominant" player in the next five years by introducing a multifarious range of home appliances in the market.

Apart from its R&D unit, the company will be aggressively looking at increasing its stores footprint from the existing 35 to 60 by the end of the year.

Speaking about its manufacturing unit in Chennai, where the company has invested around Rs 350 crore, he said, the factory is currently utilizing 50 per cent of its capacity and manufacturing washing machines.

He pointed out that the unit will be able to support's company's expansion plans in the short-term and the company need not invest in a new facility.

Bosch and Siemens was founded in 1967 as a joint venture between Robert Bosch GmbH and Siemens AG and is the largest manufacturer of home appliances in Europe.

The company operates 41 factories across 13 countries in Europe, US, Latin America and Asia and its Chennai factory is its 42nd manufacturing unit.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.