AC makers struggle to meet piling orders

KOLKATA: If anybody is likely to be happy about the rising mercury, it is none other than the AC manufacturers and dealers. With the average temperatures hovering around the soaring up to 40 degree Celsius, and high discomfort levels owing to the humid conditions, people are thronging to making a beeline for ACs and air coolers in various electronics outlets across the city for ACs and air coolers .
The increased demand has led to Some brands are meeting a production deficit. Hence, some brands have upped the prices to be able to handle the demand better. due to the excessive demand for air conditioners this summer, which has boosted the price tags of ACs.
Some outlets in like Khosla Electronics, Behala branch and Great Eastern in Dalhousie have witnessed an increased demand of air conditioners this year, with sales rising by 25% since last year. "Due to the excessive heat, people are buying ACs like never before. Even air coolers are in good deamd this season. Due to production shortage, we are running out on stocks. Even air coolers have a good demand this season," said Subroto Sarkar, a salesman at a leading electronic store in Khosla Electronics, Behala. Orders are being booked in advance but the shops have specified that the product would take at least a week to get delivered. However, split ACs are more in demand as compared to window ACs, primarily due to shortage of space in modern homes.
Priced between Rs 17,000 and Rs 47,000, the market value and VAT (Value Added Tax) of these appliances have gone up in 2012. Thus, ACs are now costlier by Rs 2000. at Great Eastern with the minimum price at Rs.24000, due to the acute demands.
But some shops in the city are yet to be hit by the production shortage. They are, however, faced with a different problem. Though the deliveries have been made in time but there is an acute shortage of mechanics. Households are yet to enjoy their luxury buy as it would take a minimum of seven to 10 days before the mechanic can visit them and install the AC. time However, this outlet has not experienced the production and supply crunch as yet, unlike Khosla Electronics.
Ashish Mitra, a businessman doesn't mind shelling out more bucks while purchasing an AC, as the sultry heat continues its onslaught. "With temperatures shooting up with every passing day, it's impossible to survive the heat without an AC. Moreover, my mother is a cardiac patient who finds it tough to deal with the unbearable heat," he said.
Hitachi, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Haier etc are ruling the roost currently. Air coolers are rolling off the shelves steadily too. Prosanto Ghosh, manager of an electronics outlet, said: "Both air coolers and ACs are hot favourites of customers, with about 70 to 90 pieces being sold per day. But ACs have greater sales as compared to coolers though they cost much lesser, Rs.5000 to Rs.7000 while ACs cost upto Rs.47000, starting from Rs.24000." He added that the humid weather conditions of Kolkata can be combated better, if one is eqipped with an air-conditioner which is much effective than air coolers in this regard.
A large number of ACs have already been added to the city's AC account. CESC officials said that there has been a quantum leap in power demand. On Thursday, power demand at noon was 1737MW. This is 200MW more than last year's demand around this time of the day. The demand shot up to 1862MW by 3.30pm, barely 1MW less than Wednesday's demand, observed officials. the demand the demand for power has catapulted by 80 to 100 MW this year due to maximum use of office and home air-conditioners, according a TOI report on Friday. The demand has risen upto 1820 to 1825 MW in 2012, and it is estimated that by the Pujas, the peak demand will touch the 1900 MW mark.
Harmony House, an electronics showroom in Park Street, are not facing paucity in production, unlike Khosla. As the outlet was non-operational for the last two months due to renovation, the market for ACs for them was "slowly rising". "Though this showroom was dormant for sometime, yet I find that this year, ACs have higher demand. Window ACs cost about Rs.14990 to Rs 33000, though split ACs are more popular," said Anirban Chakroborty, a senior officer at the store. AC machines weighing two tonnes cost Rs.33000, while those weighing 1 ton are much cheaper.