Voltas targets 30% growth rate in 2007-08

Kolkata, Apr 16 (UNI) Voltas Limited, India's premier air conditioning and engineering services company of the Tata Group, has set a target to achieve a growth rate of 30 per cent in 2007-08 and increase the number of channel partners and distributors from the current 3000 to about 4000 next year.

Voltas COO (Unitary Products Business Group) Sanjay Johri said the company would also intend to capture the market share of 20 per cent.

Mr Johri said Voltas has achieved a growth of over 30 per cent in sales of its Room Air Conditioner business in the last fiscal.

The sales volume had jumped from around 200,000 units in 2005-06 to over 2,60,000 units in 2006-07, ahead of the industry growth rate of 20 per cent.

Voltas has also taken the lead in complying with the government's energy efficiency-labelling programme, by launching India's first full range of Star Rated Air Conditioners.

He said these products would conform to the Energy Efficiency requirements of Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Voltas has launched a total of 17 new models this year.

He said Voltas would invest around two per cent of its turnover in developing service infrastructure.

''Our endeavour have been to make ACs available at affordable prices for every middle-class househol