CALCUTTA, May 13: Philips India, the consumer electronics and lightings giant, is planning a posse of new products aimed at every segment of the market.

Company vice-chairman and managing director KR Ehrnreich said Philips has already begun changing its product profile to include multimedia colour televisions and high-end compact disc (CD) players.

He said: "The profile of the company is constantly changing. We cannot keep on adding low value-added items in the product line. There is always a dynamic renewable process in the organisation worldover. In India, we want to have worldclass profitable operation".

On its late entry in the cellular phone market, he said that it would not be a problem. "In Europe, we started our business with cellphones just a year ago and already we have attained the number two position.

In India, the market for handsets is about half-a-million and we sold only 15,000," he said.

"Moreover all cellphones made to date have Philips' chips inside it. So we were in this market. Our new range Fizz, Spark and Genie will be the latest in the market," he said.

Earlier at the company's 67th annual general general here, chairman DN Ghosh said Philips India will sell its 49 per cent stake in Philips Telecommunication (India) Ltd (PTIL) to Simoco of the United Kingdom.But he refused to spell out the price for the sale, which is in line with Philips' decision worldwide to move out of radio communications.

Ghosh said all decisions on PTIL were taken after detailed discussion with West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation, which sold its stake to Philips last year.

Philips has also deferred plans for its Rs 300-crore glass and lamps manufacturing factory in Kota, Rajasthan, although it has already invested Rs 11 crore.

On the overall performance of the company, Ghosh said the electronics industry in the country was now in its sluggish phase.

Basu intervenes, pacifies union

CALCUTTA, May 13: The annual general meeting of Philips India passed off without any agitation by the leftist trade union following West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu's intervention. Sources in the Peico Workers Union, which is affiliated to the CPM's Centre for Indian Trade Unions (Citu), said the Philips management had requested Basu to intervene and also assured him of holding discussions with the union.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.