Voltas Ltd executive vice-president (unitary products) SN Tripathi said the cooling appliances business will step up production of air conditioners from the existing 50,000 units to about 100,000 units, of which 80,000 units will be manufactured under the company's brand name. The balance will be contract manufactured for other leading companies. Likewise, the production of water coolers will be doubled to 16,000 units from the existing 8,000 while in modular furniture, the number of workstations manufactured will be raised from the existing 9,000 to 15,000 units.

Voltas Ltd's unitary products division is divided into the cooling appliances business manufacturing ACs and water coolers at Dadra and the other business manufacturing refrigerators and modular furniture at Hyderabad.

The hike in production will be supported by introduction of new brands of air conditioners and water coolers as well as an increase in the number of company's dealers and retailers from the existing 300 to over 500.

The company is in talks with a few multinational companies for contract manufacture of air conditioners. Voltas Ltd has decided to increase its focus in the AC business keeping in view 40 per cent growth being witnessed in the retail home-segment for ACs. "With the launch of new products and increased production, the cooling appliances business is expected to increase its turnover to Rs 235 crore in the current fiscal as against Rs 175 crore in previous year", said Tripathi.

The division has earmarked Rs 10 crore for advertising and brand-building during year 2000-01, a major part of which will be spent on print and TV advertising. The advertising budget in the previous year was Rs 4 crore.