At first glance, pressure cookers and technology seem as unrelated as... well, pressure cookers and technology. But a closer look at the Indian market would reveal how technological innovations are steaming up an otherwise mundane and utility-driven product category. At least that's what major pressure cooker makers like Hawkins and Prestige are striving to achieve "" cookers and cookware for every need. And both players, who together account for half the branded cookware market, are trying to out-innovate each other in a bid to capture larger marketshares.
That's because the urban markets for pressure cookers (where penetration is close to 80 to 90 per cent) are reaching saturation point; at the same time, regional brands such as Price, Marlex and Premier, besides the 50-odd unbranded cookers, are gaining in popularity.
Market sources estimate that the pressure cooker market has been growing at just 5 per cent in the past couple of years. It doesn't help that excise duty on branded cookware was doubled in 2001, from 8 to 16 per cent.
As a result, Hawkins' turnover slid from Rs 129 crore in 2001 to Rs 108 crore in 2003 and Prestige TTK's volume sales dipped by 8 per cent in 2002.
The established players realise that consumers' expectations are changing. "With competition from growing categories like microwave ovens and OTGs (oven-toaster-grills), the customer expects convenient and speedy cooking from pressure cookers," says K Sundararaghavan, executive director, finance and administration, Hawkins.
But, to their credit, Hawkins and TTK Prestige started on the innovation path much earlier. Way back in 1982, TTK Prestige was the first to address the safety issue "" pressure cooker bursts were fairly common at that time.
"There were lots of spurious spare parts creeping into the market. And the number of cheaper local brands was mounting "" none of which addressed the safety factor," recalls Chandru Karlo, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, TTK Prestige.
So the company inserted a gasket in the cooker lid, which would safely release excess pressure from the cooker. Even the debut advertising campaign emphasised safety with the tagline "Jo biwi se kare pyaar, woh Prestige se kaise kare inkaar?" (If you love your wife, how can you say no to Prestige?).
If Prestige cornered the safety angle, Hawkins opted for glamour. In the 1980s, the company realised that consumers' needs were changing "" where earlier they had demanded utility, durability and capacity (families used to be bigger, with six or seven members), now the nuclear family was coming into prominence.
"We found that there were customers within the existing customer base who want sturdy, utility vessels combined with innovative style," explains Sundararaghavan.
Also, Hawkins wanted to grow its exports by catering to international tastes and standards. This led to the launch of Futura in 1984. Like its name, the Futura was futuristic for its time.
Instead of whistling like other pressure cookers, the Futura had a steam-release button on the handle. That ensured better pressure regulation, which meant faster cooking.
While the in-built steam-release buttons made the Futura's contours sleek, Hawkins sought to innovate further on material. "Plain aluminium restricted the ways in which we could have innovated further in terms of styling and sturdiness," explains Sundararaghavan.
Research came up with the use of hard anodisation. Instead of using standard aluminium, a layer of aluminium oxide was added on the existing aluminium mould, making the cooker body tougher, with better thermal properties.
And, unlike regular pressure cooker, the Futura's dark grey matte exterior was scratch-proof. "Even after two years of Futura's launch, we kept modifying on hard anodisation," Sundararaghavan adds.
If Hawkins saw an opportunity in material, TTK saw it in ergonomics. All along, Hawkins' forte has been inner-lid cookers (cooker lids that get locked inside the vessel), while Prestige has specialised in outer-lid cookers.
This was an advantage when Prestige launched its pressure-pan "" a cross between cookers and saute pans "" in 1984. Since an outer-lid cooker is easier to open and close, it lent new uses to the routine pressure cooker, which till then had been used mainly for cooking vegetables and rice. From an ergonomic point of view, these kinds were easier to open and stir.
More recently, both players have been innovating on size and shape to attract repeat purchases. In 1999, 25 to 30 per cent of pressure cooker buyers were repeat buyers. Now, say market sources, they account for 50 per cent of the total sales (no reliable figures are available for marketshares and sales).
In the past five years, both companies have launched cookers in sizes from 2 litres to 22 litres. But shape also matters, as Hawkins learnt from its Contura cookers, launched in the late 1980s to tap customers who prefer cooking directly in the cooker.
Contura cookers had roundish bases for easy stirring and visibility, unlike standard cookers, which were shaped like saucepans. But, "Contura didn't catch on," admits a company official. The main reason, point out dealers, was the lack of awareness for the range.
In 2003, Hawkins relaunched the cooker, complete with an advertising campaign where a housewife whips up gaajar ka halwa in a Contura in just 30 minutes. Contura's current monthly sales are close to four times that in the 1990s, claims the company, although it gives no figures.
For its part, Prestige has more or less stuck to the safety angle. In late 2002, it launched two ranges "" Deluxe and Smart "" that are being promoted on the safety platform.
While the Deluxe cooker has an indicator that shows the pressure level inside the cooker and shows when it is safe to open the lid, the Smart range's USP is upward steam dispension, and a safe, quick release system that opens immediately after the gas is switched off.
Prestige claims that Deluxe range now contributes to 50 per cent of its cooker volumes.
But it's no longer enough to be a utility item "" and Prestige seems to realise that. Taking a cue from its successful launch of copper-bottomed cookers and cookware in 1989 (sales went up 60 per cent, say company officials), last year the company introduced a pressure handi (Indian saucepans that are used for slow cooking at even temperatures). The pressure handi combines the handi with the cooker.
With state-of-art innovations in hand, both companies are optimistic about turning around fortunes. Hawkins expects 6 per cent turnover growth this year and TTK claims volume growth of 36 per cent already. Looks like the market is gathering steam.
