BSH Household Appliances, a part of Germany's diversified group Bosch, plans to strengthen R&D set up in India in order to drive innovation for products specific to the local market.
The company, which is in the process of investing 100 million euros (around Rs 750 crore) in the next five years on enhancing factory and setting up of an R&D unit, also plans to add 140 brand stores in next two years taking its count to 200.
"It would be not a full fledged large R&D center but smaller one for India specific product," BSH Household Appliances Manufacturing MD and CEO Gunjan Srivastava told PTI when asked about R&D centre in India.
Elaborating further on the plan, he said: "The intention is to understand the Indian consumers and make innovation for the Indian market. It is not going to create new technology for our global centers."
Stating that the location will be firmed up by the end of this year, he added: "The experience gained by BSH in India will be applied in other emerging markets."
BSH is in the process of investing 100 million euros in next five years on enhancing its factory here, besides the R&D unit.
It has invested around Rs 350 crore in a manufacturing unit in India at Pillaipakkam, Chennai which has a capacity of 0.3 million units washing machine. BSH exports 30 per cent of its washing machine production to ASEAN markets and Australia, New Zealand.
The company operates 62 brand outlets, 36 for Bosch and 26 for Siemens brands of appliances. It is planning to expand its presence in other cities.
"The strategy is that Bosch should go to all the cities and Siemens would cater only bigger cities. Our intention is that in next 2-3 years time, we should move to 200 brand outlets in which 150 will be Bosch and 50 for Siemens," he said.
It also plans to expand reach from 1,400 stores to 2,000 in next three to five years.
Besides, the company would also enter into the categories where it is absent today.
"We are going to launch new range in washing machine, dryers and in refrigerator. Presently we have refrigerator above 290 liters and there is lot of scope for expansion here," Srivastava said adding that " we would eventually into all home appliance category."
BSH appliances is present in product range as - Washing machine, cooling, cooking and dish care.
