Newstrack

Kohler to invest US $200 million in hotel sanitary and bathroom segment

Sanjeev Bhar - New Delhi

Known for its lavish bathroom settings and sanitary ware in leading hotels worldwide, Kohler India Corporation plans to invest around US $200 million over the next couple of years in this segment, half of which would be invested in 2006-07.

Revealing Kohler's plans, Sharad Mathur, its VP and commercial director said, "Our first objective is to secure the top position in the Indian market. With the hotel industry booming, peripheral requirements like sanitaryware, bathroom furniture and fixture for hotels has and will see a quantum growth in times to come. It is a huge market on offer."

Recently, Kohler in association with FCML opened a specialty showroom on bath sanitary in Delhi, which is first of its kind in India. Hotels, nowadays, are taking a significant leap when going for renovations in the areas of bath fittings and fixtures, and spending manifold on bathrooms alone. "We are expecting to gain huge profits considering the kind of investment we are putting in," mentioned Mathur.

By end of next year, Kohler plans to set up Asia's largest sanitaryware plant in Gujarat on a 280 acre plot. "It will not only serve the Indian hospitality’s need for sanitaryware but would also focus on exports to the US and other countries," Mathur said. Catering to all kinds of hotels, the company supplies its products to more than 33 hotels including The Grand Hyatt, Leela, InterContinental, ITC and EIH.