With aim to capture 10-12% market share in the next three years, 'moonbow' is a new umbrella brand from HSIL Ltd for its consumer business vertical.

Taking longer stride in the consumer business space, bathroom solution major HSIL Ltd recently forayed in the air-purifier segment under a new umbrella brand called 'moonbow'. The company is also in the process of launching water purifiers in coming months in collaboration with the Marmon Group. In order to know more on the company's strategy and the product's features, MGS Architecture meets Mr. Sandip Somany, the company's Joint Managing Director, and Mr. Rakesh Kaul, President–Consumer Business, HSIL Ltd.


According to Mr. Somany, the diversification is strategic for the company and truly complements the group's existing business. "We as a company are always on the lookout for growth opportunities in the market which can complement our existing business, besides providing scope to venture into new business categories, linked with homes and improving consumer lifestyle," he says adding that entering the air purifier category, is based on market prospect which is positive, driven by the environmental situation and consumer demand to live smart and breathe fresh. "Given the growing awareness regarding air pollution, we believe the air-purifier segment is set to grow exponentially. While the awareness levels are high in urban regions, we believe demand will also start coming from tier-1 cities and towns," he adds.

Elaborating further, he says, "The brand 'moonbow' will focus on new products related to well-being & freshness in order to differentiate within our product offerings. It is a segment that offers huge potential with latent demand wherein we target 5% market share in the first year of operation and aim to be among the top two by extending the market share up to 12% in the next three years." According to him, the air-purifier segment, which is currently at the nascent stage, is estimated at Rs.400-450 crore and is growing at 40% annually.

Speaking on the unique brand name, the company's president for consumer verticals, Mr. Kaul says, "Going by the brand promise of moonbow, i.e. 'expect the unexpected' in tangible terms translates into something unanticipated, a surprise. This quality of the brand will be visible through differentiated product experiences and significant benefits that it will offer to target consumers, especially those, conscious about overall well-being of their family and want to live a robust and healthy lifestyle, wherein air purifier is the first product." In the first phase of launch, 'moonbow' air purifiers will be available in select Tier A cities that fall under bad AQI (Air Quality India) Index.

Reinstating the features, Mr. Kaul says, "Powered by Puri-5 technology, a five-stage filtration process in each of the three models, 'moonbow' is a uniquely different product. The importance of five-stage filtration lies in its ability to sieve away unsafe levels of particulate matter, also known as particle pollution or (PM) up to 2.5 micrometer in size in air. It removes all types of pollutants including pet allergen, bacteria in the air, Pollen, VOC, external gas, industrial pollution, dust and smog. Moonbow Purifiers eliminate even the smallest pollutants, down to 0.3 microns besides trapping various kinds of germs. The technology used not just filters out the pollutants, but also removes all types of odors – bringing freshness in the room. It inhales all types of pollutants in the space, and exhales only the fresh air for the occupants to breathe.

Delineating further the attributes of moonbow air purifier, Mr. Kaul explains, "It comprises Puri5 – a five-stage purification process (Pre Filter +True HEPA Filter + Active Carbon Filter + UV Light + Refreshing Energizer), which gives user the cleanest and the purest air, devoid of any harmful bacteria or virus. With a powerful Japanese motor, which covers as much as 500 sq feet of the area, the purifier's HEPA filters have the capacity to remove 99% of the air pollutants. The air purifier functions in 'Auto Mode' and comes with Dust/Odor Sensor, along with a replace filter indicator.

Quoting the recent report issued by Greenpeace India, Mr. Kaul laments, "15 out of 20 most polluted cities in the World are in India. While, Delhi tops the list, Patna, Gwalior, and Raipur follow thereafter. Going forward, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Firozabad, Kanpur, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Allahabad, and Agra too are labeled among the world's most polluted cities. Interestingly, most of these cities are landlocked and have very limited avenues to flush the polluted air out. This is the reason why the afternoons are enfolded in smog in these cities. Air pollution, by virtue of carrying the health-endangering pollutants, has serious effects on our health, wherein our air-purifiers would help individuals to stay protected."