Kent RO Systems Limited, India’s leading reverse osmosis (RO) water purifier brand, has announced its expansion into the GCC market.

The brand’s wide range of household appliances will be available at LuLu Hypermarkets. The company has joined hands with UAE’s Sands International for the distribution of its products across the GCC, said a statement from the company.
 
The move is a part of the company’s broader expansion plans into the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) in the next few years. Recent research indicates that the region`s demand for water purifiers is growing at more than 7 per cent per annum and the market could reach nearly half a billion dollars by 2020, it said.
 
The company manufactures a wide range of water and air purifiers apart from cooking appliances and vacuum cleaners and has cemented its position as the single largest player in the RO (reverse osmosis) market in India, it added.

Its patented Mineral RO Technology water purifiers are certified by some of world’s leading laboratories including USA’s NSF International and Water Quality Association (Gold Seal). Kent RO is also a winner of Unesco’s Water Digest Water Awards 2016-17.
 
Dr Mahesh Gupta, chairman, Kent RO System Limited, said that the product is synonymous with purest and tastiest water in India, and now with the launch of the purifiers in the UAE, the consumers here can purify their tap water to better than bottled quality water at the press of a button.
 
“People in Dubai prefer drinking bottled water, due to taste and purity concerns of tap water. However, the consuming bottled water is not convenient, as women find it difficult to lift and install the bulky 20-litre cans on water vending machines,” he said.

“Moreover, it is costly to purchase bottled water as well. Here, our purifiers are compact and convenient and purify tap water to better than bottled water quality, at a very low cost,” he added.

“Besides being economical and convenient, purifying tap water at home using our system, is much safer as compared to bottled water, and is tasty also,” he concluded.
 
Kent RO is credited to have pioneered the RO technology in India and uses its own patented UF+UV+RO technology, which retains the essential natural minerals and maintains the natural taste in purified water.

Its latest product - the Kent Superb, for example, offers customers real-time monitoring and comes with an interactive touch screen display, enabling users to monitor the quality of the purified water and the vital stats of the device such as the RO flow rate, balance filter life and RO pump status.
 
According to a recent research report by Future Market Insights (FMI), the point of use (POU) water purifier market in the Mena is expected to reach $471 million by 2020, driven by strong demand in Saudi Arabia, UAE and other urban markets.
 
The report also indicates that in UAE alone POU water purifier market is anticipated to reach around 149,000 units by 2020, growing at 10 per cent annually.
 
In line with its global expansion plans, Kent is expanding its facilities to cater to the growing demand. Its three facilities in India can currently produce about 500,000 units per year. It is in the process of building a fourth manufacturing unit near Delhi with an investment of $15.5 million.
 
“We have been steadily expanding into the international markets. Kent’s association with Sands International and LuLu Hypermarkets will kick-start a new business era for us in the GCC market,” Gupta added.
 
Sands International has created a multi-brand distribution network across the GCC and deals with a varied portfolio of products ranging from home appliances to consumer electronics and IT, said a statement.
 
Probir Mukherjee, business leader of Sands International, said: “The region offers immense potential for products such as water and air purifiers, especially when the brand assures uncompromised quality.”

“Kent RO today holds 40 per cent of the market share within the segment in India and we will work towards achieving a similar result in the GCC market,” he said.
 
“We are committed to offer the same quality and service standards to our customers in the Gulf region as the brand provides in other global markets. We have been looking to aggressively expand our business in the region and partnering with Kent RO Systems is a significant step in that direction,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service