Chimney maker Kutchina seeks to reduce imports from China

Kolkata, Sep 15 (PTI) The makers of Kutchina brand kitchen chimney on Thursday said that Vedanta's upcoming semiconductor plant in Gujarat will help the company reduce its dependence on imports of critical components from China.

Kutchina will invest Rs 45-50 crore in phases to manufacture chimneys in its own factory in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, which is expected to start production in December, company director Namit Bajoria said in a virtual interaction.

The Kolkata-headquartered company enjoys around 66 per cent market share in chimneys in eastern India.

"Even when we ourselves manufacture chimneys, we have to import critical components from China. But the proposed semiconductor and display manufacturing unit will reduce our dependence on imports in the long run," Bajoria said.

A joint venture of the Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gujarat government on Tuesday to set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in the state.

Semiconductors are critical components for any smart product – from cars to white goods.

“Our make-in-India vision will get a boost with the semiconductor plant in Gujarat,” Bajoria said.

He said it already manufactures modular kitchens in-house but the new facility will help expand the capacity by 2-3 times to cater to the growing demand.

Bajoria said the company was focusing on festive season sales with new products in chimneys, modular kitchens and appliances including water purifiers.

“We now have limited presence in the western and northern parts of the country. We have planned to become a top national brand in the kitchen space over the next 2-3 years,” he said.

He also stated that the company is expanding the footprint of Kutchina Galleries, exclusive showrooms of the company, from 75 to 100 by April with the majority of them being set up in new locations. PTI BSM NN NN