Since the invention of air conditioning, we have been able to control the weather inside, and that has had some far-reaching and unexpected effects. Ever since our ancestors mastered fire, humans have been able to warm themselves. Cooling down when it’s hot has been more challenging. The general public first experienced air conditioning in the burgeoning movie theatres of the 1920s, and it quickly became as much of a selling point as the films. But air conditioning has become more than a mere convenience. It is a transformative technology, which has had a profound influence on where and how we live. Air conditioning has changed demographics, too. It’s hard to imagine the rise of cities like Dubai or Singapore without it. We decided to know about Air Conditioning from someone who has been in the industry recently, Mr. Kiran Acharya of Bhu Laxmi Group. Here is what he had to say.

THE CUSTOMER’S RESPONSE IS THE BIGGEST
SOURCE OF MARKETING FOR US BECAUSE IT IS AS
POSITIVE AS IT CAN BE

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO START BHU LAXMI GROUP?

I started Bhu Laxmi Group after I completed education in the field of IT. I wanted to go abroad for my career but overtime it changed and I wanted to do something for this market. However, I had no idea what to do, all the products that was needed in the market was there but I found a loophole which one a product that doesn’t have much demand right now but will become a necessity in Nepal. So we started off with air conditioners. It is considered as a luxury product but Nepal is a developing country and the market is obviously there, that is why I started Bhu Laxmi group.

 

WHAT ABOUT THE NAME?

How I came up with the name is pretty simple it is a mix of my parents’ name. My Father’s name is Bhupal and my Mother’s name is Laxmi so I mixed the two and name up with Bhu Laxmi group. At the moment we are just working with air conditioners but in the future we obviously want to expand to other home appliances as well.

 

HOW HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN? HAS IT EXCEEDED YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

When I started, I thought the business was slowly going to pick up but that has exceeded my expectations because it is growing rapidly to the point where we are having problems managing adequate stock. I would like to think that it’s because we do our best to manage our quality. I do go to the factory to check the air quality myself. The customer’s response is the biggest source of marketing for us because it is as positive as it can be. However, if they have any suggestions for us we would be happy to take it up.

 

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU HAD TO FACE IN THIS INDUSTRY? WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?

The main challenge right now is that Kathmandu is not a very hot city but if we go to the Terai sides the temperature can reach up to 40 degrees Celsius. We are focusing more on the quality and service rather than paid advertisement at the time.

 

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?

We are planning to open up a plant in Nepal and produce our own home appliances. Bhu Laxmi group is working on electronics right now but we are also working on creating an IT startup because that is what I have a background in. Also, if anyone has a new concept that we think might do well in the market we would be happy to invest in it. Slowly, we will be looking at the scope of the market and heading to more diverse field.

 

What do you think of competition? How competitive is the market in the field of home appliances?

Well competition is always there if we are not a monopoly which we clearly are not. So, I don’t think much about the competition as long as we stick to our ethics and essence. I have heard a lot of people complaining about how they are not satisfied with the service with their respective brand. So, this is where we want to ace, the service that we provide once we have sold a product to the customer must be on point.

words by: shreeya sangroula | photo by: gaurav xhompate sunuwar