Raj Sahai in Calcutta on Wednesday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta, Feb. 2: Texport Electronics Ltd, an Indo-Swiss joint venture company, has launched the AVI brand of air-conditioners in the country. The company is a 50:50 JV between Sangam Swiss SA, which owns the brand, and Calcutta-based Texport.

?We are initially launching the AVI range of air-conditioners in seven states,? said Raj Sahai, managing director of Texport. ?We plan to first establish the brand in these states and then take it to the rest of the country.?

The product will be available in Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The air-conditioner market in India is estimated at Rs 1,800 crore and is growing at the rate of 30 per cent.

The company is also planning to introduce CRT, LCD and plasma televisions along with home-theatre audio systems, car DVD players with LCD monitors and digital cameras.

The AVI range of air-conditioners include window, split, floor-standing, ceiling-cassette, duct and portable. The capacity ranges from 0.65 tonne to 3.5 tonne and costs between Rs 8,900 and Rs 85,000.

?The products will be sourced from the leased manufacturing unit in China,? Sahai said.

He added that with growth in volumes, Texport will consider setting up a manufacturing facility in India to cater to West Asia and Southeast Asian markets.