Overview Of The Water Purifier Industry Environmental Sciences Essay

Approximately 80% of diseases in India are caused by water borne micro organisms. This is true in rural as well as urban India. However, awareness of health risks linked to unsafe water is still very low among the rural population. The few who treat water resort to boiling or use domestic candle filters. In comparison, the urban Indian is definitely more health conscious and understands the necessity of purifying water before it is fit for consumption. Even so, it is estimated that roughly 7% of urban Indians use non manual water purifiers. More Indians need to become aware of the importance of installing drinking water purifiers. There remains a huge untapped market.

Though quite a few city dwellers still boil water, many are switching over to modern domestic water purifiers. Electrical or chemical based home water purification systems are most suitable for urban households because they require little or no manual operation and depending on the technology can eliminate biological contaminants, chemical toxins and excessive salts. The main contaminants are, however, micro organisms. UV purifiers and advanced chemical based systems deal effectively with viruses, giardia and bacteria. This is one of the reasons why UV and resin based purifiers are the most widely used water purifiers in India today.

It is estimated that around 80% of urban dwellers do not purify tap water. Many of them are from the lower income strata and cannot afford UV or reverse osmosis water purification systems. They are the potential buyers of economical but effective chemical purifiers. This is the market that Eureka Forbes and Hindustan Unilever are tapping aggressively. Chemical based purifiers, Aquasure and Pureit, together account for 20% of water purifiers sold. Both are becoming increasingly popular because they are effective and affordable. The two brands are reported to be growing at 100 percent per annum. Also, they do not run on electricity and are ideal for locations where power supply is unpredictable. Neither do they demand continuous water supply. Power and water are still scarce even in urban India.

It is estimated that roughly two thirds of the existing water purification market belongs to UV water purifiers and one third is shared between reverse osmosis purification systems and chemical purifiers. In the UV purifier segment, Eureka Forbes’ Aquaguard is the clear market leader with approximately 68% market share. Other brands include Philips’ Intelligent Water Purifier and Kent’s UV purifier. The UV purifier market is estimated to be growing at a lower rate than the chemical based segment.

Reverse osmosis purifiers, which are rather expensive and not the preferred option in many areas, have a smaller share of the market when compared with UV purifiers and chemical based systems. In the reverse osmosis segment, Eureka Forbes is again the major player with 60% share. A major portion of the remaining 40% belongs to Kent reverse osmosis Systems.

That the Indian market has tremendous potential is evident from the fact that global majors such as Philips and Hindustan Lever have stepped in and are looking to increase their share of the market. The three principal players today are Eureka Forbes, Hindustan Lever and Philips. In the years to come, we are likely to see others entering the fray

Water purifiers are one of the most used kitchen utilities Available in India. Water Purification and Backpacking is an industry in itself in India. Portable versions of Water Purifiers are available for Camping and Hiking. Water Purification Methods include the mechanized versions as well as the age-old and time-tested Water Purification Tablets. The Water Purification Process includes removing contaminants from the raw water source.

Some of the home remedies for Water Purification are boiling or the use of the household charcoal filter. But these do not ensure the required standard of Water Purification thus a proper treatment is mandatory. That’s where the Water Purifiers For Home step in. treatment of water by ozone also provides certain levels of purity.

Utilizing the advanced technology and machines, we offer water purifiers, which are widely used for the domestic water purification. It makes the water suitable for drinking and everyday usage like drinking, bathing, cooking and washing etc

Features

Low maintenance

No Chemicals

Compact

Light Weight

Eco Friendly

Easy Handling

Available

250 Liters per hour

500 Liters per hour

1000 Liters per hour

Chapter – 2

Various technology used by different water purifier

Activated Carbon (AC). – Activated carbon (AC) is particles of carbon that have been treated to increase their surface area and increase their ability to adsorb a wide range of contaminants – activated carbon is particularly good at adsorbing organic compounds.  We will find two basic kinds of carbon filters Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) and Solid Block Activated Carbon (SBAC). 

Contaminant reduction in AC filters takes place by two processes, physical removal of contaminant particles, blocking any that are too large to pass through the pores (obviously, filters with smaller pores are more effective), and a process called adsorption by which a variety of dissolved contaminants are attracted to and held (adsorbed) on the surface of the carbon particles. The characteristics of the carbon material (particle and pore size, surface area, surface chemistry, density, and hardness) influence the efficiency of adsorption.

Reverse Osmosis (RO)- Diffusion is the movement of molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion in which the molecules are water and the concentration gradient occurs across a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane allows the passage of water, but not ions (e.g., Na+, Ca2+, Cl-) or larger molecules (e.g., glucose, urea, bacteria). Diffusion and osmosis are thermodynamically favorable and will continue until equilibrium is reached. Osmosis can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed if sufficient pressure is applied to the membrane from the ‘concentrated’ side of the membrane.

Reverse osmosis occurs when the water is moved across the membrane against the concentration gradient, from lower concentration to higher concentration. To illustrate, imagine a semipermeable membrane with fresh water on one side and a concentrated aqueous solution on the other side. If normal osmosis takes place, the fresh water will cross the membrane to dilute the concentrated solution. In reverse osmosis, pressure is exerted on the side with the concentrated solution to force the water molecules across the membrane to the fresh water side.

Reverse osmosis is often used in commercial and residential water filtration. It is also one of the methods used to desalinate seawater. Sometimes reverse osmosis is used to purify liquids in which water is an undesirable impurity (e.g., ethanol).

For example Kent RO is present in the market

Ultraviolet Radiation (UV)- Ultraviolet purification uses a UV light source (lamp) which is enclosed in a protective transparent sleeve (usually quartz). The lamp is mounted such that water passing through a flow chamber is exposed to the UV-C light rays. When harmful microbes are exposed to the UV rays, their nucleic acid absorbs the UV energy, which then scrambles the DNA structure of the organism. The cell is rendered sterile and can no longer reproduce. The cell is now considered dead and is no longer a threat.

UV treatment is an excellent choice to eliminate biological contamination from most home drinking water, whether your home is on a municipal water system or untreated private system (well, lake water, etc.). Its sole purpose is to kill harmful biological contaminants, and therefore should always be combined with other forms of filtration (GAC / carbon block, KDF, or reverse osmosis) for reduction of heavy metals, chlorine, VOC’s, and other chemical contaminants.

Ion Exchange (IEX) -Most popular Ion exchange (IEX) media in POU for heavy metals reduction is ATS or ATC media, zeolite etc. Various IEX resins are often used for industrial processes for specific water use. Ion exchange theory in layman language is simply gaining and loosing atoms (swapping atoms). In drinking water for example soluble lead is a positive ion whilst chlorine is a negative ion (cat ions+, anions-). Most common ion exchange in rural area is Softener.

Another popular often called redox technology. is IEX media used in POU is KDF 55 (copper zinc alloy in granule form) for it’s high chlorine reduction. By simply swapping atoms this metal alloy turns chlorine into harmless chloride.

Many POU makers using this alloy claim soluble lead reduction, bacteriostatic proprieties, some go as far as cysts and bacteria removal and a host of other miracles. KDF 55 is widely use for shower and garden filters which are impressively compact and effective de-chlorinator

Chapter – 3

Water Purifier Companies in India

The main Manufacturers of the water purifiers are following

Eureka Forbes

Philips

Kent

Usha Brita

Jaipan

Kenstar

Maharaja Whiteline

Orpat

Zero B

.

Chapter – 4

On the basis of Porter 5 force model we can analysis the water purifier industry Competition in the market

Porters 5 force Model for water purifier industry

Threat of new Entrants- High

Market entry barrier is not high.

Brand Identity.

Low cost of capital imposes a Low entry barrier.

High R&D cost.

Market Exit Barrier is also not so high.

Intensity of Rivalry among existing Competitors- Very High

Customer loyalty is very capricious.

Entry level Advertisement war in water purifiers.

Low profit margins.

Perceived lack of differentiation in technologies by customer.

Pressure from Substitute product – Medium

Packaged drinking water.

Ground water / Municipal Supplies.

Chemical distributed by government to clean water.

Boiled water

Bargaining power of Suppliers -High

Supplier’s product is an important input to the buyer’s business.

Number of suppliers are also few.

Supplier to buyer ratio.

Bargaining power of Buyers-High

Customers are price sensitive.

Spreading towards rural areas with increased awareness and health

Consciousness

Chapter – 5

Target Customers

Water purifier industry is focusing on middle class of the society because this class is educated and enough money to buy the products. Companies have to work less to sell their products to consumers. If company starts focusing on rural area it very difficult to tell them what are the benefits of water purifier. Company have to do lots of effort to sell their products. by this way the sale will be very less.

With increasing number of people becoming conscious of the risks of drinking contaminated water, the demand for water purifiers is rising rapidly. In the past few years, Indian water purifier industry has witnessed an exponential growth of 22% CAGR. The water purifier industry sales grew dramatically during 2009 as compared to previous fiscals due to improving demand and expanding production capacity. The industry saw high growth of rate 17% during 2008 due to the increasing awareness for safe drinking water. The UV segment, which constitutes more than 55% of the industry and is a key focus area for water purifier manufacturers, due to the higher margins it offers, is expected to continue its rapid growth. According to Research, Indian Water Purifier industry will continue its growth trajectory and is expected to witness a turnover growth of more than 22% CAGR during the period between 2011 and to 2014.

To get high sales in market the companies have to differentiate their products from other products present in market. Lot of advertisement should be done to boost the sale of product. Free samples of water purifier should be installed in some houses to show the efficiency and effectiveness of product.

CONCLUSION

There are number of water purifier’s players are present in the market. There is also huge rise in demand of water purifier in market because increase in awareness of general public. To grab the market, companies need to heavily advertise and make their product differentiate. So that general public can attract toward their product. From Proter 5 force therom, it easier to start company of water purifier. Target customers are the middle class of society. The industry should focus on the middle class of society to increase their sales and revenue.