SUMMER TRAINING REPORT ON  (CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ON SAFE DRINKING WATER)  A SURVEY OF CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR OF GWALIOR (TOWARDS PURIFIER WATER) Undertaken at BANSAL KITCHEN APPLIANCE

Submitted to

JIWAJI UNIVERSITY GWALIOR

 

In Partial Fulfillment of Masters of Business Administration At MAHARAJA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, GWALIOR (M.P.) Submitted To:  Submitted By:Mrs. ARCHANA JYOTI SHARMA MBA (2014-16)

DECLARATION

It is hereby declared that the Summer Training Report entitled “CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ON SAFE DRINKING WATER” has been prepared as the part for the completion of the degree of masters of business administration from Maharaja Institute Of Management & Technology and it is based on the original research work and will be used only for the academic purpose. It will not be produced in any condition as a source of information to an industry.

Date JYOTI SHARMA

Place: Gwalior MBA III Semester

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ms. JYOTI SHARMA “” student of MBA III Semester of maharaja Institute Of Management Gwalior affiliated to “Jiwaji University, Gwalior” has completed his summer training of 6 weeks ( from 15th of JULY to 30th AUGUST ) and prepared this report on “CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ON SAFE DRINKING WATER (A SURVEY OF CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR OF GWALIOR)” under my guidance.

Date: ARCHANA

Place: Gwalior Faculty GUIDE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is privilege to express my gratitude & sincere thanks to Maharaja Institute Of

Management & Technology, Gwalior has given us the opportunity to summer

training report on the topic. I am thankful to Mr. Achal Pillai (Director-MIMT),

Dr. Subeer Banerjee (Dean Academics), and Faculty Guide (Ms.ARCHANA) for his

valuable guidance and support throughout report preparation. I would also like to

thank Mr. Rohil Khara General Manager of Mody Auto Motors.

I sincerely thank computer laboratory in-charge and library staff for their timely

co-operation.

I would also like to thank to all people who directly or indirectly helped the

complete the report.

Date: ……………… JYOTI SHARMA Place: Gwalior M.B.A. lll sem.

PREFACE

The project is  based on   the CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ON SAFE DRINKING WATER to understand the consumer behavior regarding at health care sector. The project took 7 weeks for completion. The main motive of project report was to enhance my expertise and extensive knowledge I gained through my course, by applying it practically to the market of Health Care Sector Gwalior. 

The project has been completed by collecting the primary data by interviewing the various companies of Gwalior. Secondary data was also used as per the availability from different sources. In all the study was to find out at which geographical area the potential customer may exist and also to study the consumer behavior regarding health care sectors.

During the project, I learnt the procedures and various other aspects of marketing of health care by applying theoretical knowledge and concepts to the best. 

Needless to say, errors and omissions are bound to occur.

Last but not the least, I am grateful to all those who happened to be a part of the successful completion of this Project and my mind and heart for going hand in hand! 

JYOTI SHARMA

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION OF KENT OVERVIEW OUR VISION OUR MISSION

Chapter 2 AT KENT ARWE VALUE AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS CERTIFICATION KENT ADVANTAGES

Chapter 3 MINRAL RO TECHNOLOGY GRAVITY BASED UF TECHNOLOGY NO WATER WASTAGE TECHNOLOGY

Chapter 4

QUESTIONAIRE BIBLIOGRAPHY

CHAPTER – 1

INTRODUCTION OF KENT HISTORY

Kent RO Systems Ltd is an Indian healthcare products company headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It makes water purifiers based on the process of Reverse osmosis (RO) purification. Over the years the company has diversified into other products such as air purifiers, vegetable and fruit purifiers and water softeners. The company exports to SAARC countries, Middle East, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya. It expects a contribution of 15% of total turnover to come from exports in the near future. The company won the Golden Peacock Eco Innovation Award for its contribution in developing innovative water purifying technology and preventing environment degradation in 2007.

Kent has its manufacturing base in At KENT, we ensure that every day we come up with fresh idea to make your life a little more pure KENT holds the credit of introducing path-breaking purification technologies. It is known the world over as the pioneer of RO purifiers. While benefits RO as a process were known since 1970s.

KENT gives it the shape of a usable, world-class product, KENT RO purifiers gives the purest water while retaining essential natural minerals. It is superior to purifiers that are solely UV purification by adding a RO process in addition to UV purification.

The Indian home water purifier market has seen robust growth in the past few years and several new players have entered into it, hoping to tap the huge potential that the market offers.

One of India's oldest and well-respected players in the segment, Kent RO Systems is also gearing up for expansion, both in India and abroad. The company expects to record a turnover of Rs 350 crore during the current financial year as against Rs 240 crore last year.

KENT RO Systems Ltd Chairman Mahesh Gupta speaks to Girish Chadha of India Water Review on the company's growth plans and how it is expanding its dealer network to reach more customers.

Last fiscal our turnover was Rs 240 crore. Currently, the turnover is expected to be 350 crore and we look forward to become a Rs 500 crore player by 2013. We are very close to this milestone, with having around 40 per cent of the market share. With our franchising route we are optimistic, it will enhance our brand and the market share in all categories.

The company expects to achieve Rs 350 crores turnover in this fiscal. To accomplish this goal, the company would expand the distribution network. The company is also trying to make after sales services much better so that consumers don’t face any kind of service problem. Currently, we have a strong marketing network of 800 distributors and 6000 dealers which we intend to increase to over 1000 distributors and 10000 dealers by the end of this fiscal. Seeing the rising demand of water purifiers in the market, we intend to enter South India in a big way.

KENT RO Ltd has three manufacturing plants in Roorki and making one another plant in Greater Noida with the total investment of 20 crore. It would be completed by the end of this year. As of now, company has invested Rs 50 crore on its manufacturing plants. Currently, the manufacturing capacity of the company is 5 lakh per pieces per year but with Noida’s manufacturing plant, company expects to escalate its production capacity to 7 lakh water purifiers per year.

Kent Water are already present in international market as we have started exporting our products to SAARC countries; Middle East including Iraq and Dubai; Bangladesh, Nepal; and Kenya in Africa since February. In the next two-three years, we are expecting a contribution of 15 per cent in our total turnover for exports.

There is a huge scope in health care products especially in water purifiers as instead of a style segment, it’s a need today. It is a huge untapped market. KENT RO SYSTEMS Ltd is the company that fulfills requirements of the consumers giving them good value for money with a wider portfolio of products ranging from Rs 1250 to Rs 15000.

OVERVIEW

KENT RO Systems Limited is a 21st century healthcare products company with a vision to make the world a healthy and a happy place. Pioneers in bringing the revolutionary Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology to India, KENT started its operations from Noida, India in 1999.

Over the years, it has evolved as a market leader providing technologically advanced healthcare products ranging from Water Purifiers, Air Purifiers, Vegetable and Fruit Purifiers to Water Softeners. It has become synonymous with offering purity and is known for its robustness in technological performance and innovative designs enhancing quality of everyday living.

KENT is ISO 9001:2008 certified and has been at the forefront of innovation. It has grown to be a strong organization with offices across India and most importantly, millions of satisfied customers to its credit worldwide.

With a purpose to give good health to one and all, KENT is the best guardian of your family’s health!

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This assignment is concerned about Consumer behavior and Consumer Buying Process. Throughout the assignment the following points are going to be discussed.

1. The Consumer buying behavior in general.2 . The Consumer buying process .

 

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR 

Definition:

Consumer behavior   refers   to   the  mental  and emotional  process  and the  observable  behavior of consumers during searching, purchasing and post consumption of a productor service.Consumer behavior involves study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends the elements from psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology and economics. It also tries to assess the influence on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups and society in general. Buyer behavior has two aspects: the final purchase activity visible to any observer and the detai led or short decis ion process that may involve the interplay of a number of  complex variables not visible to anyone.

Factors Affecting Consumer Buying Behavior

Consumer buying behavior is influenced by the major three factors:

1 . S o c i a l F a c t o r s .

2 . P s y c h o l o g i c a l   F a c t o r s .

3 . P e r s o n a l F a c t o r s .

A. S o c i a l F a c t o r s

Social factors refer to forces that other people exert and which affect consumers’ purchase behavior. These social factors can include culture and subculture, roles and family, social class and reference groups. 

B. Psychological Factors  

These areinternal   to  an  individual  and generate   forces  within   that  

inf luenceher/his purchase behavior. The major forces include motives, perception, learning, attitude and personality.

C. Personal Factors

These include those aspects that are unique to a person and influence purchase behavior. These factors include demographic factors, lifestyle, and situationalfactors

 

CONSUMER BUYING DECISION PROCESS

Definition:

Consumer buying decision process is the processes undertaken by consumer in regard to a potent ia l market t ransact ion before , during and af ter the purchase of a product or  service.

Consumer decision making process generally involves five stages:

1. Problem Recognition

Purchase decision making process begins when a buyer becomes aware of an unsatisfied need or problem. This is the vi ta l s tage in buying decis ion process , because without recognizing the need or want, an individual would not seek to buy goods or service. There are several situations that can cause problem recognition, these include:

• Depletion of stock 

• Dissatisfaction with goods in stock 

• Environmental Changes

• Change in Financial Situation

•Marketer Initiated Activities.

2. Information Search

After the consumer has recognized the need, he / she will try to find the means to solve that need. First he will recall how he used to solve such kind of a problem in the past, this is called nominal decision making. Secondly, a consumer will try to solve the problem by asking a friend or goes to the market to seek advice for which product will  best serve his need, this is called limited decision making. Sources of information include:

•Personal sources

•Commercial Sources

•Public sources

•Personal experience.

3.Alternatives evaluation

Consumers’ evaluates criteria refer to various dimension; features, characteristics and benefits that a consumer desires to solve a certain problem. Product features and its benefit is what influence consumer to prefer that particular product. The consumer will decide which product to buy from a set of alternative products depending on each unique feature that the product offers and the benefit he / she can get out of that feature.

4.Purchase Action

This stage involves selection of brand and the retail outlet to purchase such a product. Retail outlet image and its location are important. Consumer usually prefers a nearby retail outlet for minor shopping and they can willingly go to a far away store when they purchase items which are of higher values and which involve higher sensitive purchase

decision. After selecting where to buy and what to buy, the consumer completes the final step of transaction by either cash or credit.

5.Post-purchase Actions

Consumer favorable post-purchase evaluation leads to satisfaction. Satisfaction with the purchase is basically a function of the initial performance level expectation and perceived performance relative to those expectations. Consumer tends to evaluate their wisdom on the purchase of that particular product. This can result to consumer experiencing post purchase  dissat isfact ion.   I f   the  consumer’s  perceived performance   level   is  belowexpectation and fail to meet satisfaction this will eventually cause dissatisfaction, and this might cause the consumer to ini t ia te complaint behavior and spread negative word-of-mouth concerning that particular product.

About The Kent RO

In most homes, boiling water to rid it of its impurities seems to be the most common practice. It is this mindset that Mahesh Gupta is still trying to fight even after 13 years of setting up a water purifying company. “In India, penetration of reverse osmosis (RO) method of water purification is only about one per cent,” says Gupta, founder and chairman, Kent RO Systems Ltd. (Kent). “What most don’t understand is that boiling does not remove all the impurities, especially the dissolved ones. Hence, educating customers and building awareness about RO is one of our biggest challenges,” he adds.Noida-based Kent has sold more than a million RO units since its inception. It has many models now, including Kent Grand and Kent Pearl, ranging between Rs. 13,000 to Rs. 17,000 per unit. About 80 per cent of its revenues are from its RO sales and the company holds around 40 per cent market share. For the financial year 2012, the company has closed revenues of Rs. 331 crore from Rs. 240 crore last fiscal with a top line growth of close to 40 per cent.

Building a brand

For the first six years, there wasn’t much of a brand building exercise at the company. “Initially, we sold our products through the direct marketing route. But, in 2005, I realised that to sell a consumer product, we need to turn it into a brand for consumers to recall it,” says Gupta. That’s when he started advertising and brought onboard a brand ambassador – actor Hema Malini. He considers this phase as Kent’s second innings as the product also was redesigned and RO’s technology was modified. “RO then effectively removed impurities but it also got rid of essential minerals in the water. So, we designed a product that would retain the minerals. And since then, we have been growing at an average of 30 per cent to 40 per cent every year,” shares Gupta.Over the past three to four years, Kent has also diversified into other products such as air purifiers, vegetable and fruit purifiers and water softeners. Last year, it signed actor Boman Irani to promote its tap water purifier product. But Gupta admits that fighting for awareness for RO takes considerable time, that educating about its other products is twice as difficult. However, he knows that his promotions have paid off. “It is definitely easier to sell our products now – word-of-mouth has helped our cause. And once we educate people, they are ready to pay when it comes to securing their health despite the availability of more affordable purifiers in the market,” says Gupta.

Unlike its competitors, Kent does not do house calls. It undertakes visits only on request or through reference and is able to close 40 per cent of such sales.

“Since it is a costly product, people like to discuss and debate about it. Instead of forcing it on them, we would rather make an impact through our advertising,” says Gupta. Kent has a strong distribution network with 400 distributors spread over the country with northern states providing most traction. In the next fiscal, it hopes to increase the number to 700 distributors.

Changing the gameFor Gupta, Kent is his second tryst as an entrepreneur. An IIT-Kanpur graduate, he worked with the Indian Oil Corporation for 11 years before he decided to quit so that he could implement his ideas. In 1988, he started SS Engineering (that still functions) to test and conserve petroleum products. The origination of Kent happened by chance when both his children fell sick to jaundice. Having never used a water purifier at home and not satisfied with the ones available in the market, Gupta decided to make one by importing the components. Through his research he learnt that RO was an effective water purification method – a technology that was available in other markets. Water impurities include bacteria, dust, algae and others, which ultraviolet filters can remove but dissolved impurities such as salt, arsenic and chloride that one cannot see are removed with the help of RO. Though water wastage is high during this process, Gupta prefers to refer to it as water consumption or ‘reject water’. “Like how when one washes their clothes there is reject water, similarly water is consumed to clean water,” he says. Gupta also adds that, irrespective of groundwater or metro water, RO is useful due to the kind of impurities present in water now. "Initially, we sold our products through the direct marketing route. But, in 2005, I realised that to sell a consumer product, we need to turn it into a brand for consumers to recall it." Gupta setup Kent with a Rs. 2 lakh as investment but his biggest challenge was to sell his product. “RO is a costly procedure. My product would cost around Rs. 20,000 while my competitors would price their products at Rs. 5,000. Also, I was fighting a big elephant, Aquaguard by Eureka Forbes, which was well established in people’s minds. To sell even a third unit became a monumental effort.” But as his small number of customers was happy with the product, Gupta knew it would be successful someday.

Now, with many models on its roster, the research and development for Kent’s products is a continuous process that takes place in Noida, with about four per cent of its revenues allocated to it. Kent has three manufacturing facilities in Roorkee with a capacity to produce 5 lakh units annually.

A fourth plant is underway in Greater Noida with an investment of Rs. 10 crore that will become functional in two months time. With this, its capacity would increase to 7 lakh units per year.

A sustainable pace

While courting growth, Gupta made a conscious decision to not go the venture capital route. “I am not an aggressive person. Kent could’ve been a Rs. 1,000 crore company but I would rather move at a comfortable pace. We’re financially sound now and rely on internal accruals for further growth,” he says. Even today, some of his biggest challenges continue to be what plagued him earlier on – cost reduction, building awareness about RO and timely servicing. “It is a continuous exercise to bring down the cost, which is a setback because besides the initial high cost, RO technology is high maintenance as well. We try our best to be prompt in our service,” adds Gupta.Gupta estimates the water purifying market to be around Rs. 1,500 crore and growing. The company is bringing in Rs. 5 crore worth of exports through its global arm and hopes to increase it further. But for now, his focus is on home ground. His target for fiscal ‘13 is Rs. 450 crore. “We still have a lot of potential to grow here but we want to do it at a sustainable pace – around 30 per cent to 40 per cent every year,” he concludes.

Introduction To Kent RO Systems Ltd

Type Public

Industry Consumer Durable Healthcare

Founded 1991

Founder Mr. Mahesh Gupta

Headquarters Noida, India

Area Served Worlewide

Key People Mr. Mahesh Gupta, Chairman

Website http://www.kent.co.in/

FACILITY AND TURNOVER

Facility

Kent has its manufacturing base in Roorkee (Uttarakhand) which is spread across 400,000 sq. ft and has an annual capacity of 1 million units. Its technology is validated by UNESCO and certified by other organizations such as NSF, WQA, TUV and ISO.

Turnover

Kent sells more than 225,000 RO purifiers every year and holds around 40% market share in India. Its annual turnover in 2010 was Rs. 250 crore. About 80% of its revenues are from its RO purifiers. The company has sold over a million units to date. 

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SAFE DRINKING

Worldwide human freshwater use increased. Fresh water is used for domestic, recreational, irrigation, livestock support and industrial purposes. The heaviest use is for irrigation, which typically accounts for well over 60%, and industry, which accounts for a further 25%.

Aquifers are being rapidly depleted and contamination is a rising threat. There are three main sources for increasing supply of fresh water where it is needed: reuse for multiple purposes, desalination of seawater and brackish (salty) surface water and groundwater, and conservation (avoiding wasteful use and water loss from leaks). Each of these is becoming essential to meet demands in an increasing number of circumstances.

Water quantity

It has been estimates that the use of at least 20 liters of drinking-water per capita per day represents the minimum quantity required for drinking, food preparation and basic personal hygiene; a quantity higher than 50 liters per capita per day should ensure basic laundry and bathing in addition to the latter uses; quantities beyond 100 litres per capita per day would represent an optimal access and should ensure all the previous uses plus a considerable level of comfort and well-being (Howard & Bartram 2003).

With no access to a water source within less than a 30 minute walk to fetch water and come back, consumption is likely to be less than the basic requirement, and hygiene will probably be inadequate. It is important to note, however, that even when optimal supply is achieved, if the supply is intermittent, additional risks to health occur because of the compromised condition of the drinking-water supply, as well as interference with the function of waterborne sanitation systems.

Water quality and safety

At least 1.8 million people die every year from diarrheal diseases, including cholera; 90% are children under the age of five, mostly in developing countries. WHO estimates that 88% of diarrheal disease is attributed to unsafe drinking-water supply, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene? Studies have indicated that 7 improved drinking-water supplies reduce diarrhea morbidity by 6% to 25%, and improved sanitation reduces it by 32%. Hygiene interventions, including education and hand washing, can achieve up to 45% reduction of diarrhea cases. In the absence of a good-quality drinking-water supply use of household water treatment, such as chlorination with a few drops of bleach at the point of use, can reduce diarrhea episodes by 39%.

Public drinking-water supplies

A drinking-water supply system consists of three major elements: source, treatment and distribution to the users. Contamination can occur in any of those segments and the prevention and mitigation of contamination are essential roles of the water supplier, as well as assuring that the water continuously delivered to the consumer‟s entry point is safe and aesthetically acceptable.

Each element in the system has vulnerabilities to be managed. The best protection is the multiple barrier approach, which relies upon a series of barriers from the protection of the source water to multiple treatment processes and distribution system integrity to ensure that potentially harmful contaminants are removed with confidence before they reach the consumer‟s tap.

The prevention, mitigation and elimination of contamination risks are the key responsibilities of water providers, and regulators in their oversight role. The consuming public also has responsibilities to protect the safety of the water within their dwellings by ensuring the integrity of their piped systems, providing quick repairs when needed and properly storing and using drawn water so as to protect its quality and safety. In the event of usage of nonpublicly distributed water, or when the public supply is unreliable or unsafe, users can also take measures to ensure that their water is safe to drink.

Some basic facts on Water problem

Infected water causes an estimated 80 percent of disease in India, according to the World Health Orbanization (WHO).

About half the world‟s reported cases of polio, a crippling disease which is waterborne, occur in India.

Each year, diarrhea kills 500,000 Indian children.

Water is pure at the source which is the municipal treatment plant. It comes to your house through pipes.

These pipes are very old and have rusted, which way be the cause of contamination.

Sewage lines are also in contact with underground water pipes.

People also break open pipes at places to have access to water. These open cracks allow contaminated matter to get inside the water pipes.

With the ever growing problem of safe drinking water faced in India, HUL has come with a social initiative of providing safe and pure drinking water by means of pureit, a quality yet affordable water purifier.

Companies Providing Product for Safe Drinking Water

1. Whirlpool- Purafresh elite2. Whirlpool –Purafresh Deluxe 3. Whirlpool –Purafresh Platinum 4. Eureka Forbes Aquaguard Total RO 5. Eureka Forbes- Aquaguard Ultra6. Usha Brita –Water guard SF 620T 7. Usha Brita Water guard Digital8. Kent-Excel9. Kent Elite 110.Kent RO11.Zero B Zero Purling 2L12.Philips-WP 38913.Kenstar-WP-11714.Livpure Magna (RO+UV+UF).

AT KENT WE VALUE

Customers

We acknowledge that every individual brings different perspectives and capabilities to the team and a strong team is built on high moral values and fair practice. We provide equal opportunities for growth to all our employees and foster a collaborative and mutually supportive environment.

PeopleWe give highest value to our customers’ requirements and do everything possible to provide them complete satisfaction. We are a conscious, compassionate and high-principled provider of authentic service enhancing customer experience at every touchpoint and fulfilling the needs comprehensively, fast and efficiently.

Honesty

Integrity is the foundation of everything we do. At KENT we conduct our business with the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, quality and fairness and develop relationships based on trust. Our core values and philosophy are the foundation for every business decision we make.

TeamWork

We are team players and team builders. We openly communicate across all levels of organization because we believe that success can be achieved through collective efforts committed to achieving common defined goals. Our employees are encouraged to participate in the decision making process and we believe that teamwork leverages one’s individual strengths.

KENT ADVANTAGE

Proven Track Record

KENT, a leading global manufacturer of healthcare products has an established track record of over a decade in the water purification industry and its purifiers are trusted by millions of satisfied customers worldwide.

Nationwide Network

KENT has its offices at over 20 locations across India with over 1200 channel partners nationwide. Its service network is present at over 600 locations to make sure that customers experience a continued and trouble-free after sales support for their products.

Premium Quality

Innovation has been the lifeblood of KENT and forms not a part but its existence. KENT is an ISO 9001:2008 company and most of its products are tested and certified by renowned laboratories of the world such as WQA and NSF in USA. All its products also conform to CE certification.

Wide Range of Products

With its trademarked KENT's Mineral ROTM expertise in water purification industry as a triumphant treadstone, KENT has extended its brand portfolio to air purifiers, vegetable and fruit purifiers and water softeners. It thrives to achieve its larger brand goal of making the world a healthy and a happy family. With all this and more it continues its pursuit in creating many such products.

Affordable Range

KENT’s aim is to provide healthcare solutions at an affordable price to one and all around the world. All its products are designed to suit varied needs of customers and for different types of end usage. The entire range of products is competitively priced to provide value for money and easy reachability.

MINERAL RO TECHNOLOGY

Pure Innovation

At KENT, we ensure that every day we come up with fresh idea to make your life a little more pure.

Double Purification: RO+UV/UF

KENT holds the credit of introducing path-breaking purification technologies. It is known the world over as the pioneer of RO purifiers. While benefits RO as a process were known since 1970s.

KENT gives it the shape of a usable, world-class product, KENT RO purifiers gives the purest water while retaining essential natural minerals. It is superior to purifiers that are solely UV purification by adding a RO process in addition to UV purification.

Retention of essential natural minerals in Purified water.

One Distinct advantage which sets KENT RO purifiers apart from other RO purifiers is its ability to retain essential minerals in purifier water. Conventional RO water purifiers while removing dissolved impurities also remove natural minerals, that are essential for a healthy life, thus rendering purified water tasteless and inadequate for drinking.

As visionaries of the future and health living, KENT provides a bridge between scarcity of purity and its availability. Its revolutionary technology of RO+UV+UF+TDS controller purifies water while retaining the essential natural minerals. This technology ensures that the water becomes not only the purest, but is healthy too.

GRAVITY BASED UF TECHNOLOGY

Kent Gold; Gravity based water purifiers, uses a chemical free purification technology to purify water.

Conventional gravity based water purification systems commonly available in the market, use chemicals like chlorine and bromine for purification. On the other hand, Kent Gold water purifier’s employs a tried and tested three stage purification technique, using a start of the art filters and membranes to ensure that the purified water is free of all the physical, chemical and biological impurities like protozoa, cysts and even bacteria.

The distinguishing features of Kent Gold series using UF technology are:-

Chemical free purification technique.

Purified water free of Cysts, Protozoa and Bacteria.

Does not require Electricity for purification process and no running water

required either.

Economical operational and maintenance costs.

Certified by world renowned water quality Audit Agency including NSF and

WQA USA.

Flow Diagram: Three stage water purification

Acting as a first line of defense, the sediment filters remove all the physical impurities like sand, dust, mud, pollen and any other physical impurities.

The water is then made to pass through a bed of carbon based filters which removes all the chemical impurities.

In third stage the water is made to pass through a UF membrane with an ultra-fine pore size of 0.1 micron. The small pores of UF membrane in Kent Gold removes bacteria and cyst.

Products Available In Market

Contemporary designed RO purifiers based on the proven state of an art KENT RO technology. Appropriate for mounting on kitchen wall at homes and offices. Purifies water from bore-well, overhead tank and municipal corporation, making it 100% safe and healthy for consumption.

KENT GRAND+

 

KENT PEARL

KENT SUPREME

KENT PRIME

KENT SUPER+ 

Introduction To Bansal Appliances

Kent Ro System (Bansal Appliance Pvt. Ltd.)

Kent RO system is a unit of Bansal Appliance Private Limited, founded in the year 2012. This is also a part of Bansal Group which is an authorized dealer for New Water Purifiers Sale, Pre owned water purifier sales & service provider for Kent RO System in Gwalior. Kent RO System committed to offer optimum customer satisfaction by providing quality of products and unmatched service experience. Kent RO System thanks to its innovative team of professionals & their customers.

OUR VISION

To be a socially responsible brand making a difference in people’s lives by affecting all- pervasive areas of their existence- water, food and air. Our fundamental vision is defined by producing innovative healthcare products that purify the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe, and thus help people live healthier.

OUR MISSION

To be a masterclass in inventive brilliance. We strive to bring to fruition for our customers, the freedom from water-related problems and peace of mind for good health through our wide range of healthcare products that deliver impeccable standards of quality and service.

NO WATER WASTAGE TECHNOLOGY

The RO purification process is essential to remove dissolved impurities like arsenic, fluorides, heavy metals, etc. as they are harmful for health. Conventional RO purification technology, while purifying, rejects a very high percentage of water (around 80%) and only 20% purified water is recovered. Balance water is wasted and goes down the drain. KENT has developed an innovative and patented technology which offers no water wastage in RO purifiers. The heart of this technology is a computer controlled process wherein the membrane is washed automatically and more than 50% of water intake is recovered as purified water. The balance rejected water is stored in a separate ‘Reject Water Tank’. The rejected water from the purification process is suitable for multiple household purposes like watering of plants, mopping etc. The net result is no water wastage.

Strategy:

A long-term strategy is being the leading benchmark company in the Indian auto motive market by constant investments in our people and facilities. 

Quality Policy:

Bansal Appliance are fully committed towards total customer satisfaction. We believe in continual professional improvement. Hence we keep updating our systems and facilities to offer the very best for:

•Total Commitment to customer satisfaction.

•Focus on employee’s involvement and improve retention.

•Work professionally and honestly.

Bansal Appliance Sales:

•Highly qualified Sales Team is ready to advise customers on any specific want and need that would require and will assist in making the right choices.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the paper is to get the full knowledge of the products for the safe drinking water.

To find out the marketing strategy of industry for safe drinking water.

The service quality prevailing in water industry.

To find out the service quality of industry in various areas and find out the deficiency.

To study the factors determining the choice of branding strategy in market.

To find out consumer behavior in drinking safe water Which type of water they are drinking

How much they spend monthly on drinking safe water.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data Collection:

The data collected for the purpose of research can be classified into primary and secondary data.

Primary Data:

Primary data is the first hand information. Primary data can be collected through questionnaire, survey method.

Secondary Data:

Secondary data are the data collected through journals.

Following steps were taken in to consideration, to identify the research problem-

1. Informal investigation

Visit to the shop owners, talked to the distributors and to the consumers in the locality and surrounding areas.

2. External and Internal Analysis

Understanding customer problem.

Understanding the market structure.

Tastes & preferences of customer.

Needs & income of customer.

Major Competitors

a) Kent

b) Eureka Forbs

c) Philips

d) Usha

e) Tata

f) Whirlpool.

A Compressive study of Secondary and Primary data was collected through specific questionnaires for people and shop-owners & distributors.

Sampling Technique

For the survey we used Cluster Sampling technique. I selected a sample of 100 people around the area and interviewed them according to the questionnaire. In the survey I tried to find out their preferences & tastes, their purchasing habit, are they brand loyal or they consider their friends advice or some reference group during purchasing. I also tried to find out that are they satisfied with the quality or present stature of product, did they want any change in the existing product. I also asked some of the shop owner and distributors and try to find out what the company is doing to sustain their customer and what new changes they are bringing in their product to gain competitive advantage from other competitors.

Research Instrument

Research instruments, for the purpose of primary data collection were Questionnaires. To find out about the needs and preferences of the customers and what they want from in the product and also the level of knowledge about different products in the market.

For secondary data we use net, magazines.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. Loyalty from customers is also the major strength for the industry

2. Employees are also loyal due to the decentralized culture of industry

3. People trust on products due to the proper health and safety measures.

4. The strength of water industry is its imported raw material & Filtration Equipment, which strengthens its image.

5. Being have a multinational companies it has the capability to attract more customer

6. Industry has the ability to compete in a dynamic environment

7. This industry always adapts the new technology.

Weaknesses

The weaknesses are as follows:

1. There is not much margins for retailers to prefer its sales

2. They need to provide the Accessories like water dispensers

3. The distribution cost is high as compared to the competition in the local market

4. Companies mostly advertises its products through print media, advertisement of mineral water is not so better on electronic media like TV ads.

Opportunities

Companies have an opportunity to expand or capture the market by adding its product line.

Companies have the opportunity to offer bottled water at shops and malls.

Companies can also capture the market of domestic customers more aggressive strategies and offers.

a) Companies can open separate stores to eliminate retailers.

b) Companies is trying to open stores in universities.

c) Companies can provide incentives to retailers to increase sales volume.

d) Companies can enter in ice Food/beverages products.

THREATS

1. Existing companies are increasing their product lines that can prove to be a threat in the coming years.

2. Company like Nestlé is giving more discounts to retailers as compared to distributors due to which retailers prefer its products for sale.

3. As compared to the local competitors, the distributor cost is very high. As Aqua Safe Mineral Water has to maintain and obey the Aqua Safe standards.

4. Some companies are competing on the basis of cost.

SUGGESTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

In accordance to my observation and analysis I would like to give some suggestions:-

Some incentives should be given regarding price to high potential customers.

Free samples and gifts should be complementary provided to every potential customer visited.

There should be a brand equity/promotion campaign for different target segments.

Customer service should be given an utmost priority.

For Internees there should be courtesy visits to the existing and potential customers.

There should be facility to taste water quality by Customers before purchasing.

Company should conduct survey from time to time to according to which changes can be introduced in the organization to stay updated in the market.

changes can be introduced in the organization to stay updated in the market.

CONCLUSION

During this research I have learned a lot and my vision and practical exposure has broadened very much. The water filter sector is contributing a lot in the industry and changed the business scenario to a large extant. Further, I also concluded that 100 percent concentration, full care, analytical, descriptive and communication skills are the key prerequisites for working in an industry. During this research I availed the opportunity to flourish my communication skills, polish my capabilities and abilities, upgrade my knowledge about mineral water sector and broaden my vision and exposure towards practical life. International Bulletin of Drug Research., 4(6): 116-130, 2014 130 By concluding all this I would like to say keeping in view findings and analysis is in competitive, sound and stable positions but there is still a lot more potential in the market which catered and captured to expand the market share where there is no presence of it and should widen its area of service and incentives in price, security deposit etc. can make more businesses in the customer‟s list. The practice of treatment for household water and safe storage can lead to enormous disaster risk reduction in health problems and improvement of livelihoods in any community. The hygiene and sanitation practices of the peri-urban households can greatly affect the quality of drinking water and are a result of culture, knowledge and attitude of the people. Based on the findings my analysis is as under:

1. Customers are Price conscious they tend to use less priced mineral water with less on no security deposit.

2. They don‟t give preference to the highly quality product that much.

3. They use their customer personal recommended brand and they go for experiments.

4. Delivery service is their main concern.

5. They also give priority to those brands which provides accessories with their core product as well.

6. Customer service is also a major concern of these customers like help solving service queries and problems.

QUESTIONARIES

Why the Quality of drinkng water is deteriorating?

Our water sources are increasingly getting polluted. As a result the water we get is full of impurities and not fit for drinking.

River water, which is our primary source of water, gets contaminated due to various reasons such as direct disposal of sewage by municipalities, excessive discharge of industrial pollutants, use for daily chores like washing, bathing, livestock bathing, garbage disposal, etc.

Water sourced from groundwater too has deteriorated due to the excessive use of pesticides & insecticides in agriculture, which seep into the groundwater as well as get washed away into the rivers. Decreasing levels of groundwater also attracts natural contaminants present in the earth such as Arsenic, Fluoride, Lead, Heavy Metals, which make the water hard.

Our municipalities are not well equipped to completely purify the water we drink. They are unable to remove harmful dissolved impurities as they use outdated methods of purification such as chlorination and filtration. The pipes in which the water is supplied are rusty which makes the municipal water polluted and the overhead tanks in which water is stored are breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses as they are seldom cleaned.

What types of harmful impurities are found in drinking water?

Impurities found in drinking water can be broadly classified into:

a) Suspended impurities such as mud, dust, sand, bacteria, viruses, cysts, etcb) Dissolved impurities that become soluble in water such as-

Pesticides (commonly found in bore well water)

Arsenic & Fluoride (found in ground well water)

Heavy Metals salts like mercury, lead, copper, cadmium (from industrial wastes).

Why it is essential to remove dissolved impurities from drinking water?

Dissolved Impurities such as Pesticides, Rust, Heavy Metals, Arsenic, Fluoride etc. are harmful to our health. They may cause serious diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A & B, jaundice, typhoid and even cancer. They also spoil the taste of water. When these dissolved impurities are removed, the water becomes healthy as well as tasty.

Why Boiling alone does not make water fully safe for drinking?

Boiling kills bacteria and viruses but does not remove harmful dissolved impurities such as Pesticides, Rust, Heavy Metals, Arsenic, Fluoride etc. Just as we cannot remove dissolved salts from water by boiling, similarly we cannot remove dissolved impurities from water by boiling.

Presence of such impurities in water may cause serious diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A & B, jaundice, typhoid and even cancer.

What types of technologies are available for purifying water?

The most commonly used methods of purification are Chlorination, Boiling, Ultra filtration (UF), Ultra Violet (UV) Disinfection and Reverse Osmosis (RO) Purification.

What is KENT's no water wastage technology?

In normal RO purification process to get 1 litre of purified water, 4 litres of water is wasted. KENT’s no Water Wastage technology enhances the performance of RO water purifiers and reduces the rejection to just 1 litre of water for every 1 litre of purified water.

Further, a separate tank is provided for the rejected water, which can later be utilized for household purposes.

Why is it important to choose a water purifier brand that has a good after-sales service backup?

Continuous availability of pure water to one’s family is essential. Keeping this in mind, it is important to have a good after-sales service back-up, so that in case any problem arises, it can be addressed in the least possible time.

What are the advantages of having a Computer Controlled process in domestic RO water purifiers?

Computer Controlled process has the following advantages:

It controls important functions and ensures only 100% Safe water is available all the time.

Computer controlled Filter Change Alarm, forewarns the user when the filter needs to be replaced.

Makes the purifier fully automatic and saves one from the headache of manually switching the purifier on and off.

BIBLOGRAPHY

1. Ashbolt, N., 2004, „Microbial contamination of drinking water and disease outcomes in developing regions‟, Toxicology 198, 229–238.

2. Centre for Disease Control Prevention (CDC), 2008a, „Flood: Sanitation and Hygiene.

3. Kotler Philip ,Prentice Hall,New Delhi,13thEdition, -“Marketing management”.

4. Malhotra Naresh K.,Prentice Hall, New Delhi,5th Edition. -“Marketing Management”

5. Ramaswami V.S. -“ Macmillan,New Delhi,3rd Edition, Marketing Management”,

Websites :-

www.google.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.salesforceautomation.com

www.kent.co.in

Staff Of The Bansal Appliances.