JCHAC

By Aditya Kalra, Arpan Chaturvedi

NEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - India wants to tackle its mounting e-waste problem. Global electronics companies say the cost is too high.

Daikin, Hitachi and Samsung are among manufacturers alarmed by new Indian government rules that require them to pay significantly more to recycle air conditioners, refrigerators, TVs and other appliances, court papers and lobbying letters show.

The electronics giants are urging environment officials to abandon the approach, with four companies suing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration in New Delhi over the measures they say will heighten compliance woes and unsettle businesses.

The previously unreported standoff marks the latest chapter in foreign companies' battles with India over what some perceive as protectionist policies and shifting regulatory goal posts.

India is the third-biggest e-waste generator behind China and the U.S. But government data shows only 43% of the country's e-waste last year was recycled and at least 80% of the sector comprises informal scrap dealers, whose methods can pose environmental and health risks.

Concerned about poor waste-processing practices, New Delhi in September set a floor price that electronics makers must pay recyclers, with the aim of formalising the sector and encouraging investment in e-waste management.

A Reuters review of hundreds of pages of non-public court papers and letters to the government by an industry group representing Samsung and LG reveals the impasse over the new rates, which the industry says have roughly tripled manufacturers' recycling costs.

Johnson Controls-Hitachi, Japan's Daikin 6367.T, India's Havells HVEL.NS and Tata Group's Voltas VOLT.NS each sued Modi's government between November and March to quash the pricing rules.

The measures are unconstitutional, exceed the government's powers under environmental law, and raise compliance costs manifold, the companies said in submissions to New Delhi judges. The government has called for the cases to be dismissed.

Daikin said no Indian government had ever previously drafted policies with the "sole intention" of providing financial gain to some businesses, in this case recyclers, at others' expense. Voltas predicted a "cascading effect" on product prices.

The companies are part of an Indian consumer electronics market Euromonitor estimates will be worth $62 billion this year. The sector has experienced average annual growth of 10% since 2021.

As sales of consumer electronics skyrocket due to rapid urbanisation, companies such as Daikin, Hitachi and Samsung have expanded production in India. In line with global trends, India's e-waste reached 1.7 million metric tons in 2023-24, more than doubling in six years.

Samsung declined to comment. The other companies and India's Environment Ministry didn't respond to Reuters queries about the pricing rules and the industry's response.

'REASONABLE' INTERVENTION

For years, India has resisted foreign companies' demands to revoke protectionist policies. Lobbying by Walmart and Amazon, for example, failed to ease regulations that protect small retailers.

On e-waste, too, Modi's administration is digging in.

In a March 18 submission, the Environment Ministry urged the judges to dismiss the lawsuits, saying it was "reasonable" and within its powers to fix prices.

The alternative of letting companies and recyclers determine prices may not account for all costs of environmentally sound waste management, the ministry said, adding that it wanted to prevent a "race to the bottom" in pricing.

India's government says there are 322 authorised recyclers in the country.

But informal waste handlers flourish nationwide, using methods such as open burning and acid leaching to extract metals and components, which can release hazardous materials.

In western Gujarat state, 60-year-old scrap dealer Mustakeem Malik uses a hammer to dismantle televisions, air conditioners and routers.

Inside his tin-roofed shed where electronic equipment was stacked in haphazard piles, Malik told Reuters he earns 50,000 rupees, or about $580, a month by selling the plastic, circuit boards and copper he extracts from the devices. He doesn't want to work in the formal e-waste sector.

"That business has a lot of expenses. It's for the big guys," he said.

HAPPY RECYCLERS, WORRIED COMPANIES

India's new rules mandate a minimum payment of 22 rupees (25 U.S. cents) per kilogram to recycle consumer electronics and 34 rupees/kg for smartphones.

Makers of heavier devices such as air conditioners are likely to be hit hardest because their per-unit recycling cost has risen by a greater amount compared with makers of lighter gadgets like smartphones.

Research firm Redseer in February said India's recycling rates were still low compared with the U.S., where they are up to five times higher, and China, where they at least 1.5 times higher.

"We are talking about peanuts here," said Nitin Gupta, CEO of one of India's biggest recyclers, Attero, who added that the government rates require manufacturers to pay about $10 to recycle a washing machine.

"If you have to create scientific capacity for recycling, you need extra profits. This is good for us," said Gupta, whose firm counts LG and Daikin as clients.

The electronics makers, though, feel threatened.

India's Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association, which represents LG and Samsung, among others, said in a letter to the government in November that e-waste compliance expenses had risen to 2% to 8% of production costs. The group asked environment officials to reconsider the pricing rules.

Samsung and LG haven't sued the government but have signaled concern. LG India's December IPO prospectus warned without specifics that higher recycling rates "had a significant financial impact on our company".

A person with direct knowledge of the matter said Samsung had told senior Indian officials its recycling costs would be five to 15 times the previous rates, and urged New Delhi not to interfere in commercial dealings with recyclers.

In court, Johnson Controls-Hitachi was the only company to reveal what it previously paid for recycling: 6 rupees per kg, or 7 U.S. cents. That figure has now almost quadrupled.

The company disclosed that it recycled more than 10,000 tons of air conditioners last fiscal year, which would amount to roughly $2.6 million under the new rates. Its India business reported a net loss of $8.8 million the previous year.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi; Additional reporting by Amit Dave in Gujarat and Jatindra Dash in Odisha; editing by David Crawshaw)

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** India's warmest February in 124 years could spur a demand uptick in cooling product categories like air-conditioners, air-coolers, refrigerators and fans, says CLSA

** Weather office has warned of further rise in temperature and heatwave days going ahead

** Listed air-conditioner and components makers such as Voltas VOLT.NS, Blue Star BLUS.NS, Amber Enterprises AMBE.NS gain 1.4%-2.7%; Johnson Controls JCHA.NS jumps 6%

** CLSA also expects summer-centric consumer categories like ice creams, beverages, dairy products to benefit from a hot summer

** As power demand picks up, coal availability for non-power sector could get hurt, leading to a rise in e-auction coal prices, which is a positive for Coal India COAL.NS, according to CLSA

** Coal India up 0.5% on the day

** On the flip side, a hot summer could cause water scarcity which could momentarily disrupt construction projects, CLSA says

** Earlier in the week, Jefferies identified AMBE, VOLT, Crompton Greaves CROP.NS as well as pipe and pump makers as its key summer plays

(Reporting by Bharath Rajeswaran in Bengaluru)

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Feb 11 (Reuters) - Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd JCHA.NS:

• DEC-QUARTER LOSS 33.4 MILLION RUPEES

• DEC-QUARTER REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 4.32 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: JCHA.NS

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Oct 23 (Reuters) - Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd JCHA.NS:

• SEPT-QUARTER LOSS 300.5 MILLION RUPEES

• SEPT-QUARTER REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 3.96 BILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE9M574k

Further company coverage: JCHA.NS

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July 30 (Reuters) - Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd JCHA.NS:

• JUNE-QUARTER PROFIT 361.5 MILLION RUPEES

• JUNE-QUARTER REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 9.96 BILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE76M9yQ

Further company coverage: JCHA.NS

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** Shares of Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India JCHA.NS up 20% to post highest level since Sept. 2022

** Co hits max-allowed 20%, last it hit upper circuit was in mid-Oct. 2017

** JCHA, that sells Hitachi brand of consumer electricals, reported Q4 profit at 488.1 mln rupees ($5.9 mln) vs loss 10.6 mln rupees yr ago, rise in rev

** Trading vols 7.7x 30-day

** YTD stock has jumped 33%

($1 = 83.1730 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

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** Air conditioner maker Voltas VOLT.NS up 5% at 1,365 rupees, top gainer on Nifty mid-cap 100 index .NIFMDCP100

** UBS upgrades VOLT to "buy" from "neutral", raises PT by 103.4% to Street-high of 1,800 rupees on potential market share gains of 23% in FY26 vs 19% by Dec-end 2023

** Says VOLT has reworked its supply chain in room air conditioner (RAC) segment to reduce costs

** Adds new entrants will find it difficult to lower costs to match co, leading industry into early phases of consolidation and market share gains for VOLT

** VOLT, however, only air conditioner maker with avg analyst rating of "hold", median PT 1,101 rupees - LSEG

** Rivals Havells HVEL.NS and Blue Star BLUS.NS rated "buy", while Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India JCHA.NS has "sell" - LSEG

** VOLT up 38.4% YTD vs mid-cap index's 10.5% rise

(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru)

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By Praveen Paramasivam and Ashna Teresa Britto

CHENNAI/BENGALURU, April 15 (Reuters) - Indian consumer goods companies such as makers of cooling systems, beer and ice cream are attempting to capitalise on a hotter-than-usual summer season by cranking up output, launching new products and ramping up spending on marketing.

The world's most populous nation expects 10 to 20 heatwave days, which it describes as temperatures hitting at least 40 degree Celsius in the plains, from April through June this year, versus the normal four to eight days. Already temperatures have crossed 40 degrees in a few cities in the western Maharashtra and Gujarat states.

The searing heat is why appliances maker Blue Star BLUS.NS has launched dozens of new home airconditioner products as it targets a 25% jump in revenue from that business this summer versus just a 5% increase last year, according to its Managing Director B. Thiagarajan.

And U.S.-based ice cream brand Baskin Robbins has launched 20 new products in India ahead of the summer season.

"An unusually hot year will significantly impact the sector and uplift consumer discretionary companies' demand for selling airconditioners, fans, fridges, etc," said Akshay Mokashe, senior research analyst at Axis Securities, adding that they will report robust growth numbers for the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

Cooling systems providers are one of the main beneficiaries of summer, with the season contributing up to 60% of their annual revenue.

While the industry has previously estimated that less than 10% of Indian households have airconditioners, the hotter summer season and new product launches from companies such as appliances maker Voltas VOLT.NS and Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India JCHA.NS are expected to lift that number.

"People generally plan for airconditioner purchases a couple of months in advance. But harsher summer expectations have triggered fence-sitters also into buying," said Deepak Jasani, head of retail research at HDFC Securities.

Roughly nine in 10 customers this year are first-time buyers as they long for airconditioners after getting used to temperature-controlled spaces in offices, banks and theaters, Blue Star's Thiagarajan told Reuters.

G. Hariharan is one of them.

The software engineer from Thiruvananthapuram city in the southern state of Kerala bought his family of four their first airconditioner last month.

"We have always muscled through the hot January-May months, but this year, it is too hot, and it has become too difficult to sleep," Hariharan said. "Even two fans are not enough."

Ceiling fans are India's go-to during summer, while airconditioners are still considered a luxury for its majority.

Companies are stretching their production and distribution capabilities to meet the increase in demand.

Graviss Foods, which runs Baskin Robbins stores in India, is ensuring its "factory is running at full throttle" after opening more distribution centres to reach retailers and distributors faster, said CEO Mohit Khattar.

Advertising budgets are also up this summer, partly because slots on the popular Indian Premier League cricket games have become more expensive as they coincide with India's massive general elections.

Blue Star is nearly tripling its summer advertising budget to 400 million rupees, while Baskin Robbins' marketing budget is being raised by up to a quarter as it aims to reach twice the number of people through TV and online advertising.

SUMMER BUMP

It is not just manufacturers that are cashing in on the summer, but delivery and other services companies too.

Grocery delivery app Zepto shows a banner on its home page to highlight "hydration heroes" with images of tender coconut, watermelon, and muskmelon, while rivals Swiggy and Zomato's ZOMT.NS Blinkit are doubling down on fruits, beverages, and ice creams.

Swiggy has seen a 28% surge in demand for cold drinks and juices, along with a 43% increase in orders for ice cream since the summer began, according to its spokesperson, while orders for instant drink mixes and ice cubes have shot up.

Demand for beer is likely to go up as well.

"With the arrival of summer, beer consumption naturally increases, necessitating careful planning in production and distribution ... as brewery capacities are stretched to their limits," Carlsberg India Managing Director Nilesh Patel said.

The harsher weather is expected to increase the prices of vegetables, which could eat into discretionary budgets, and curtail outdoor spending. Some analysts, nevertheless, expected consumers to find ways to spend on the small joys.

"Drinking beverages or eating ice cream gives some sort of a satisfaction, although temporary, to people," HDFC Securities' Jasani said.

(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai and Ashna Teresa Britto in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Skariachan and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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Jan 30 (Reuters) - Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd JCHA.NS:

• DEC-QUARTER LOSS 271.1 MILLION RUPEES VERSUS LOSS 261.6 MILLION RUPEES

• DEC-QUARTER REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 3 BILLION RUPEES VERSUS 5.18 BILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: [ID:]

Further company coverage: JCHA.NS

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** Shares of Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India JCHA.NS fall as much as 8.6% to 958.85 rupees, their lowest since Feb. 29, 2016

** Co on Wednesday posted a loss of 410.2 mln rupees ($5 mln) for June qtr versus yr ago loss of 19.7 mln rupees

** Rev from ops fell ~44% YoY to 5.67 bln rupees

** Over 141,000 shares change hands by 11:13 a.m. IST, 5.3x the 30-day moving avg

** As of last close, stock down ~5% so far this year

($1 = 82.0000 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru)

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July 26 (Reuters) - Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd JCHA.NS:

• JUNE-QUARTER REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 5.67 BILLION RUPEES VERSUS 10.10 BILLION RUPEES YEAR AGO

Source text for Eikon: [ID:]

Further company coverage: JCHA.NS

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** Shares of Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd JCHA.NS fall as much as 5.04% to 1,036.45 rupees; post sharpest intraday pct loss since Oct. 21, 2022

** Co on Tuesday reported Q4 loss of 10.6 million rupees ($129,616.04) vs profit of 156.8 mln rupees yr ago

** JCHA's rev from ops too fell 21.1% Y/Y

** Share price below 50-day, 100-day and 200-day exponential moving averages, suggesting bearish trend

** More than 66,000 shares change hands by 11:35 a.m. IST, 3.6x 30-day avg of 18,730 shares

** 2 of the 5 analysts covering the stock have a "buy" or "strong buy" rating while 3 have "hold"; median PT is 1,215 rupees - Refinitiv data

** Including session's loss, stock down 4.8% YTD

($1 = 81.7800 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Ashish Chandra in Bengaluru)

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May 23 (Reuters) - Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd JCHA.NS:

• MARCH-QUARTER LOSS 10.6 MILLION RUPEES VERSUS PROFIT 156.8 MILLION RUPEES

• MARCH-QUARTER REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 5.48 BILLION RUPEES VERSUS 6.94 BILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE8nXjmR

Further company coverage: JCHA.NS

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