SUPERBRANDS 2012

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ANCHOR
down lighters. The other spin-off of its merger with Panasonic is the exclusive range of automation products and solutions that Anchor now promotes in India. awards night in December 2011 in Mumbai saw the country's most eminent interior designers, architects and construction fraternity in attendance. It felicitated excellence in interior design and rewarded emerging talent at this glittering function. In 2010, Anchor launched an innovative sales scheme designed to promote brand salience amongst its dealers; taking more than 700 of them to South Africa. The company also ran several above-the-line campaigns and on-ground promotions. The attempt, in each, was to reach every one of its touch points and help build both a bond with its customers and loyalty amongst its dealers. Recently, it also organised a unique electrician certification programme named ACE (Anchor Certified Electrician), in association with one of the premier technical institutions in the country. This has helped boost the brand loyalty amongst the electrician fraternity.

heat-detectors, motion sensors, living light controllers and full 2-way remote lighting control systems. Today, Anchor is surging forward. The company expects to cross gross revenues of C2000 crore (US$ 363.60 million) in the 2012/13 fiscal year.

Recent Developments
Anchor is a beehive of activity. Great strides are being taken in product development, adaptation of technology and rigorous quality testing. However, one of the newest developments includes the commissioning of a state-of the art factory for manufacturing wiring devices that has recently become operational in Daman. It is one of the largest synchronised units of its kind, the first Green facility of Anchor and will strengthen Anchor's wiring devices business vertical. Anchor has also set up a high-tech fanmanufacturing unit in Dhamdachi that manufactures a wide range of ceiling fans. Anchor has one of the finest product research and development divisions in the country. Riding on its strength, the company is venturing into energy-saving products especially in the verticals of fans, lighting and the switchgear and protection equipment range. These products meet the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) requirements as defined by the European standards. With the recent acquisition of Firepro a recognised and reputable company in infrastructure protection and security solutions Anchor continues to develop a strong reputation for quality, reliability, safety and longevity. Not surprisingly, it is playing a pivotal role in infrastructure development in India and the neighbouring markets.

Product

In 2013, Anchor will celebrate 50 years, a half century of success. The advent of Anchor marked the development of the organised market for electric switches in India. However, what is truly remarkable is the fact that while more than 100 brands vie for a share of this C2600 crore market, Anchor controls almost half of it. Today, as part of the Panasonic Group it is preparing to launch a range of products, serving both ends of the market. Its distribution strength and trust caters to the volume market while its worldwide designing and technological strength serves the needs of the premium market.
owned subsidiary of the Panasonic Corporation of Japan is actually a one-stop electrical solutions provider for residential and commercial premises. The brand has everything going for it; superb parentage, outstanding quality, built-in reliability, pleasing looks and price that is within the reach of most buyers. Its wide range of products, manufactured through state-of-the-art technologies, now cater to virtually every household and commercial premises needs right from switches, wires and technical Commission) and CE (Conformit Europenne).They also have consistently bettered the requirements established by the Indian Standards Institute. Panasonic CFL down lighters conform to the requirements of IEC 60598-1 and 60598-2. Panasonic LED (light emitting diode) down lighters obey the rules imposed by the Panasonic Corporation Safety Standard a self-regulatory mechanism set up by the company so that products manufactured by them always have a technological edge over the competition.

Market
The new-age housing concept that has evolved over the last few decades has influenced the lifestyles of the aristocratic, the plebeian and the bucolic segments of society. Servicing the requirements of all three at once is, usually, the unfulfilled dream of every company; yet in India there is at least one category that has a common legend run through each socioeconomic segment. Such is the pull of Anchor, the iconic Indian brand that even deep in the hinterland of this country the man-onthe street recognises it for reliability, durability and for making a style statement. Anchor is thus, the undisputed monarch of a hugely growing market, with its quality products catering to all the market segments. Several other manufacturers in the organised and unorganised sectors struggle to keep themselves distinguished in the remaining market. A mass movement towards modern products and better brands has created a galaxy of opportunities for innovative enterprises, with the market growing at 20% per annum. This has resulted in development of ingenious products with a superior aesthetic appeal. With innovation happening mostly at the apex of the pyramid, the unorganised sector is floundering to get a grasp of the market expectations. The quality gap between these two is a major peril with far fetched implications. This is where Anchor steps in with its quality products fulfilling the requirements of the entire socio-economic stratum.

History
Anchor was established in 1963 in Mumbai. The journey was embarked with the aim of bringing quality and standardisation in manufacturing switches and accessories, giving endusers complete value for money. In those early days, the manufacturing of switches, plugs and sockets was almost wholly in the hands of the unorganised sector. The advent of Anchor brought a degree of order to the market. By 1976, Anchor was a wellestablished brand. The company was by now certain that the time had come to introduce an innovation. The piano switch was a small revolution and Penta the brand under which it was launched instantly became a star performer. Roma, the companys largest selling range of modular switches, conforms to ISI and IEC standards and even today continues to be the market leader and a generic name in the modular switches and accessories category. For top-end houses, Anchor introduced AVE, the luxury modular range of wiring devices from Italy in 2001 and followed it with Woods the premium range of modular switches in 2003. April 2007 was a landmark year for Anchor: it became a consolidated subsidiary of Panasonic Electric Works Limited known earlier as Matsushita Electric Works, now integrated with Panasonic Corporation. With this consolidation, it was able to leverage Panasonic's immense technological strength and bring within reach of the consumer the exciting range of global home automation products and solutions from Panasonic. Amongst the array of products, now available in India, through Panasonic are video door phones, smoke- and

The Indian market cuts across several price points. This results in a number of models at each such intersection. Anchor's merger with Panasonic and its collaboration with several internationally recognised brands have enabled it to deliver a range that fits into most of them. Ave Sistema 44, harbouring the latest technology, sits at the top of the pyramid and is brought by Anchor in collaboration with AVE S.p.a of Italy. The range comprises of Ave Touch, Domus 44 and Life 44. From the Panasonic stables comes another exceptional range named Panasonic Vision. This is the first in the switch series after Anchor's merger. It is distinguished by an avant-garde screw-less terminal technology. Roma Viola and Woods continue to be the best-selling switches amongst the premium modular segment. Anchor's Roma has become the largest-selling range of switches for the midmodular segment and Roma Allure, a trendy black finish switch is adding new value to the range. Rider is Anchor's most popular brand in the economy modular segment while Anchor Penta continues to be the best basic nonmodular switch still accepted in rural and semiurban India. In consonance with Panasonic's philosophy of giving the environment top priority, Anchor has developed products such as the lead-free Green Guard Cables. The company also manufactures India's first FR PVC (fire retardant polyvinyl chloride) insulation tape called Anchor Grip. Panasonic technology ably supports Anchors decorative fans range while its lighting and luminaires basket has increased its offerings with energy-saving products such as CFL and LED

Promotion
Anchor is a great believer in building stable and long-term relationships with all members of its supply chain architects, electrical consultants, institution heads, builders, dealers, contractors and electricians. Each year it develops several below-the-line initiatives in an attempt to reach out to this eclectic mix. Anchor recently collaborated with the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) as co-partners for the IIID-Anchor Awards. The

Brand Values
With Panasonic at the helm, Anchor has taken a leaf out of its book. The company now focuses on making products that are eco-friendly, energy-saving and help make people's lives simpler, safer and more comfortable. It considers these to be the fountainhead of all future growth and, therefore, each year earmarks very substantial budgets in the pursuit of research and development. The company believes that it has a role and a responsibility in making planet earth a better and safer place to live in, than the one the company inherited. With the aim of being the largest building construction materials company in the country by 2018 when Panasonic completes a very eventful one hundred years Anchor surges ahead with plans that will delight the minds of both the prosaic and the prolific.

Things you didnt know about

Anchor
Anchor manufactures almost 380 million units per annum of wiring devices and manufactures and sources over 538 million components per year At Daman, Anchor has built one of India's most contemporary wiring devices factory Every year Anchor manufactures enough wire to go around the earth nearly seven times Anchor caters directly to the requirements of 65% of Indias districts

Achievements
So deeply embedded is the co-relation that the very name Anchor conjures up the image of a switch and related accessories. Though primarily perceived as a switch maker, Anchor, a wholly
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cables, lighting and luminaires, switchgears and protection devices and fans. At the crest, are advanced home and office automation solutions from Panasonic. This unique basket of products is manufactured through processes in conformance with ISO: 9001:2008. Anchor wires and cables has obtained national and international certifications like ISI, ISO 9001:2008; IEC (International Electro-

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