Even though the market for air-conditioners in the UAE is expected to grow by three to five per cent annually in the next three years, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, the manufacturer of the leading home appliance brand National, is aiming for two-digit growth.

"We are targeting double the growth than that of the general market keeping in mind the phenomenal growth in the UAE," explains Hiroyuki Matsukawa, manager, air-conditioners, at Panasonic Marketing Middle East, FZE.

"We are also looking at replacing some market share of competition due to our cutting-edge technology like our high-tech air purification system and better consumer awareness about Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER)."

He goes on to add that Saudi Arabia may be the biggest market for the company's air-conditioners but the UAE is where it sees the greatest demand. There has also been a shift in strategy, keeping in mind the demand for the large-capacity range of air-conditioners.

"Earlier we were concentrating on window air-conditioners but now we have decided to shift our focus to this type of air-conditioner," says Matsukawa.

While launching its new range of air-conditioners for summer, National kept in mind the growing popularity of split air-conditioners and increased production of this model. National is confident that these air-conditioners will give the window model a run for its money given the decreased price difference between the two and also the fact that it consumes minimum energy and boasts more features.

The company's expanded line-up of air conditioners meets a wide range of installation options and applications.

"The most important factor to survive in this market is introducing technological advances that consumers have come to expect from leading Japanese brands like National," says Matsukawa. "Earlier people just wanted air-conditioners for cooling purposes but now they are now looking for value-added features like air purification and dehumidification. To this end, this year we are concentrating on air purifying systems because sometimes the air inside the room becomes very polluted and after long use of air-conditioners people get air-conditioner-related illnesses like headaches."

As such, National has two kinds of air filters - one for air purification and the other for deodorising. "For air purification, we have introduced Catechin filter - catechin is the natural element we find in tea leaves," explains Matsukawa. "Unlike normal air filters, where viruses and bacteria are still active after the filter catches them, in the case of Catechin, after it catches the virus almost 98 per cent of the virus or bacteria is inactivated."

Besides, National air-conditioners also have a solar-reflexing deodorising filter, which can regenerate the deodorising function after six months simply by putting it under the sunlight for six hours. "As such, you can use both our filters for three years at a stretch," adds Matsukawa.

And that's not all. While cheaper air-conditioners start wilting as the temperatures start soaring, National guarantees cool performance even as the temperature touches 52 degrees. "We are using special compressors suitable for the climate in the Gulf which ensures higher cooling capacity," sums up Matsukawa.