HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) is the technology of indoor and vehicular environmental comfort. In the year 1984, a visionary entrepreneur, VV Murthy, launched Sagar Air Private Limited with the aim to manufacture quality HVAC products for the Indian industry. Backed by years of industry experience and driven by innovative technology, Murthy set up a full pledged manufacturing facility, equipped with the best of precision sheet metal machinery including an Amada CNC turret punch press, Aries 245, imported from Japan. The result was a high quality, reliable and durable range of products for precise air delivery at the right pressure with optimal electrical consumption and minimum sound level, etc., all manufactured under one roof, located at Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.

Within a decade of this entrepreneurial foray, on 30th May, 1995 to be precise, Sagar Asia received an "Award for Excellence in Productivity, Quality, Innovation and Management". During the years 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2003 the company participated in various HVAC climate control events and exhibitions, displaying its products for the benefit of industry, spreading awareness of Sagar Air products at the major cities of Delhi, Madras (Chennai), Bangalore and Hyderabad. By then, the company had also started providing technical consultancy for HVAC projects.

Sagar Air offers services for the HVAC industry via its four divisions:

• Air Handling Unit (AHU) Division
• Heat Transfer Products Division
• Industrial Centrifugal Fans/Blowers Division, and
• Air Distribution & Control Products Division.

With its centrifugal fans and AHUs, the company has a track record of proven performance in prestigious HVAC projects, including OEM industries, pharmaceuticals, defence units, telephone exchanges, electronic and semi-conductor production units, hotels, hospitals and commercial offices, and a legion of satisfied clients all over India.

The company offers AHUs in 19 standard models to suit HVAC applications of precise air conditioning, filtration treated fresh air and pressurising systems. The AHUs range from 1000 CFM to 40,000 CFM up to 6" static pressure. The company also manufactures finned tube coils for heat exchanging products, using state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies. Coil matrix blocks are manufactured from seamless copper tubes and are expanded onto aluminium/copper fins. The die formed collars cover the tubes completely for maximum heat transfer contact and accurate control of fin spacing. Coils are circuited for optimum performance meeting the ARI standards. Casing and end sheets are galvanised steel or aluminium for improved corrosion resistance. Headers are manufactured from heavy gauge seamless or MS pipes. Coils are tested to 30 bar with dry air under water.

Since inception, the company has adhered to high standards and customer requirements, sticking to the scientific and technological progress, quality and achievements. The industry is leading in the path of development together with group companies R S System Air Tech and R S Enterprises.

The Sagar Air Group of Industries is now an important industrial reality appreciated by satisfied customers and the market at large to become preferred AHU supplier to many HVAC projects. Accomplished HVAC companies in India like Voltas Ltd, Blue Star Ltd, ETA and several state/central government establishments have favoured the Sagar Asia Group with repeated orders for AHUs, centrifugal fans, blowers, cooling coils, heat recovery, energy saving units, ventilation units and air treatment equipment for their ongoing projects and replacement market during the last three decades.

In the year 2010, Sagar Air Pvt Ltd first passed the ISO 9001-2008 quality system certificate as a promising medium. Now the Sagar Air Group of Industries is expanding its operations through dealer network aggressively in the market covering all sections of HVAC - products for air treatment/processing and air movement/handling projects requirements.

For the present, the Sagar Air Group of Industries enjoys the status and recognition as a leading manufacturer/supplier of HVAC industries' requirements/solutions. The group shares a set of core values - honesty, integrity, openness and respect for all customers. Sagar Air has the policy to work closely and listen to the customer views/requirements in providing the best product, service and solution with fruitful products for trouble free performance. The clients are considered the source of strength and present status. They alone determine the company's reputation and vitality.

In the present scenario of globalisation, several multinational companies have started their operations in the Indian market which has been growing enormously and created opportunities for the Indian HVAC industry. The Indian HVAC industry accepted the challenges to meet the present demand. The present potential will definitely be multiplied in order to control the growing pollution and to balance the eco-friendly environment. The present scenario has opened the gates for tremendous growth. Because India is a big country with a huge population and the requirements are huge too, compared to the other countries. According to Murthy, even though the Indian products meet national and international standards and specifications, there is a bottleneck due to lack of HVAC testing and certification laboratories in India to uplift the HVAC industry. It is this area that needs some government help in terms of joint venture institutions/laboratories to certify performance of the products in India in line with global standards such as DIN, RAL, AMCA and BS, which would go a long way in making the industry globally competitive.

(Sagar Air Private Limited . Plot No: 96-97, Industrial Park, Uppal, Hyderabad -500 039. (A.P.). Tel.:040-27201792, Fax: 040-27204837. Email: sagarair@gmail.com)