Thermax launched operations in Maharashtra and Pune a year ago.

The plant produced 32,000 bottles of `Good Water' brand. Despite its focus on commercial establishments, the company grew at the rate of 30 per cent last year. The company registered a turnover of Rs 35 crore during 1998-99. Last year it produced 32,000 bottles a month. With the expansion of marketing area, the company would be producing close to 70,000 bottles per month. The new markets will be Lonavla, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Mahabaleshwar.

The automated plant at MIDC Taloja has capacity to produce 450 bottles of 20 litres each and it could go up to 650 bottles. The company will now be tapping the household segment. For this market, the company will be appointing distributors. It is setting up more access points for expanding the market. It will be installing water vending machines in Pune and Mumbai. Thermax Culligan handles its own distribution work. It was the first company to offer cooler and dispensing machines on rentals. Nearly 1,000 coolers have been given out on rent.

The joint venture between Thermax Ltd and Culligan International Company, US was set up in 1997 with a capital of Rs 14 crore. The company uses a seven stage separate purification process including reverse osmosis and ozonisation. The company hopes to touch a turnover of around Rs 50 crore during 1999-2000. The company has no plans to get into the one litre bottled water segment.