Ratan Tata speaks to HT on Swach, the new water purifier from his group.

On the strategy behind ‘Swach’
75 per cent of the rural population does not have access to safe drinking water. The Tata Group took this challenge of providing safe drinking water four years ago. The basic idea stems from the Tata Group’s philosophy to enhance the quality of life.

On marketing this product The company is using the AIR (awareness, innovation and reach) philosophy to market the product. It is banking on Tata Salt’s distribution network and is looking at tie-ups with NGOs and private partners as well. Tata is looking at traditional as well as non-traditional partnerships.

On the sales targets Tata has a manufacturing capacity of one million units. The product will be rolled out in phases – Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal are the first three states where the purifier will be sold. In the next five years the company hopes to sell five million units.

On the pricing Swach purifies 3000 litres of water with an end of life shut mechanism. For a family of five, the cost is Rs 30 per month (assuming the family uses 7.5 litres for drinking).

On the idea This is further to our philosophy to enhance the quality of life in India. The trust has evolved by helping communities and we have developed an affordable water purification system. As of now the plan is to reach out with this product across India. Our quest has not been to create the cheapest car, housing, or water purification system. The idea is to drive home convenience and better lifestyle.

On future plans for Swach During the development phase 500 prototypes were rolled out. Some of the filters were used in the areas ravaged by the Tsunami. We are working on new versions of Swach in few years. New version filters are being developed to eliminate arsenic and fluoride contamination.

On what next after the cheapest car, cheap housing and now cheap water purifiers The quest has been to create enhanced lifestyle and not develop cheap products.