Supra Industrial Company (Sico), Jumbo Electronics’ OEM manufacturing enterprise, has announced it is diversifying into the production of split air conditioners.

The initiative is aimed at   further strengthening its position in the GCC, pan-Arab and African markets, a company spokesman said. 
Kiran Chhabria, director of marketing and communications, Jumbo Electronics, said: “As an OEM manufacturer, our focus has been to launch products that can withstand the harsh weather and the summer sun of the region.
“Sico’s reputation as a manufacturer of quality products has been achieved in the face of stiff competition. A large bulk of the vertical coolers and freezers segment, a category which was earlier dominated by European manufacturers, is now manufactured by us.”
Added Shiv Lamba, CEO, Supra Industrial: “We have made a calculated move into the manufacture of split air conditioners.  We feel extremely positive about our new entry into split ACs and see an immense growth  potential in  this category. Therefore, our plant has seen major investments in testing facilities and new production lines.”
Sico’s Computer Control Research Lab, the only testing facility for air conditioners in the UAE, creates artificial conditions of humidity, heat and low temperature to mirror natural weather conditions of the Middle East.
“Split air conditioners manufactured here are not only tested for tough desert conditions, but also tested under other extreme conditions such as high humidity to customise them for markets such as ours. Yokogawa Japan, the leading technology and industrial automation company, provides the testing, measurement and information systems to our facility in Jebel Ali,” said Lamba.
The new split ACs will be particularly suited to the year-round heat in the Gulf region and feature a higher electric efficiency energy ratio. 
 In the future, Sico also has plans to capitalise on being the only facility for artificial conditioning in the UAE by providing an in-house testing facility for other companies.  This facility will be able to test air conditioners to Saso (Saudi Arabian Standards Organisation) and other international standards.
Sico started operations in the UAE in  1989, and has since become a major player in Dubai’s manufacturing sector.
The Jumbo Group, an international industrial and trading conglomerate,  enjoys a presence in over 25 countries with 28 companies covering its multi-facted operations in diverse segments such as consumer electronics, tyres and tubes, breweries, chemicals, industrial machinery and logistics management.
Its flagship company, Jumbo Electronics LLC, is one of the biggest names in the field of consumer electronics, information technology and telecommunications in the UAE.
One of the UAE’s first transnational corporations, the Dubai-headquarted Jumbo Electronics,  has  a well spread out network of  23 showrooms and 10 service centres that spans the entire UAE.