Air conditioners offer healing and decorative functions
Kurniawan Hari The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Dozens of air conditioning units of various brands are displayed at a showroom on Jl. Fatmawati, South Jakarta. Three men looked busy, tidying up the electronic merchandise in the spacious store.
The store not only sells air conditioner, but also offers refrigerators, washing machines and television sets from numerous manufacturers like Panasonic, Samsung, Hitachi, Toshiba, Modena, Sanyo, General, LG, Dast, Mitsubishi and Daikin.
As the three men busily prepared for customers, two men came and looked around the shop. They were looking for an air conditioner.
"People come for air conditioners equipped with anti-bacteria systems. They forget about the conventional ones, although they are cheaper," said Acaon, a shop attendant at Mega Jaya Shop on Jl. Fatmawati.
The growing number of electronics manufacturers that produce air conditioners has created a climate of stiff competition.
This has prompted manufacturers to produce a range of different air conditioners aimed at different market segments. They are now equipping their air conditioners with more functions.
Today, an air conditioner is not only a device to produce fresh or cool air for a room. Air conditioners, or AC, are now equipped with devices to kill air-borne bacteria.
Other manufacturers work on the design. They create design so that an AC unit is beautiful enough to decorate the house.
"People used to purchase AC units of a certain brand. They correlate brands with quality. But today, they purchase AC units that have more functions," said Acaon, who has been working at the retail store for 20 years.
Acaon added that customers look for AC that can also prevent bacteria, neutralize cigarette smoke and deodorize bad smells.
Didi, a sales executive at Abadi Jaya Shop in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, also gave a similar view.
"Our customers often seek AC units with 'Plasmacluster' technology, that is the technology that purifies the air," Didi told The Jakarta Post at his store.
With the rapid growth in technology, it is now easier for customers to find an AC with latest technology, be it air- purifying Plasmacluster technology, or anti-bacteria devices.
Artistic touches can also enhance the appearance of the air conditioning unit. One AC product with artistic panels comes from LG Electronics.
Widi Nugroho, head of LG Electronics Indonesia's public relations department, said that the AC unit with the artistic panel is once of their latest products.
The artistic AC, under the name Artcool Wide, displays attractive images, like calligraphy or an image of the Al Haram Mosque in Mecca.
With price tag of around Rp 10 million (a standard AC is sold for Rp 2 million), Artcool Wide is somewhat like a painting hung onto the wall. A painting that has another function besides simply cooling the air.
Artcool is also equipped with a "three-dimensional" cooling system that enables the AC to give air flow from three sides: the front, right and left side. Thus, it offers a better distribution of cool air throughout the room.
According to Widi, the product also used new technology called "Nano Carbon Filter" that can absorb smells ten times faster than any other AC product, and the Neo Plasma Filter can also kill influenza virus and bacteria.
"There is no electronic manufacturer that cares for customers like we do," Widi asserted.
With the rapid developments in technology, ACs are no longer just an air cooling device.