Brands
Atomberg unveils AC rotary compressor technology at Acrex 2026
Move marks entry into Hvac components with India built solution
MUMBAI: Atomberg Technologies has unveiled a new air conditioner rotary compressor technology at Acrex India 2026, signalling the company’s entry into the Hvac components space and expanding its engineering capabilities beyond consumer appliances.
The compressor has been developed by the company’s B2B engineering arm, Atomberg Innovation Private Limited, which focuses on building engineering solutions for the consumer durables and Hvac ecosystem.
Designed and manufactured in India, the rotary compressor is built for 1.5 tonne air conditioners and integrates high efficiency motor technology with improved noise, vibration and harshness performance. The system also complies with Indian regulatory standards, positioning it as a locally developed alternative in a segment often reliant on imports.
The development marks Atomberg’s latest step in expanding its technology portfolio into Hvac component systems while continuing its push towards indigenous innovation in appliance engineering.
Atomberg Technologies founder and chief executive officer Manoj Meena, said the launch reflects the company’s evolution from appliance innovation to deeper engineering solutions. “Our journey began with reimagining everyday appliances through technologies such as BLDC motors. Today we are building advanced engineering solutions in India, including this AC rotary compressor, as we expand into the Hvac ecosystem,” he said.
Atomberg Innovation operates as an end to end original design manufacturing partner, developing solutions that include motor technologies, integrated drive systems, embedded control platforms and manufacturing capabilities. Its portfolio spans technologies such as air conditioning motors, motor drivers based on field oriented control algorithms, solar tracker motors and drone motors.
The company’s engineering infrastructure covers the full product lifecycle, from electronics design and digital twin modelling to testing and manufacturing through in house facilities such as SMT lines, motor assembly units and automated production systems. This integrated setup allows some products to move from concept to production in as little as three months.
By combining vertically integrated manufacturing with engineering led design, Atomberg aims to strengthen India’s capabilities in advanced appliance components while supporting the broader push for domestic technology development and reduced dependence on imports.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
