The company has never chased the spotlight — it has simply shown up wherever the hardest cooling problems needed solving. From Rajdhani trains to BrahMos missiles, and now to India’s electric bus fleet, the company’s journey is one of quiet, consistent reinvention.
SIDWAL Refrigeration Industries, a subsidiary of Amber Group and a leading name in HVAC, and precision cooling system, has been focusing on electric bus market. This is because the electric buses need anything light-weight and SIDWAL is known for offering light-weight solutions for all the products it makes, especially HVACs.
Speaking to this publication, Ajay Joshi, Sr. GM, SIDWAL Refrigeration Industries, said, the company is working on new products specifically for electric buses, focused on reducing weight and cost. The reasoning is direct – every kilogram saved on the cooling and thermal management systems translates into better battery range. In a segment where range is still a key customer concern, that kind of contribution matters.
The company already has HVAC units developed and ready for 7-metre, 9-metre, and 12-metre electric buses — the three formats most commonly deployed in India today. But air conditioning is only part of what an electric bus needs. Thermal management of the battery and traction systems is equally critical, and here too the company has developed solutions. Its battery cooling system is available for all three bus sizes, and its traction cooling system — which manages the temperature of the electric drivetrain — is also ready for deployment. And through a recently announced joint venture with Korean company Korea Circuit, it is setting up a PCB and semiconductor manufacturing facility on a 100-acre site near the Noida International Airport.
From air-conditioned trains in the 1980s to battlefield cooling systems for missiles and tanks, and now to the thermal management of India’s electric bus fleet — SIDWAL’s journey is one of quiet, consistent reinvention. And in the electric mobility era, it appears the company is once again in exactly the right place at the right time.
The group’s reach extends well beyond air conditioning. It manufactures cab control doors, pantry systems, and HVAC solutions for the Vande Bharat and Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. It supplies defence companies including Tata, Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, BEML, and BEL. It makes wiring harnesses — including components for the Rafale fighter jet.
Most people have never heard of SIDWAL Refrigeration Industries. But they have almost certainly experienced its work — sitting in an air-conditioned Rajdhani or Shatabdi train, travelling in a Vande Bharat, or even, unknowingly, benefiting from cooling systems designed for India’s T-90 Bhishma tanks and BrahMos missiles. Today, this quiet but formidable company is turning its attention to one of India’s fastest-growing mobility segments — electric buses.
SIDWAL’s story goes back to 1974, when Mr. S.S. Sidhu started the company with water coolers and cold room air conditioning. It was this company that provided the first professional bus air conditioning solution in India — fitted on the historic bus that ran from Delhi to Lahore. But as railway contracts grew and bus air conditioning remained a niche market, the company shifted its focus to trains, becoming a key supplier for the Rajdhani and Shatabdi express fleets.
In 2019-20, SIDWAL was acquired by Amber Enterprises, one of India’s largest HVAC manufacturers, producing around 4,50,000 household air conditioning units every month and serving approximately 60% of India’s HVAC market. Under Amber’s umbrella, SIDWAL has continued to grow its mobility and defence portfolio while benefiting from the group’s manufacturing scale and technology depth. The company currently has 38 operational plants across India.
