Purifiers provide breath of fresh air

Prices for Oransi's air purifiers in China range from $2,000 to $3,000, which is way out of reach for consumers in a country with an annual average household income of about $2,100.

About 70 overseas and domestic air purifier brands are available China's second-largest online retailer JD.com, priced from 78 yuan ($12) to 18,700 yuan.

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"How can we differentiate ourselves from all those companies? We produce in the United States with high-level components and manufacturing processes. We are making products for the top of the market," said Mann.

Expensive critical components, including the medical grade filters and motors using German technology that cut energy use by as much as 90 percent drive up the price, he said.

He estimated that sales will grow more than 10 times in the next three years, with China accounting for two-thirds of that.

Despite Mann's 12 years of experience in the industry, Oransi remains a newcomer to the market, and establishing brand credibility among Chinese consumers is a big challenge.

As air pollution enshrouds more Chinese cities, international air purifier makers have quickly outlined plans for expansion in China.

Top-end brand IQAir, with a starting price of $2,101, owns retail stores in seven big cities including Beijing and Shanghai. It's on a hiring drive in eight other cities such as Tianjin, Jinan and Wuxi, Jiangsu province.

Another well-known brand, Swiss-made Blueair, can't keep some its popular models available for sale.

"The model has gone out of stock, you can order now as long as you can wait," said Huang Sheng, a sales manager for Blueair. Prices range from $700 to $1,218.

Oransi only has seven distributors in China who sell to consumers and some businesses. The distributors handle local marketing and Oransi supports marketing from a national level such as Internet promotion, said Mann.

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