MUMBAI: Voltas entered the new financial year on a strong footing, with its room air conditioning business crossing the milestone of one million units in a record 81 days, chairman Noel Tata said Tuesday at what marked his final annual general meeting as chairman of the Tata Groupโs consumer durables company. The business sold more than 22 lakh units in FY2026, with March alone accounting for over 5 lakh units โ the strongest singlemonth sales in the companyโs history. Its Chennai facility, Indiaโs largest integrated room AC plant, continued to scale through the year. โI have great satisfaction that Voltas stands strong today,โ Noel said. Noel, 69, steps down as chairman in Nov, tied to his upcoming 70th birthday, a retirement threshold the group has applied to non-executive directors. He joined the Voltas board in Jan 2003 and was appointed chairman in Sept 2017, succeeding Ishaat Hussain. Trent held its AGM last week, which also marked Noelโs last AGM as chairman of the retailer. In the broader durables business, VoltBek, a JV with Turkeyโs Arcelik, posted double-digit volume growth in FY2026, with sales of washing machines, refrigerators and other appliances crossing 33 lakh units. Noel said VoltBek had compounded at more than 30% annually over five years and now ranks second in the semi-automatic washing machine segment, with 14.5% market share. Noel also pointed to Voltasโ leadership bench, saying the โclose cooperation of seasoned practitioners and new talentโ will help the company continue to take โbig strides in all business segments.โ