The customers will see us more in modern retail counter: Avneet Singh Marwah, Director, and CEO, Super Plastronics
1. There were many brands in the consumer electronics vertical, what is the reason behind you choosing Kodak as your band licensee partner?
The reason for choosing Kodak is that it is one of the oldest brands in the world. Kodak has a history of 125 years and the kind of love, affection and nostalgia that the brand has garnered globally makes it one of the most recalled brands in the world after McDonalds, Apple and Pepsi. Therefore, because of the kind of brand equity it holds in the market, it is good for India.
2. Tell us about SPPL, its inception and journey so far as a TV manufacturer.
Growth and achievement of any organization is dependent upon the consistent support of its team and business partners. At SPPL, our vision is to become India’s leading EMS of consumer electronics. Our products are safe and reliable with quality, speed, efficiency and cost. Our extensive industry experience helps us in meeting our client’s requirements successfully. Furthermore, our ethical business practices & quality conscious approach has made us the prime choice amongst patrons.
3. Kodak HD LED TVs have been in the Indian market for the past two years, How has the response of the customers been so far?
Over the past 2 years, we have been learning a lot from the market. With all this learning experience, we try and produce more technology products and therefore Kodak HD LED TVs is one of the top 5 TV brands online and has got a fantastic response from the customers. We have 4+ reviews in all our Stock Keeping Unit (SKU).
4. What is the distribution strategy of the company? How are you planning to expand your retail presence?
In the past 1 year, we have launched our brand- offline in states like Gujarat, U.P, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. This year we plan to launch our products in 10 more states. In terms of modern offline retailing, we have already collaborated with Max, Aditya Birla group and more. Soon, we will be collaborating with Croma.
This year, the customers will see us more in modern retail counter. We currently have 28 offices Pan India. Through our existing distribution behavior, we will be entering more offline markets with the current infrastructure of 350 service centers.
5. How will the recent decline in custom duty announced by the Government of India affect the consumer electronics market?
The decline in customs duty has been an encouraging sign for the manufactures in India. Whenever, there is a price benefit for the customers, there has always been growth in sales and this has really uplifted the sentiments in the market.
6. What are your thoughts on the Government’s Make in India initiative and how has SPPL contributed towards the same over the past two years?
We endorse the Make in India initiative. I think it is a very big step that has been taken by the Government to give a sense to the business that we make all of our products in India. I think that’s a very powerful strategy by the Government. In terms of how SPPL has contributed to this initiative: in 2 years we are running one fully automatic manufacturing line for Kodak that we completed that in 4 months. In the future, we will be investingINR 150crs in Make in India initiative. We will also be hiring more employees to increase our strength and we’ll be setting up one more manufacturing line
7. What is the reason behind the growing popularity of Kodak HD LED TVs in India despite the stiff competition from established brands like Samsung and LG?
The biggest reason is the affordability, the price. Kodak television is offering the same technology and the same features as the brands you have mentioned at a very affordable pricing. In some of the SKU we are down by 50%. As the customers are very educated, so, they are choosing the right product at a right price.
8. In the light of you expanding your product portfolio, what are your plans for the next two years?
In the next 2 years you’ll be seeing a lot more products that we will be launching and there will definitely be tech products and as for TVs we will be launching more speaker models as well.
9. What would be your message to budding Indian manufacturers?
There is a lot of potential in the market for the budding Indian manufacturers. You must stick to your basics. We, as a company, always stick to our business ethics, which is very important for any manufacturer. India’s global ranking in terms of infrastructure is very low. So, there is a lot of scope of improvement. To encourage more manufacturing in India, the government has to liberalize
policies and tax structure because currently, there is 28% GST. Additionally, there should be more economic zones so that manufacturing comes back to India. I always feel that we can produce a lot of tech products in India as, electronics is the second largest import in the country after petroleum products.
