Kolkata-based Supertron Electronics has tied up with Singapore based E-smart Technologies to become the exclusive national distributor for the latter's video conferencing equipments. Being in the market for the last two months, Supertron is still at the developmental stage. This is because the market of their latest product category is highly convinced of the opportunity that lies ahead in this particular business division as the concept of video conferencing has arrived in India. 

Supertron is currently appointing channel partners for their new product range to be sold across the country. “This is the very initial stage of the new venture and we are into setting up the network for us” said VK Bhandari, MD, Supertron Electronics. “This is a very niche product and requires proper technical know-how. Therefore, we are looking for those types of value added resellers who are more into technical sales and towards corporate and large accounts selling” he informed further. The company plans to provide all the required support to its partners for the new venture. “This is a highly prospective business opportunity and we are looking for good partners to grow together” he said further. 

Currently E-smart is on the process of tying up with a large service providing company having their set-up across India, as their support partner to provide the warranty supports. “It is in the finalization stage and henceforth, the entire support part will be taken care by them” informed Bhandari. “We have started off with Kolkata and Bangalore, also Delhi to some extent and we have so far received very good response and enquiries as well” informed Bhandari. 

Supertron is confident of the E-smart products and their aggressive pricing plans to capture about 5% market by this calendar year. “We are not looking for volume initially, but this is a bottomline business for us” said Bhandari who has already appointed specialized manpower in all the regional hubs to handle this particular project. But the initial task for the company is to educate the customers as well as, the partners. “This is still at the concept selling stage. Just like a PC was about ten years back. But now PC sells like a commodity. Therefore, we have to educate people first. But we are confident of our product and is sure to control our position in the next six months” said Debasis Roy, Head–Direct Sales, Supertron Electronics. 

Earlier video conferencing was done through the ISDN connection, which was fairly costly. But with the advent of IP that enabled video conferencing to take place in a much cheaper rate through leased lines or broadband connections, the affordability factor certainly worked out in its favor. “The same also happened in case of the equipments. Earlier video conferencing tools used to cost around Rs 5 lakh onwards. But now they are available in the range of Rs 2 to 3 lakh” said, Debasis Roy, Head–Direct Sales, Supertron Electronics. 

Today such equipments are gaining popularity in various market and industrial segments. “The estimated video conferencing market in India is roughly around Rs 300 crore. And it is expected to move up in leaps and bound in the coming years” informed Debasis.

The market segments that could be highly benefited with video conferencing are Government, educational and research institutes, corporate, hospital and medical institutes, hospitality sector. “This particular concept could really help these industries in today's technical scenario and at the same time, it is both cost and time saving” pointed out Debasis. 

“The companies can cut down their traveling costs of the employees and also save time by installing these equipments, thereby recovering the investment and installation cost within a year or two. And the shelf lives of the equipments are much higher. Therefore, its benefits are immense” he explains further. 

With e-Governance coming up in a faster pace, this business seems to be immensely lucrative. “It will help to have regular interactions with the state head quarters and the respective district head quarters or even the blocks. Like, the West Bengal Government is one of the forerunners in installing such equipments and they are looking forward to do it in a wider manner” said Roy. “Similarly it is highly useful for distant learning programs or even the medical sector” he said further. 

The E-Smart video conferencing equipments have products range that suits all kinds of requirements and pocket size. The product categories include the desktop end point or video phone which is essentially an IP phone with a LCD screen facilitating a one to one meeting. The models' cost range starts from Rs 40,000 onwards. Board room style equipments come with speakers and a camera that can pan (rotate) around 360 degrees and can cover a conference room of more than 1,500 sq ft and accommodate more than 15 people attending a conference. The panning of the camera could be controlled from both the ends through remote controls. These comprehensive units' price starts from Rs 2.5 lakhs onwards. 

The next product category is the multi party units that facilitate video conferencing for multiple stations. “We will be able to cater to all the market segments with our wide spectrum of products” said Debasis.

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