Abee Info sets up new manufacturing unit

Pune-based Abee Info-Consumables has established a new production facility at Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh to manufacture its entire range of products, for the domestic market. It comprises 4,000 square feet, which is set up at an estimated cost of Rs 50 lakh, and consists of eight to 10 assembly lines. Abee's Pune unit, located at Koregaon Bhima, will now entirely focus on the export market.

"The decision to expand operations in Himachal Pradesh was strategic since the government has announced a 10-year tax holiday on excise duty; a five-year tax holiday on IT and sales tax," explains BB Somani, MD, Abee Info-Consumables, adding that this would greatly reduce the overall production costs.

Abee Info-Consumables is a pioneer in refill cartridges for dot matrix printers and inkjet printers as well. The company now plans to increase its exports in Saudi Arabia, the Mid-Eastern countries and France. 

While declining to put any figure on exports volumes, Somani maintains that there is `good potential' for Abee's products in these markets. He adds that the next stop will be America and Europe, as soon as the company builds a good base in the Middle East.

Since the channel is not a very suitable option for selling refilled cartridges, Abee Info has decided to set up its own brand of retail shops across the country. "We have already designed the logos and plan to establish the first outlet in Pune, by the end of FY 2004," informs

Somani. 

The company has ambitious plans of reaching out to towns with a population of at least five lakh in the next two years. It will achieve this with its distribution network of 60 distributors and 10,000 odd resellers.

With the new initiatives, Somani expects the company turnover to touch the Rs 6 crore mark as against Rs 4 crore reported for the year ended March 2003.

NANDA KASABE



CYBERMEDIA NEWS