“Bringing Kodak Back To India Wasn’t Always A Smooth Road”

“Bringing Kodak Back To India Wasn’t Always A Smooth Road”

Smart TV market is growing quite well in India currently. All major brands are brining innovative and affordable Smart TVs for Indian customers.  The buying trend of Smart TVs are very encouraging as this has become affordable now for common man as well. Super Plastronics which is a Kodak Brand Licensee bringing their smart TVs, LED TVs and many more products to serve Indian customers, has driven out their plans to increase their presence across market in India.  In a recent interaction with DT, Mr. Avneet Singh Marwah, Director and CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd talks about their future investment plans and emerging trends in this segment.

DT: What are the latest trends in LED TV market? What could be the next big innovation after UHD in this segment? 

Mr. Marwah: The latest trend in the Indian market is the phenomenal growth of the Smart TV. This segment is growing by 35% in the market today and is expected to see a rise in the coming months. The online market share of the Smart TV has increased to 75% especially in 32-inch and 40-inch categories. Another interesting trend that we are witnessing and which more people will adapt in Smart TV’s is The Application Wall, which will soon be released by Kodak. If we talk about the UHD, there will be a longer gestation period. It will still take time to mature as there is very limited content available for this. By 2024, 50% of the US households will be converted into UHD users and this trend will soon follow in India. 

DT: How has been your journey so far in India? What challenges you faced in bringing Kodak back to India? 

Mr. Marwah: The journey so far has been great. This is a 130-year-old company and there are very few companies in the world that still exist and are going strong even after 130 years, especially in electronics. We want to thank all our customers who have welcomed us back in India and to all the customers who have bought our television. 

Bringing Kodak back to India wasn’t always a smooth road.  Kodak is a renowned digital picture brand and to bring the brand back as Kodak TV was very challenging, as we had to make people shift their previously held perception and realign them to look at Kodak as a brand that focused on a digital picture with a digital screen. When bringing a brand into the Indian market, every manufacturer faces a certain number of challenges. Thanks to the love and support from our consumers we have managed to overcome those challenges and rise to their expectations. 

A challenge we did face was competitive pricing. As we know India is a very price competitive market and having come back in the midst of so many brands and manufacturers, we have over 2 years gained some good market share. so The idea and journey of bringing Kodak back to India has been hitherto successful.   

DT: What are the new upcoming products we can see from SPPL in near future? 

Mr. Marwah: As I mentioned, we will be introducing the new Wall soon for Kodak. The Wall will serve to highlight all the new and existing features of a Kodak TV. We are also brining some exciting applications for our Smart TVs. Our focus for the coming months is largely on 4k Smart TV and in coming months you will see bigger sizes in 4k Smart TV. 

DT: How do you plan to revamp your distribution system? How is your presence across India? 

Mr. Marwah: SPPL has 28 offices across India and our existing dealer distribution network is very strong. Our company has 350 service centers across India. In the offline space, we have already launched in 6 states and by the end of this year we’ll be there in 12 more states. With our existing infrastructure so far, we have succeeded in working with the top distributors in the country. Alongside this we have just started our business with Tata Croma, which is a great achievement for Kodak as Croma only works with the top 4 multinationals. So for a relatively new TV brand for the Indian market, creating a space on their shelves is a big achievement for us. 

DT: How do you assure best service support (Pre-sales & After-sales) to your customers? 

Mr. Marwah: We have a full proof CRM support and our company has always assured and been driven by quality. As previously mentioned, we have 350 service centers and a service tie up to ensure that our customers have quality service, should any issue arise. We are currently servicing fourteen thousand pin codes in India. Our SLA in terms of installation is 48 hours. For metro cities the timeline is about 24 hours and for service it is below 48hours. 

DT: What are your commitments to Make in India initiative? Tell us about your R&D centers and manufacturing facilities. 

Mr. Marwah: Kodak is a complete Make in India initiative. We are a complete back integrated manufacturing plant. We have our own molding machine, paint room, green room, smp and assembling line. So we are completely focused on investing more in our manufacturing facilities. SPPL is investing INR 150cr in the immune manufacturing line so that we can open an advance manufacturing line for televisions in India. Currently we have 3 plants- one is in Jammu, the other one is in Himachal and the main plant is in Noida. We are looking to expand further and will be seeking more opportunities in the coming months.

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