Projector cannot replace smart tvs, claims SPPL’s ​​founder avneet singh marwah

The segment of smart televisions in the country is changing rapidly. Customers are emphasizing large screen size and technology. Founder and CEO, Avneet Singh Marwah, the founder and CEO of this segment, Supar Plastronics Limited (SPPL), informed about the company’s plan and the changes in the behavior of this segment and the business in the conversation with Ankit Sharma of Gadgets 360. SPPL has launched four brands – Kodak TV, Thomson, White Westinghouse and Blaupunkt TV in the country. Here are the major parts of this conversation:

Question – Where did the SPPL inspire to enter the consumer electronics industry and what are the changes in the company in the last several years? What is the company’s expansion plan in future?

SPPL started in 1990. Our company started with plastic injection molding business and exposed in manufacturing CRT, LCD and LED TVS. After this, we entered consumer durable products including applies such as washing machines, air coolers and air conditioners. As the reach of products in the country increased, we started investing in these categories. Right now we manufacture Google TVS ranging from 32 inches to 86 inches. Our portfolio includes products such as air coolers, washing machines, air conditioners and speakers. In India, we have licenses for foreign brands like Kodak, Thomson, Blaupunkt, Westinghouse and White-Westinghouse and we sell our products under these brands. We are increasing manufacturing and our new plant in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh is going to start soon. Apart from this, in the next five years, we have to enter foreign markets.

Question – India’s market is very competitive. Some big Chinese smartphone companies are shutting down their smart TV business. You sell TVS under four brands. What is the secret to your success?

I believe that companies that have shut down their smart TV business in the country have lagged behind in understanding consumer behavior. They can be big players in the smartphone segment but the smart TV segment is completely different. A major smartphone brand entered the country as a premium brand but later launched a low -price TV, which weakened the identity of the brand related to their TV products. First of all we have to understand that TVs and smart TVs have separate segments. The value of the mobile market is worth $ 35 million, while the TV market is $ 1.2 to $ 1.5 million. Both of these require a separate strategy. Many big companies mix their TV and mobile business, causing damage because they do not understand ROI in the TV segment.

In addition, one of the main reasons for struggling in this segment is the lack of investment in infrastructure. Their focus is mainly Mobile lives on. TV is a volume product and it requires investment in many areas such as logistics, warehousing, manufacturing and after-cell service. You have to provide service in more than 19,000 pincodes. These companies tried to merge this ecosystem but did not prove to be successful. Conversely, we want to increase competition in India. Because of this we have many in the market Smart tv The brands are introduced and they are performing well. We will continue to invest in the infrastructure and it is important for our success.

Question – How do you see the future of Smart TV market in India in the next three -five years and which trends are emerging in the industry, which SPPL is planning to benefit?

The biggest change in the Smart TV segment is that customers are liking large screen size. In the future, the 55-inch size will become entry-level standard and it will replace the current 43 inches, which was earlier 32 inches. The average size of TV in developed countries is 75 inches. Another change is focus on advanced technologies like Dolby, DTS and Sound Innovations. There is priority quality of urban customers, making investment in large screen size and better technology. We are also focusing on this trend. A large number of people are buying TV on EMI, so that they can take advantage of advanced technologies.

Question – In 2024, you have launched speakers in the market under the Thomson brand. How is customers response in this category?

We have received good response from customers for speakers. However, the launch timing was challenging as we introduced speakers on festive season peaks when other companies were aggressive about pricing. We believe it would have been better to launch something earlier. However, our speaker has a big plan for category and we will present many products.

Question – Do you think that affordable projectors can affect the growth of smart TV sales? Do you have a plan to enter this segment?

Television and projectors are for separate markets. Because of this, it is difficult for projectors to replace TV in future. The technology of these two is different. Just as tablets have not affected mobile sales, similarly the projector and TV have their own separate market. The growth in both these segments will remain zeal but they will not replace each other. Many high-quality projects are available and each offers a separate viewing experience. In addition, projectors require white background or wall, which is not necessary for TV. Many people live in small homes due to increasing real estate prices and it is a challenge to make projectors for such places.

Question – What will you request to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in next year’s budget?

Our request from the finance minister will be reduced from 28 percent to 18 percent on TVS. TV is not a luxury product and because of this 28 percent GST has no meaning. In addition, Ease of Doing Business needs to be improved at the ground level. Despite single-window clearance, many approval still needs, which takes time. The finance minister should focus on strengthening the consumer sentiment.