Kodak is one of the oldest television brands in the world and the company's brand license partner in India Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL) has some robust plans to make 2017 exciting. Following the emerging trend in the television sector, SPPL will align the brand's plans accordingly next year.
Read: Kodak 32-inch XSmart LED TV review
SPPL director and CEO Avneet Singh Marwah discussed the future of television market and the company's plans to drive growth. During his interview with International Business Times, India, Marwah said that consumers will see many more smart TVs from the brand next year and a new speaker product line.
The focus will remain on these two main product categories in addition to developing the existing products, Marwah said. For a detailed look at Marwah's interview, continue reading below:
IBTimes, India: Where does India stand in terms of Innovation by the end of 2016 against countries like China and the US?
Avneet Singh Marwah: In the light of changes happening and recent developments, India has come a long way, but still has a quite a ride to go. As countries like China slow down, India is one of the most emerging markets.
A basic necessity that is lacking is the infrastructure in India which would help in development and implementation of technology. The government has taken various steps to try and fast forward the innovation process, a major part of which is the 'Make in India' campaign. It encourages people to carry out projects within India which would help in progress of the country in many ways.
Though not there yet, we are bound to bridge the gap between the developed and the developing soon enough.
IBT: What are your plans for 2017?
Marwah: We have an exciting year planned ahead for us. We will be launching a 55" Smart TV as well as 4K televisions. We also plan to add a line of speakers to our list of products. We plan to focus majorly on smart television from here on after as it is the need of the hour.
We are also constantly researching and developing to bring the best to our consumer base.
IBT: Technology is no longer defined by smartphones, so where do you see your product line heading next?
Marwah: We plan to add a line of speakers to our kitty in the year 2017. However, we do not foresee expanding into other consumer electronics barring televisions and speaker in the near future. We would want to focus on developing the products we have.
IBT: What is your take on VR, AR, IoT (Smart Homes) and what will drive the innovation in 2017?
Marwah: I feel smart homes may be a need for the future but are not suitable for the present Indian market. All homes do not support a high-speed internet source and breakages in connections are often observed. Innovation will be driven by need. What the people desire and to what extent are they willing to pay for it. If technology developed is unaffordable to the common masses, it will be not be very useful.
IBT: What are your targets in terms of sales and revenue for the upcoming year?
Marwah: Given the current economic situation, we are unable to comment on sales targets at this point. We do, however, hope to capture a significant portion of the market in the upcoming year.
IBT: What was the biggest trend you witnessed in 2016 and what areas of technology do you plan to explore next year?
Marwah: The biggest trend noticed by us in the past year was the increased demand of big screen sizes. We see a decline in sales of televisions in the smaller size range like 16" or 20". Even people in rural areas are willing to buy big screen sizes. We plan to explore technology that would improve our vanilla as well as smart televisions, especially, for areas where televisions are the sole source of entertainment.
IBT: What are your marketing strategies for 2017?
Marwah: We plan to launch ourselves in the offline market in terms of Kodak HD LED TV and make our presence felt. We hope to launch televisions in at least six states in the upcoming year.
IBT: What were your biggest achievements in 2016?
Marwah: Our biggest achievement was successfully launching Kodak HD LED TV's as brand licensees of Eastman Kodak Company. We intend to grow and soar to new heights with it.
