"We are very serious about Modi's 'Make in India' initiative"

In an exclusive interaction with DQ Channels Jayesh Kotak, Vice President of Product Marketing, Smartlink Network Systems Ltd. touched upon topics like pricing policies, new offerings of the company, E Commerce and ‘Make in India’ initiative.

What are various segments and verticals of Smartlink Network Systems Ltd?

As a leader in networking and surveillance products, we are into SOHO and SMB market. SOHO and SMBs are very generic and broad segments where Smartlink stands very strong.  Within vertical specific, we are into education and government sector. Again when I say government, we concentrate on Public Sector Units (PSUs). In SMB segment we more concentrate on different geographies. In geographies also we have certain geographies where we are more towards certain verticals.

Which wireless offerings you have come up with?

Dongle and Dongle with Wi-Fi are our two offerings. From technology perspective, again from Wi-Fi there is next technology called dot ap which is high speed technology. We have dot ap products as well. We have USB adaptor and wireless routers.

What are different product categories in your surveillance product line?

There are two categories in surveillance products. One is IT surveillance and other is Analog or CCTV surveillance products. We have found that the market for these two particular categories has grown tremendously. IT market is growing at a higher end whereas lower end is dominated by Analog. Analog technology has evolved in recent years and it will stay there for next three to five years. Within Analog the technology will keep on improving. Earlier we had only IT but later we thought that if we really want to grow we need to have Analog along with IT. We have separate product manager for surveillance to grow and develop channel for this particular category. Surveillance products have a better growth than networking products.

 What is a scope of wireless technologies in India in next 5 years? Do you think it will eliminate wired technologies?

Ten years back, wireless technology was taunted as a complementary technology. But right now it is in inflection phase where it can really replace traditional wired infrastructure. However, I would say there is 50 per cent requirement of wired infrastructure at the back. We required wired infrastructure for servers, desktops, PCs, laptops to the some extend. Wired technology will remain for next couple of years.

What are the crucial decisions you have taken since your appointment as a vice president of product marketing at Smartlink?

The couple of things I am looking at, one is the product gap. That means what kind of products we need to add in our product line. Second thing is the forecasting so that we have the right product in the market in appropriate quantity. And third is title integration between products and verticals. These are the three initiatives I would drive in order to obtain desired output.

What is your partner base? Are you looking at increasing your base in small cities?

There are different tiers of channel partners. Our geographical reach is very strong. As a result we have around 2000 to 2500 active partners. When I say geographically, the channel partners are already there. We have our representative in small cities. We have an administrative representative in the cities we have a presence. Some partners are service providers of Smartlink as well.

 Are you planning to have a separate channel base for surveillance product?

Right now we are not looking into such separation. We will have same partner base for surveillance products. Also it is an opportunity for partners to add one more category in their product offerings. There will be dedicated channel partners for surveillance products.

Do you have any plan to diversify and explore new product lines?

For the moment, we will stick to networking segment. Because we have skilled team and strong infrastructure. Economy of scale that we get from networking is more than any other segment.

Since you are into consumer products, what is your opinion about growing anguish among partners against E Commerce?

Online portals selling products below par is matter of concern for us as well. As a vendor, we are very clear about the cost. When I say clear, it is in terms of our pricing policies. Price is same for online as well as offline channel partners. Some e-tailors deliberately chose to sale below par. In such situation we have to take either commercial action or a legal action because eventually our brand is at stake. We have taken commercial action against people selling our products below the MRPs by tracing the serial numbers. By tracing a serial number, I will get to know that who is indulged in predatory pricing. We have initiated action against unethical practices in E Commerce from our end. The question is not really eating anything the question comes when it comes to below par. As far as it is not below par it is fine. Ultimately our aim is customer satisfaction. I won’t let my customer suffer.

How you are going to be part of Make in India initiative by the Central government?

We are very serious about Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s “Make in India’ initiative. We are ready to pull all efforts from our end to drive “Make in India” initiative. We are an active participant in the moment of making India a manufacturing hub. We have been an active member of MAIT. Through MAIT we are engaging with the government as we believe that it is not just a marketing story of the central government. Central leadership is serious about it. However, things cannot happen overnight. Forces are working in a positive direction with companies coming on a common platform. But it is work in progress status at present.

How do you analyze performance of Smartlink in terms of revenue?

We have grown reasonably well in quarter two compare to quarter one. I personally feel that we have grown above the average. And I think it is always a team which plays a crucial role in the success. I am confident that we will perform excellent in coming years.