Siglent Technologies Co. Ltd focuses on the electronic test and measurement instrument industry and sees R&D as a core competency. It maintains a strong competitive edge through innovation and strict quality control. Lulu Yin, sales manager, Siglent Technologies Co. Ltd, in an interaction with Baishakhi Dutta, senior business journalist, Electronics Bazaar, talks of how the company is ready to expand further in the Indian T&M market following good business in the past few years.
EB: How do you see the Indian T&M market growing?
India is a very big region and has a variety of users. It has a speedily-developing electronics industry and a well established educational system. There is also ample demand for test and measurement instruments. Nowadays, Indian users are seeking quality over price and are ready to pay more for a good quality and high-performance product, which is our primary advantage over many other top international brands present in India.
EB: What potential do you see for your products in India?
Our products have huge potential in the Indian market. We manufacture SPOs, digital storage oscilloscopes, waveform generators, DC power supplies, digital multimeters, spectrum analysers and handheld oscilloscopes. All these products are designed to have the desired features at a very affordable and justified price, and are user-friendly. We ensure that our products meet all the quality parameters during production and pass final quality checks. Overall, we are focusing on delivering real value to all end users, both in terms of technology as well as the price range.
EB: What is the general trend regarding technological upgrades, in the devices you develop? How are these products improving?
Basically, test and measurement instruments are being developed into high-tech consumer electronics gadgets for engineers, which means customers will encounter a better experience like a big screen, touchscreens, well set functions, etc. Regarding upgrading our technology, we are developing solutions for the cloud as well as IoT, customised for educational and industry use. However, these improvements will not have any effect on the calibration of the devices.
EB: Will your new products be priced higher due to these improvements, and will that affect their demand?
The change in price, if any, will not really impact the market if users find that the products’ quality justifies the change in pricing. Indian end users are ready to pay any cost for a good product.
EB: What are the topmost challenges for you in India?
India is a pretty localised market because of its diverse languages, culture and consumption patterns. Being a manufacturer, it’s not easy to reach out to the end consumers in such a fragmented market. So, for Siglent, reliable, effective, result-oriented,
good marketing channels/distributor platforms play a very crucial role, and are highly in demand.
EB: How has business in India been for you in the recent years?
I am very happy to say that business in India over the past few years has been very good. We had a steady growth of more than 30 per cent in sales over the past three years. In the FY 2016, Siglent witnessed 36 per cent growth in sales globally and in FY 2017, we have seen 43 per cent growth.
EB: Are you looking at increasing your presence in India by appointing more local partners?
We do not have many local partners in India at present. On the other hand, the partners we have in India right now are strong and quite supportive. So yes, Siglent is looking out for new distributors or resellers in India. We have great potential in the Indian market and believe that this is indeed a good time for new distributors to join us.
EB: What qualities are you looking for in distributors that you hope to work with?
We believe in partnering with experienced distributors, for we feel that is a key factor for brand development. The three qualities we would like to give real attention to are – the distributor having a reliable history, loyalty to customers as well as products and, lastly, comprehensive support beyond equipment sales.
EB: Are you planning to set up your own office in India?
We do have such plans in the near future. Siglent has offices in Hamburg, Germany and in Ohio, USA. Our goal is to offer the best value product to every engineer as well as the best value in services. So, keeping that agenda in mind, setting up an office in India is part of our schedule.