The T&M space in India is witnessing considerable growth with many test and measurement instrument producers showing an interest in setting up offices and engineering units in the country to cater to the growing demand. In this interview, Eliza Chang, marketing director of ITECH Electronic Co. Ltd, shares the company’s strategies for the Indian market with Baishakhi Dutta of the EFY Group.
EB: How do you view the current state of the Indian market?
The Indian market is big and has vast potential. It is growing fast. In the past few years, we have seen incredible growth and many possibilities in India.
In India, we can feel the open-mindedness and endless passion for new technologies and innovation. So I think the domestic market will keep growing for the next few decades, and we will continue to explore this market.
EB: Walk us through your product portfolio. What potential do you see for your products in India?
Our company, ITECH, is into manufacturing power test instruments and systems. We can provide many solutions that meet the different test requirements of customers. Our products include AC/DC power supplies, AC/DC electronic loads, power meters, battery testers, test systems and so on. They can be used in many areas, such as automotive electronics, the solar industry, electric vehicles, the military and national defence, IoT, semiconductors, research, education, etc.
Our company invests more than 20 per cent of its sales revenue on R&D every year. We have grown fast, along with the continuous development of new technologies and products. We have developed over 1000 models which can be used in various applications, such as automotive electronics, batteries, power supplies, solar panels and PV inverters, smart devices, and so on. There are six product series that are launched each year.
In India, we have received more and more orders from various industries, and I think we can expect more such demand in the future.
EB: Have you been doing business with Indian companies?
Yes, we have. Our company, ITECH Electronic, is from Taiwan. We have an R&D centre and manufacturing plant in both Taiwan and Mainland China. Our products are very popular in Europe, America, Asia and many other parts of the world.
Our authorised distributors and sub-distributors in India have delivered ITECH’s reliable products and solutions to every corner of the country. Our customers are in multiple market sectors, including government, military and national defence, research and education, new energy industries, IoT, etc.
EB: How has business in India been for you over the recent years?
Well, I’d like to say that I’m very excited to see such a big market. I found that people in India are eager to learn and get their hands on the new concepts and innovative technologies.
We are happy to hear that customers in India are very satisfied with our products and service. The sales have been increasing consistently. We will enhance investments in the Indian market, and try to bring more and more top class products and cutting-edge technologies to our customers.
EB: Which are the top three countries that you export to?
ITECH products primarily target the high to middle-class markets. This means our customers focus on the high quality and excellent performance of products. So, until now, our main markets have been in developed countries, like in America and Europe. Apart from this, our products are also being exported to some fast developing countries in Asia, like India.
Currently, our products are being used by many big enterprises in America and Europe, covering different industries. We have service centres in Taiwan and China, so we also have a big market share in these areas. In Japan, too, our market share is increasing each year, though the customers’ requirements there are very stringent.
Speaking of the Indian market, we have seen remarkable developments here and we believe that as a result of the continuous effort over the past few years, India is set to grow into a world class market. ITECH will surely expand its market presence in India.
EB: Did you encounter any roadblocks in the Indian market?
I don’t think we encountered any roadblocks when we entered the Indian market. On the contrary, we appreciate the open-mindedness and warm acceptance of our products by Indian customers.
EB: What platforms do you use to promote the sale of your products in India?
We have many different channels to promote our products. For high-performance products, we have professional distributors who have specialised in certain industries over many years to handle the promotion.
For basic products, our general partners and sub-distributors run the market. Thanks to the multiple ways of marketing, I am confident that along with the boom in the Indian economy, ITECH will surely get a strong foothold in this amazing country, in the near future.
EB: At present, do you have any local partners in India?
India is a very big country. In order to deliver ITECH products to every area, we have found several partners. These partners are very familiar with the local market; they can cover every corner of the country and provide all-around solutions and service to any customer. Also, our partners have many sub-distributors who can help us to expand to a different level of the market.
EB: Are you planning to increase your presence in India?
Yes, of course. We see incredible growth in this country, year by year. And there are still plenty of things to do. This year, we have launched many new products and brought them to the Indian market. We have found that customers are very interested in our products.
Take for example our latest launch, the IT-6000C series, which is a bi-directional DC power supply. Its maximum voltage is up to 2250V, and power can reach up to 1.152MW. Products in this series include not only bi-directional DC power supplies, but also a regenerative e-load. If equipped with SAS 1000 software, they can simulate solar array I-V curves and test the MPPT performance of PV inverters. The response to this series from our Indian customers has been very positive since they are enjoying its convenience and stable performance very much. Therefore, we are planning to expand our product range further.
EB: What qualities do you look for in distributors that you hope to work with?
We expect our distributors to be professional, familiar with the local Indian market and have vast experience in the T&M industry. We hope our distributors are not only capable of promoting sales, but also of helping with technical support when required. Their spirit and prospects should be in sync with ITECH’s plans. This will be very helpful when it comes to implementing our market strategy of the manufacturer working closely with its local partners. We always look for a win-win situation, where both partners gain.
EB: Are you planning to set up your own office in India?
Yes, we have taken it up in our global marketing plan. I think India has many advantages, such as government policies, local support, talented people for high technology industries and big potential markets. All of these factors have attracted us, and we hope to find more business possibilities.
