Chroma ATE is a Taiwan-headquartered supplier of precision test and measurement instrumentation, automated test systems, intelligent manufacturing systems and turnkey solutions. The company’s operations cover ICT, semiconductors/ICs, clean technologies in electric vehicles, green batteries, solar power and LEDs. Phil Liu, sales manager, Chroma ATE Inc., talks to Baishakhi Dutta, senior business journalist, Electronics Bazaar and shares how India contributes to the company’s growing business.
EB: How do you view the Indian market?
The Indian market has a great potential due to the growth in the local manufacturing industry. There is increasing demand for Chroma’s products because of this trend.
EB: What potential do you see for your products in India?
Green energy, batteries, telecommunications and home appliances are some of the domains where Chroma sees good potential for its products in India.
EB: Have you been doing business with Indian companies?
Yes, we have been doing business in India through our distributor, Quantel Technologies, for many years. After many years of collaboration across Southeast Asia, we acquired Quantel in 2016.
EB: How has business in India been for you over the recent years?
We have seen growth in the last couple of years, but it is not as fast as we expected. Typically, business in India has been slow, but we can definitely see that the scenario is changing.
EB: What markets do you plan to target?
We plan to target the power electronics, electric vehicles, batteries, passive components, electrical safety equipment and renewable energy markets in India.
EB: Which are the top three countries that you export to?
The United States and China are the countries we export to most. If demand in India grows, it has the potential to become one of the top three countries Chroma exports to.
EB: What are the roadblocks you encounter in the Indian market?
When it comes to India, any government related work is a very time consuming process. This directly or indirectly affects the private enterprises also. Apart from this, Indian customers are very price conscious. They give less importance to the quality of the products and tend to focus more on the pricing.
EB: How do you promote your products in India?
In India, we go through local sales channels, though we would also like to establish our own distribution channel in the country. Chroma is planning to expand its service network across India, a process that will include looking for more distributors in different cities.
EB: How many local partners do you have in India now?
We have branch offices in India under the name Quantel Technologies India Private Limited. Besides that, our major distributors like MEL Systems and Services Ltd possess the same capabilities and carry out the same functions in India as Chroma does.
EB: What qualities do you look for in distributors that you hope to work with?
We are looking for distributors who are responsible and have a good relationship with their customers.
EB: Are you planning to set up your own office in India?
We don’t see the need for this, since we already have branch offices located in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, under the banner of Quantel Technologies.
