By IANS
Bangalore : Wipro Chairman Azim H. Premji Monday called upon the Indian semiconductor industry to focus on localisation, supported adoption and right business models to drive products in the Indian market.
Delivering the keynote address at the Vision Summit 2008 of Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA) here, Premji said increased localisation of products would lead to greater consumption in the domestic market, meeting consumer needs at different price-points with varying features.
“Companies have to invest more in designing products for the Indian market to meet the targeted costs, while ensuring seamless integration of applications with right user interface,” he said.
“For instance, the Indian mobile market is poised to touch 450 million subscribers over the next five-ten years. Vendors and service providers have studied the market well and are offering handsets at varying price-points, with features that cater to individual requirements,” Premji told about 500 delegates participating in the two-day event.
The next key driver to succeed in the domestic market is to create supported adoption in the form of training centres and franchises across cities, as was done to introduce personal computers (PCs) to the common man.
“Supported adoption goes beyond end-consumers. Unlike users in mature markets, many Indian businesses need support in selecting right products and solutions for problems that crop up. Many small-office workspaces are not yet wired for IT. It takes time and money to install UPSs, wiring for UPS power and network cabling,” Premji pointed out.
On the need for right business model to succeed in hard-selling products in a competitive market, he said it was important for firms to strike a balance between product design and manufacturing.
“With product cycles shrinking and consumer needs shifting, design services partner and product manufacturer have to coordinate their joint efforts to ensure their product is time-to-market and sustainable,” Premji averred.
More than innovation, incremental changes made to improve products, processes and business practices have enabled product firms to expand their presence in new markets and increase their share of the pie in the existing markets, he said.