Started in 1865 as a manufacturer of porcelain dishes, the France-based company Legrand is among the world’s largest electric switch and socket makers. Legrand which entered the electrical business in 1949 gradually expanded its foothold outside Europe in markets including North America, South America, Australia, Russia, China, Malaysia and India. Moving forward with its goals to become the benchmark for smart electrical devices by offering innovative, connected and highly energy efficient solutions, the company has been implementing effective strategies to strengthen its market in South Asian countries including Nepal. New Business Age talked with Anirban Sarkar, Business Development Manager of East India who was in Nepal recently for the company’s market expansion and development goals. Excerpts:

How has demand been changing for electrical and digital infrastructure building systems?
If we compare the current market scenario especially with South East Asian markets, building management systems has been playing a vital role.   When we started in India, there were normal electrical circuits in the market.  Afterwards, we shifted our focus to safety of the products which is now centered on energy saving. People are diverging into low voltage factors while buying electrical products now. The market over the years has moved from incandescent lamps to CFLs and now we are familiar with the LED bulbs. In the future, thermal power will be shifted to nuclear power. So, we have many such products which we have designed with future prospects in mind. It will definitely give a better outcome as everyone has been thinking about ways to conserve energy. People have been thinking to minimize the usage of electricity. We are working towards this goal on the basis of that product line.  

What are the USPs of Legrand products?
We have multiple USPs for each product families.  We never compromise in the technological aspects, safety and quality of products. In the manufacturing process, we are always careful about small things such as improved air channels for better heat dissipation, shrouded terminals, contact tip, labeling area, stripping templates, mountings accessories, mountings procedure and index of protection (IP and IK).  

What are the key features of the third generation products Legrand has been adding to its portfolio?
Whatever items we have introduced in the recent times are the third generation products. These products are basically interactive, intuitive, connected and energy saving. Legrand develops products and systems to equip buildings with smart digital infrastructure that can manage data flows. We have incorporated newer technologies such as DX3 (cube) and RX3 (cube) even in the MCBs which are our primary products. For bigger circuit breakers, we have introduced DMX cube and for MCCBs we have DPX cube. For extra-low voltage (ELV) products, we have now introduced LCS3 (cube) which is also third generation technology. The entire module has been prepared in such a systematic way that each and every module can communicate and consume minimum energy. The third generation products will create a huge difference in the market because in the coming years the whole system will transfer to building management systems. All these products come under the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards (in India). 

What’s the Indian market been like for Legrand?
In India, we are pioneers, manufacturing MCBs since 1960. Presently, we are in number one position for protection (MCB-DB).  In other devices, we are at par with market trend. Globally, if we consider we are carrying the highest market share in Wiring Accessories and Cable Management System. We are in the top position in circuit breakers for MCB, Modular Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB) and distribution boards.  We are enlisted under category ‘A’ in Public as well as Private sectors throughout the segments. 

What are the plans of Legrand for Nepal?
The basic purpose is to plan for market expansion and development. Our team is looking at entire business development parts which include promotion, sales, positioning, survey, feedback and review. After preparing the entire details of those areas, we will prepare the module and push the sales through a distribution channel. Until and unless, we get the details of the market we are unable to positioning the product. So, for now we are fully focusing on the strategy part. By the end of this year, we have a target to cover the entire Nepal. We have separate sales representatives, so, this is helping us push our products to many of the clients especially for consultants, architects, contractors. The feedback which we have received from the market is excellent.