Ghurmeet Singh, vice president of Orient Fans was in Nepal to launch Orient Fans series recently. Premier Overseas (P) Ltd is the authorized distributor of Orient Fans in Nepal. Orient Fans is a division, under CK Birla group, and currently it exports its products over 30 countries. Fans, small home appliances and lighting are some of the areas that are served by the division. In an interview with New Business Age, Singh shared his idea on the Nepali market for his products. Excerpts:
What prospects do you see for your business in Nepal?
Nepal is a big market because like India, Nepal is also largely populated with the people who are not so rich. And therefore there is big prospect and market for fans, which is going to remain for long time. And we find that because of the electricity cost as well as the relevancy, fans will be the primary cooling devices for many people for long time. Secondly, brands from India have very good scope here because India and Nepal have worked hand in hand for a long time. And Orient as number two brand in India for many years now has a very big potential here. We were selling here some fans also in the past. Last year we joined hands with Premier Overseas, a part of Sharda Group, so that we can distribute our products more widely. And we are very sure that, with their vast experiences and networks, we get very good stage from here and we will serve the people of Nepal.
It is said that Nepali people love Indian brands. What has been your perception?
Yes, that is why I said that Nepal and India have joined hands for a long time. Nepali and Indian people are more or less similar, buying habits are also similar and more importantly they are interested in Indian brands. And we will like to serve Nepali people as well.
What are you plans for the Nepali market?
It feels good to introducing our products in Nepali market. Initially we are launching fans and small home appliances and later we also plan for our lighting series and try to be number one in the respective market segments.
So what is your market position in India?
In India, we are in number one for manufacturing and two for sales. And for exports, we are the undisputed leader with over 55 percent of shares. And we are already exporting to 30 countries and in US. Having our own manufacturing base, we are conscious about the parties and quality of our products.
How do you compare the trend of using your products in Nepal with other South Asian countries?
In most of the South Asian countries, people largely use portable fans. And in India and Nepal people mostly use ceiling fans. In India, 75 percent sales are in ceiling and 25 percent portable fans and it is almost same here in Nepal. And most of the South Asian countries use fans as primary cooling devices.
Why should the people choose your products?
We are highly quality conscious manufacturers. Our products are energy efficient and continuously receiving exports excellence award and we are rated as ‘Star Performer’ by the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India. We pioneered the most famous patented revolutionary concept PSPO in 90’s. We have capacity of nearly 10 million fans per year and in terms of quality we have accomplished various standards and tests. And we have fulfilled each and every requirement in all different countries (where our fans are exported) and we are the only Indian brand to export to US.
What are your plans for beating the competition and about the future strategies?
We are very lucky that there are very few top brands available here and the competition is very less. And we are very confident that if we are able to appeal the market with good products, good prices and good energy saving products then the competition is not there and then we don’t need much time to become number one. And the second part is if everybody around you is your better competitor then you have to produce better product to sustain yourself and it is all good for the consumer.
