E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, FEB 05 -

Arif Khan is the director of Simmtronics Semiconductors FZE, Dubai. Khan was recently in Kathmandu to study the Nepali market. The Kathmandu Post caught up with Khan to talk about the company’s future strategies. Excerpts:

Tell us something about Simmtronics?

Simmtronics is a manufacturing company based in India. We are basically known as the manufacturer of computer memory systems, motherboards and VGA cards, but now we are also producing PCs. Recently, we launched a tablet, which features a powerful processor, graphics and multi-touch screen. This device has also been launched here.

How has been Simmtronics’ performance here?

Simmtronics was launched in Nepal in December, 2010, and almost all our products have been introduced here. Explore Asia, our official distributor for Nepal, were earlier more concentrating on computer memory and motherboard, but now they have added our ‘desktop solar PC’—a first of its kind in Nepal. The device is targeted at rural markets where electricity is a problem. It is a normal computer, but also runs on solar power. A solar panel on it powers the battery, and when fully charged, gives up to 12 hours backup. Therefore, we are expecting the product to perform well here.

Are you satisfied with the Nepal market?

Well, I am not fully satisfied, but I am optimistic. There were certain issues regarding support and service. This time, I have discussed the problems with my distributor. And, we have devised a new plan. We are looking for an aggressive promotion drive this year. I have already asked our domestic dealer to pull up their shocks. They are positive, and I’m sure we will be successful in reaching to both corporate as well as end users.

What is your perception about Nepal’s IT market?

I was very impressed when I visited Nepal for the first time in 2010. Nepali people are really computer savvy. Every person is using a computer, laptop or tablet. So, it is an emerging market with a huge potential. I think we will go really aggressive here this year.

How important is the Nepali market for you?

It’s very important for our company. The average volume of sales of computing devices here stands at around 5,000 units every month. Competition is stiff, but even if we get a market share of about 30 percent, I will be happy. Currently, we hold a market share of more than 50 percent in computer memory. But we will now focus on tablets and motherboards. Therefore, we are looking for a significant growth here and this growth will be very crucial for the company’s overall growth.

What can Nepali market expect this year?

Tablets are going to rule the market. Their processors are becoming powerful, graphics equally supportive, and with Ncell’s network coverage, the access to internet has become very good in Nepal and it’s a very big advantage.  Therefore, we will be launching the Qualcomm 704 tablet with 7.1-inch screen by this month. And in March, we will launch another Qualcomm tablet featuring 10.1-inch screen.

Posted on: 2012-02-05 09:10

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