"Being An Important Market, We Are Going To Invest Heavily In India"

BICC Brand-Rex has come a long way in the structured cabling

market in India. Despite being a late entrant, it has succeeded

in making a dent in the Indian market especially in the western

region. The company is aiming high on the Indian market.

Alberto Alsino, exports director of BICC Brand-Rex, was

recently in Mumbai and spoke to Anil Joseph about the

company’s plans and strategy in India. Excerpts ...

How do you assess the

structured cabling market in India?



The cabling market has been slightly affected by the economic
slow down. However, it seems protected. It has been growing at

the rate of 30-35 percent. We can see the increasing number of

government contracts and enhanced opportunities in the private

sector. We have won some big contracts. India is an important

market for us. We are going to invest heavily in India. We have

decided to start offices in New Delhi and Bangalore. Our aim is

to grab 15 percent of the marketshare by this calendar year.

How you are going to achieve

this target?



We are on the lookout for distributors. We are also looking at
some major Value Added Resellers (VARs). We already have some

major VARs in the country and got a number of projects all across

the country. We are working with many partners right now. The

most important thing is to set up a distribution channel and to

have a clear VAR policy. Then a number of direct corporate

accounts.

Another important thing is that we are

committed to invest in good quality, technically skilled people.

Competitive pricing is also on our agenda. Besides these, we are

opening up BICC Brand-Rex warehouse to make the stocks available

locally. Pricing and technology have decisive roles in the Indian

market. We are going to market high-quality products with

competitive prices.

Expanding the reach seems to

be your major strategy ...



Currently, our sales operations are more focused on the West and
South. We have plans to expand it to the entire SAARC region.

If we analyze the Indian

market on a regional basis the trends are different. How you are

going to surmount this problem?



Each region is specific in nature. BICC Brand-Rex is an end-end
complete system with the broadest range of structured cabling

products, which is far ahead of the standards. And, it is

technologically very advanced and is also the best

price/performance range of products in the industry. To cope with

deliveries, we would cater this with our in-country warehouse.

Hence, we have all that it takes to cope with the needs of all

the four regions in India.

The success of your company

so far in the Indian market is confined to the western region. Do

you expect similar performance in other regions? size="2">



We are expanding our team now and we are expecting huge orders
from across the country in 1998. Gul Gidvani, our western

regional sales manager, is putting his best efforts by travelling

all across the country.

You are going to start

offices in New Delhi and Bangalore. In the case of eastern

region, you are silent ...



The East, though has been predicted to be a major growth area
since the last few years, has not picked up as much as market

expectations have been. We will wait for another 6-12 months. We

have decided to open an office in the East although all our major

VARs and distributors already have offices there. Gul Gidvani

visits Calcutta at least once a month and is watching the market

very closely.

How strong is the power of

your brand?



BICC is the largest datacom cable supplier in the world and is
the second largest structured cabling supplier, overall. In

India, we are not even a year-and-a-half old and by 1998 end you

shall see the difference. We are currently having a massive

marketing and advertising campaign.

What are the plus points of

your products when compared to the competitors? size="2">



We have the largest range of structured cabling systems in the
whole industry. No competitor has even a range close enough to

what we have. Specially our fibre optic range which includes

products such as connectoral fibre optic system,

pre-connectorized fibre system, blown fibre systems, and

combination of fibre optic and copper cable systems.

From your one-and-a-half

year operations in India, what are the major hurdles you have

faced in the market?



From our experience here, I feel that the major hurdles in the
Indian market are the duty structures and taxes.

Which are the segments you

are going to focus mainly?



Our major targets are banking, insurance, and manufacturing
sectors.

What are the disadvantages

of your company for being a late entrant in the Indian market? size="2">



None really. In this way, we are eating into somebody’s
marketshare rather than vice-versa. Also the market is just

beginning to turn into a large market in the field of structured

cabling.