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Assured with new products, Simoco is betting on the export market.
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border="2" hspace="4" vspace="4">When Simoco acquired the
mobile radio division of Philips Worldwide, it inherited almost 25 years of experience and
expertise in the radio communications industry. This was in 1996. Since then,
Calcutta-based Simoco Telecommunications (South Asia) Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary of
UK-based Simoco International, has come a long way and is geared up to meet the
competition posed by major international players like Motorola. Today, it is the only
company that manufactures and markets the entire range of analog and digital radio
communications equipment in the country. It is also the only ISO 9001 accredited
manufacturing company in India for Private/Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) products.
Simoco is also certified by the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) and
employs state-of-the-art SMA and assembly machine techniques to manufacture products
suited to the Indian market. The company provides services in all aspects of radio
communication from systems integration, consultancy and planning to comprehensive
installation and services. Simoco is in charge of technology transfer and implementation
of trunked radio systems, control and data systems.
crore
communication and radio trunking equipment
Sector V, Saltlec, Calcutta - 700091
leapfrogged by 135 percent to achieve a turnover of Rs 24.28 crore in 1998-99. This growth
is mainly due to the shift in focus towards exports and non-government organizations. The
company originally depended on government rate contracts and organizations like the
Railways, Defence, paramilitary forces, police were its major clients accounting for 50-60
percent of its total revenue. But, for the current fiscal, Simoco expects 50 percent of
its projected Rs 35 crore revenues to come from exports. The shifting of the Group Supply
Centre for products to India will further aid this effort. This Supply Centre will cater
to the requirements of customers in Europe and Asia.
Simoco is committed to continuously develop new products
and services by investing in R&D. One of its major strengths lies in combining the
local expertise of sales with a skilled central team covering all aspects of radio
communication. The company plans to broaden its manufacturing base to include a varied
range of products and provide customers with greater options. Simoco’s range of
technologies comprises conventional or trunked analog and digital PMR and Public Access
Mobile Radio (PAMR) over an extensive range of frequencies and international standards.
The company can also design systems to interface with PSTN or PBX using ISDN and other
line standards.
One major case handled by the company is the successful
implementation of the state-wide integrated network in Maharashtra under the Maharashtra
Earthquake Emergency Rehabilitation Programme (MEERP) in consultation with Meltron. The
project ensured access to the state capital, Mumbai, from the remote district and tehsil
levels. The products available would have been unable to meet the demands for such a large
network. Hence, the PRR8019CS talkthrough repeater was customized as per the requirements
of the client and along with the PR710 portable and PRM8020 mobile radios the network was
set up. The total customization process was completed in the R&D unit at Calcutta. The
Maharashtra government now has plans to upgrade the system for access to remote locations
in various districts.
Presently, Simoco is trying to create a market for
Tetra—the international standard for digital mobile radio. Tetra combines the
benefits of digital PMR, cellular phones, alphanumeric pagers, mobile data unit and
encryption. The company is in the final stages of launching its new product—the GSM
dual band modem.