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Kolkata-based RP Infosystems is once again back with its PC brand, Chirag,
and this time the frame is much bigger. Interestingly, it has opted for a pan
India operation in its comeback trail instead of limiting its reconstruction to
the east. It has also changed its anti-channel policy, wherein it has decided to
offer the channel a more important task.
The history of Chirag goes back to an era when the country saw many PC brands
sprouting from eastern Indias capital, Kolkata. Almost all other brands having
gone into oblivion, Chirag has stood firmly, and after overcoming its share of
rough patches, is all set to play a lengthier and finer innings.
Although maintaining a low profile, Chirag has batted all through since its
launch in 2005, and unlike its contemporaries, the brand has been able to
sustain the rough patches and stand out for a longer show. We have maintained a
slow but steady performance throughout. And unlike other competitors we have
always kept our budget and related precincts in mind, and have accordingly built
our strategies, says Kaustav Ray, CMD, RP Infosystems. Instead of jumping on
everything at one go, we covered our journey step-by-step so that we dont lose
track. From the beginning I started this venture with one goal in mindto
survive in the long run and capture the market slowly without making much noise
or creating unnecessary attention, he maintained. Probably this thought, backed
by meticulous planning and execution has kept Chirag going in spite of odds.
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| At the front-desk of Chirags
new office in Kolkatta |
Journey This Far
With an intention to keep production costs low and offer users a PC range to
suit all pockets, Chirag had started with its own retail outlets to sell and
service its computers. In a deliberate attempt to avoid channel sales Ray took
to self-confession. Being a newcomer there were not many takers from the channel
for Chirag and push sale had never been Rays modus operandi. But once the
brand established itself and people understood that we were not mere
fly-by-night operators but were here to stay and deliver, the pull automatically
developed. And we started operating through the channel, he says. Nonetheless,
before its entry into the channel the company completed the necessary homework
by studying the markets and building its network. And once it was ready, Chirag
was launched on a national platform last July.
RP began its national journey by launching Chirag in northern India first,
followed by the western market, the focus albeit has been higher in northern
India. As per Ray, the brand has successfully earned a good reputation by now in
the north, Today, apart from the east, Chirag is a well-known PC brand in north
and west India. Based on last years performance, we are now confidant to take
it further and expand our reach all across.
The company presently has branches in Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, Jaipur,
Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bangalore. This year Chirag is set to launch in south
India and RP is also planning to open branches in Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa, Nagpur,
Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin, and Thiruvananthapuram. It has three manufacturing
units at Howrah, Parwanu in Himachal Pradesh, and Barapani in Meghalaya, and
intends to open two more in Puducherry and Sylvesa; and has also proposed to
come up with a 30 acre hardware SEZ in Baruipur, West Bengal. The Rs 1,000 crore
project is expected to start within the next two years and will be manufacturing
motherboard, RAM, keyboard, cabinets, LCD monitors, etc. Further, across eastern
India, Chirag has around fifty retail showrooms-cum-service centers, apart from
showrooms in Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Satna, Barabanki, and one soon to be opened
in Shimla.
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| The team of professionals
handling Chirags operations |
Eye on the Dream
A follower of Dhirubhai Ambani, the creator of the most powerful business
house in Indian history, Ray believes in keeping his aim simple. We started our
journey from scratch, with minimum resources and financial strength. But we aim
to be counted among the top PC brands in India in the near future, he says.
And we have always been aware of our limitations and have stepped cautiously
toward our objective. People might think us crazy to have such an ambition. But
we are working toward our goal with sincerity; the rest is to be seen. The
business is new to us as well, but we believe that if we can stick to the basics
we will attain our goal, he added. A believer in systematic growth, Ray has
never kept his companys target sky high. Instead he prefers to pose
month-to-month targets and this strategy has done him good. The most important
lesson I have learnt from Dhirubhai Ambani is that to be successful, one needs
to be a visionary as well as craft his way toward making his vision a reality,
and so far this has immensely helped me in my mission, smiled Ray.
As per the company, last year Chirag sold approximately 1.5 lakh PC units all
over India and closed the last fiscal at Rs 250 crore. This fiscal the company
is targeting to convert the sales figure to around 3 lakh units and hoping to
touch a turnover of Rs 500 crore. We believe it is our process-driven working
mode and team effort that has resulted in a fruitful journey. And now that our
infrastructure is in place, its time to reap the harvest, he observed.
However, we still believe in a slow yet steady growth and our strategies are
fabricated on this platform. Since we aim for a long innings, we are not in a
hurry, he concluded.
Piyali Guha
piyalig@cybermedia.co.in
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