The Projector Market’s Low Penetration offers BenQ a Great Opportunity

Rajeev Singh,
Country Head, BenQ

Rajeev Singh, Country Head, BenQ India talks to Ankush Kumar of digitalLearning about the Indian AV market and BenQ’s plans for India

Please tell us about your AV product categories for education. What is the USP of your products?
BenQ is the No one projector brand in India with 17percent market share, and we are a leader in the education projector business with more than 50 percent market share of the vertical according to FutureSource 2013 data. BenQ has the largest product offering for Indian market, with more than 20 products. There are specific projectors for education where we specialize. They can be entry level SVGA, XGA, Ultra ShortThrow, ShortThrow Interactive or Network projectors.
We have just launched new projectors MX522P, MS521P, MX505 and MS504 and MX823ST, MW820ST projectors which come with 3000+ ANSI Lumens for day light projection in the classrooms, 10000 lamp hours for extra- long lamp life and SmartEco technology which reduces the consumption of electricity by up to 70 percent. These projectors give schools and educational institutes unparalleled solution for their display requirements.
BenQ is also bringing interactive flat panels (IFP) in sizes from 55”, 65” & 70”. The professional displays and large screens are boon to any kind of educational setup. IFP provides display capabilities in all lighting conditions, and with up to 6 interactive touches, provides a tool to teachers to make the classroom truly interactive.

What is the price range of the solutions that you offer? Do you think they are affordable for the start-up institutes or the low profile schools?
BenQ has products at diverse price ranges to match the need of its consumers. We have more than 20 different types of educational projectors. These start from Rs 25,000 onwards and are suitable for all kind of schools, whether they are startup or low profile.

“BenQ’s revenue grew by more than 30 percent in 2013 as compared to 2012. Mainly this is driven by projector business with over 50 percent market share in education vertical”

What are some of the challenges that you see in the AV market?
The education segment in India is among the fastest growing segments in the world with close to 15 lac government schools and One lac private schools in India alone. Out of this, only 7-10 percent of the private schools have tapped the potential of multimedia classroom teaching, whereas in government schools, the figure is even low. In addition to this, there are colleges and higher educational institutes, which collectively provide us with a huge educational market for technology adoption. The government has also extended support by earmarking a budget of close of USD 6 billion for technology adaptation in education in India.
However, the actual user’s understanding of the right projector technology for their application is still low. In government set-up specially, lack of efficient teacher training and irregular electricity further adds hurdles in technology embracing. Systematic training and orientation is required to fight the initial apprehensions of technology adoption.

What was your company’s revenue growth (in AV Category) for FY 2012-13?
Number of units sold in 2013 as compared to 2012? BenQ’s revenue grew by more than 30 percent in 2013 as compared to 2012. Mainly this is driven by projector business with over 50 percent market share in education vertical. Most of the educationists work with BenQ, owing to its largest product portfolio, DLP technology providing a sturdy and long lasting colour reproduction.

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