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83 | 213 | 0 | Pradeep Kumar Vice President -International Operations (Auto & Farm sectors) Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd | ‘Developing countries offer a great deal of opportunity for our business’ Pradeep Kumar, Vice President of Mahindra and Mahindra for international operations of Auto & Farm sectors in Asia and Australia, was recently in Nepal when he talked to Sujan Dhungana of New Business Age about his company’s business in Nepal. Excerpts: What brings you to Nepal? I have visited Nepal several times in the past because it is a strategic market for Mahindra. We are market leaders in the utility vehicle segment and tractors, with two brands, Mahindra and Swaraj. Both brands, together, account for more than 38 percent of market share in the tractor business. We are here to launch our product, the Mahindra XUV 500, a world class SUV which is now blazing a trail across India, Australia, South Africa and Italy . This is one of the most successful vehicles we have launched in India and its demand is increasing. Moreover, this year, I am proud to announce that we have completed 22 years of successful association with our Nepal distributor, Agni, and we would like to use this occasion – the launch of our new 3S facility – as a chance to interact with our local customers and to provide them with the best service possible. What makes Mahindra stand out in the market? Our products have been developed as per market demand. We have always kept the customer in focus while designing our products, which are reliable. Moreover, the fact that we have won various quality related awards is a testimony of our attention focused on this area. When did your company start exporting? We have been exporting our vehicles since the 1960’s but the real growth in export volumes has been experienced within the last ten years. How is the performence of the products you are currently supplying in Nepal? In Nepal, we supply Mahindra vehicles with annual sales crossing 2000 numbers. We also sell tractors with both the Mahindra and Swaraj badge, with annual sales of about 2000 numbers. We are currently focusing on expanding our product range in all the segments we are present in. What prospects do you see for your business in Nepal? There is a big demand of our products and our sales are also rising here. The Nepal market is a vital one for us. Why should a consumer choose your products? Aside from the fact that the Mahindra brand is associated with trust, durability and reliability, we have always prided ourselves on high service levels. We keep the customer and his or her needs in mind when designing our products and we focus on getting better technology, services and operating costs. How do you see the South Asian market? The competition is very fierce in this market. South Asian and other developing countries offer a great deal of opportunity for our business. We have been present in this region for a while now and have grown and evolved along with the rapidly changing market. What is the level of competition you face in Nepal? Are you satisfied with it? It’s a very competitive market. The size of the market has decreased but we are confident about the prospects for growth. Mahindra is focusing on customer centricity and ensuring a robust after sales network along with our dealer, Agni. Pradeep Kumar acquired his Bachelor in Technology from GB Pant University, Pantnagar. He also earned a Master in Business Administration from Bhartya Vidya Bhawan. He has 30 years of extensive experience in the field of Farm Machinery, Material Handling and Construction Equipment. He has worked with Eicher Tractors Ltd. India from 1978 until 1984, being in charge of sales and service operations. Subsequently, he has worked with Escorts Construction Equipment Ltd. from 1984 until 2001 and Escorts Ltd. from 2001 until 2005 as a General Manager for both companies. During this period, he has been responsible for various functions including business development, sales and marketing of material handling, construction equipment (like mobile cranes, loaders, vibratory road rollers etc.) and exports of tractors. He joined Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. in August 2005. |
1 | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 | new business age visiting business people news & articles, visiting business people news & articles from new business age nepal, visiting business people headlines from nepal, current and latest visiting business people news from nepal, economic news from nepal, nepali visiting business people econ | new business age visiting business people news & articles, visiting business people news & articles from new business age nepal, visiting business people headlines from nepal, current and latest visiting business people news from nepal, economic news from nepal, nepali visiting business people economic news and events, ongoing visiting business people news of nepal | 69 | 1 | View Edit Delete | |||
84 | 213 | 0 | Cliff Reeves, General Manager of Microsoft Corp. for Strategic & Emerging Business Team | ‘We don’t do anything non-profit’ Cliff Reeves, General Manager of Microsoft Corp. for Strategic & Emerging Business Team, was in Nepal recently to visit the Microsoft Innovation Centre. He looks after the social side of the business and works with young students and business leaders from all over the world. In an interview with Modnath Dhakal,from New Business Age, Reeves shared his ideas and views on Microsoft products, software piracy and IT entrepreneurship. Excerpts: What is the purpose of your visit to Nepal? This is not a special visit, I have come to see Allen (Allen Bailochan Tuladhar) and Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC) in Kathmandu. We have more than one hundred MICs around the world and the Kathmandu centre, headed by Allen, is one of the strongest. We have opened 19 MICs in India and I am talking to the people working there. We have just organized MIC summit in Bangalore. We are also planning for a new MIC in Nepal too. How is Microsoft performing here, in Nepal? It’s doing very well. My focus is entirely on the start-ups, students and entrepreneurs. Therefore, I don’t know exactly about the sales and other areas. We are reaching a significant number of students and have collected significant number of facts in their employability. With programmes like Microsoft Student Partners, Microsoft Virtual Academy and the IT Academy, which actually helps with the certification of their qualifications, we are reaching to them. We are very pleased with the programme and its progress. Many people in South Asia and developing countries use pirated Windows operating system or other software because of its cheap price. What is your take on this? Piracy is the practical issue. Pirated software is not worth paying for because it does not come with the extra support that we provide. On the other hand, the cost of software has gone down dramatically. We do want to deal with the piracy, it’s illegal. We do want to get revenue from our products. But we don’t think piracy is our primary problem. Ultimately, people will go for the quality software. What strategies has Microsoft been putting in action to solve the piracy problem? That is not my area of focus. I focus on making sure that the people who need the software, get it. These are the people who are in school or in universities or who are looking for an assistance to set up their businesses. I make sure that they have access to it. We give our software to developers without any cost for three years. Many of the small companies fail. Therefore, we don’t want to be the reason behind their failure because of the high cost of the software. When they succeed, they pay a good premium to our software. It’s a good investment. Has your business improved here after the development of Unicode Nepali software? I don’t know much about it, but Microsoft believes that language projects help to boost the sales of software. Inclusion is a good business. Where is Microsoft in the competition of mobile OS among Android, Apple, Simbion and Blackberry? We are number two in India. But worldwide Android is the volume leader, Apple has the profitability and Microsoft had a late entrance to the market. But we have a long history of endurance, which is supported by the best technology in the world. There are very few companies in the world that have had more than one major product success. Microsoft had two or probably three successful products: Windows, Office and the game console X-box. You are running various non-profit activities in Nepal like distribution of software to students, language development etc., is it your CSR or business enhancement strategy? It’s not non-profit. I don’t think we do anything non-profit. It should be for profit . Our relationship with the start-ups is based on both direct and indirect value to Microsoft. The indirect value to Microsoft is that, as economies grow, we grow. If you have a good boat and the water level is going up, you both are going up. So we are very interested in building good relationships with universities, which is where the talents come from. We want good talents. That engagement with the students and start-ups is vital for us. In this course we make sure that the students have access to our technology with very advantageous prices or for free. In the long run, they are going to be our customers. There is a balance of altruism and profit-motive. And I think that is the right thing for the business. How do you track the young talents? We often work with the universities. We run Microsoft Student Partners (MSP) programs in various universities. The students who are interested in technology can apply for MSP. We accept the eligible students and train them for free. They often end up being evangelists. They often teach their class and earn some respect from their fellow students. We hire some of them. We also take some help from these young energetic people to improve our technologies. Programs like IT Academy, Microsoft Virtual Academy, MIC etc., inspire students to develop something new. MVA provides the training materials online. We help young students to become entrepreneurs and IT professionals. What is your success-mantra to those young aspiring entrepreneurs who face constraints financing their business? I would say money is not the primary problem. It was so a decade ago but the situation has changed a lot. There are new elements that make a successful start-up. First, and the obvious, is the Internet. It reached to almost anybody with almost zero friction and zero cost. It means that market, technology and customers are accessible. Promotion is less expensive. Because of social networking, you will get the customers without employing the sales force. And then the technology itself has got incredibly powerful. Now, it takes lot less codes and fewer tools. The tools you need are freely available. It has helped to narrow down the gap between the idea and the successful market. To get a big business idea is hard but your ability as an entrepreneur to develop a program, to get your first consumer, to improve it, to refine it and to market it will not be spoiled by the cost. The cost is just plummeted. So my advice is not to focus on finances but to get the viable product in the hands of your customer. If you can do that, then you can go to the investor. Investors are always ready to finance good ideas and products.
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1 | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | new business age visiting business people news & articles, visiting business people news & articles from new business age nepal, visiting business people headlines from nepal, current and latest visiting business people news from nepal, economic news from nepal, nepali visiting business people econ | new business age visiting business people news & articles, visiting business people news & articles from new business age nepal, visiting business people headlines from nepal, current and latest visiting business people news from nepal, economic news from nepal, nepali visiting business people economic news and events, ongoing visiting business people news of nepal | 70 | 1 | View Edit Delete | |||
85 | 213 | 0 | Seung Woo Lee GM, Sales & Marketing Hyundai Construction Equipment India Pvt Ltd | ‘We ensure the optimum operational conditions of our products’ Seung Woo Lee is the General Manager, Sales and Marketing of Hyundai Construction Equipment India Pvt Ltd, one of the fastest growing manufacturers of excavators in India and in the world. In the last year, Hyundai sold 2034 units of excavator and captured a market share of 14 per cent in the Indian excavator market and consolidated its position at number three. It is also eying Nepali market. Recently, Seung was in Nepal and Siromani Dhungana of New Business Age talked to him regarding business prospects of Hyundai in Nepal. Excerpts: What was the purpose of your visit to Nepal? We are here for launching our products, 22Ton class excavator series. We are launching two excavators, which are Robex220LC-7 and Robex220LC-9s, both manufactured in India. We take this occasion as a chance to interact with our local customers and to provide better service to them. What are the products you are currently supplying to Nepal? We are currently supplying 14- 20ton crawling excavators. That is the category of machines, with its the operating weight. What prospects do you see for your business in Nepal? There is a big demand for our products in big projects, like hydropower and road constructions. Though such projects are very low in number in Nepal now, the number and speed of the projects will be higher after some time. May be it won’t take a long time to see the boom in the market. Why should consumers choose your products? We focus in better technology, services and operating costs. We have focused in these things both in our previous products and in the new ones. There are various sides and factors in which we have evolved and enhanced ourselves better. We also have improved in after sale services and spare parts. We ensure the optimum operation conditions throughout its lifetime, with higher liability and lesser fuel consumption. How do you see the South Asian market? Developing countries have always been a priority for our business, and South Asian countries have a lot of opportunity, being their markets vital for us. The economic effect of the problem in European countries, which started in 2008, had affected South Asian countries including India, which accounts for a big portion in construction market. What is the level of competition you face in Nepal? Are you satisfied with it? It’s fierce. Every single machine should count on. In terms of overall market size, it has significantly decreased at this moment and I really cannot say the exact number. The positive side is that we are maintaining ourselves. The relationship with our customers, our support to them in after sale services and spare parts with our dealer CSPL here is good. How do your products help your customers to enhance their business and revenue? We focus on efficiency of our products. In the long run, the operating cost, the fuel efficiency and after sales services matter most to the customers. So we try to lower the maintenance cost by accommodating long life hydraulic and filters. |
1 | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 | 0000-00-00 00:00:00 | new business age visiting business people news & articles, visiting business people news & articles from new business age nepal, visiting business people headlines from nepal, current and latest visiting business people news from nepal, economic news from nepal, nepali visiting business people econ | new business age visiting business people news & articles, visiting business people news & articles from new business age nepal, visiting business people headlines from nepal, current and latest visiting business people news from nepal, economic news from nepal, nepali visiting business people economic news and events, ongoing visiting business people news of nepal | 71 | 1 | View Edit Delete | |||
86 | 213 | 0 | Finbarr Moynihan, G M, Business Development MediaTek, Inc | ‘Android smartphones democratise the market’ Dr Finbarr Moynihan is General Manager, Corporate Business Development for MediaTek. In this role, he manages MediaTek’s global customer, partner and operator relationships. Prior to this, he was Director of Product Marketing for MediaTek’s Smartphone Business Unit – based in Hsinchu, Taiwan. During his recent visit to Nepal, Bijaya Giri of New Business Age talked to him regarding market prospects of MediaTek in Nepal. Excerpts: What is the purpose of your visit to Nepal? Our partner here, Teletalk, is announcing a range of products. We are here for the launching tablets and phablet devices based on our chipsets. Like other markets, we highly value Nepali market and local brands. Can you briefly tell us about your products? We mainly focus on big digital consumer markets – feature phones, smart phones, tablets, DTV, DVD, Set-top boxes and digital home platforms. We also centre our attention on things like WiFi routers and access points. We ship roughly 500-550 million chipset of mobile every year. We are in the mobile market since 2004, however we are still relatively new in the smart phone market – we started shipping 3G smart phone chipsets during the second half of 2011. What are the products you are currently supplying in Nepal? We mostly supply for our local partners here, like Teletalk. Colors mobile, as a local brand, uses our chipset. We mainly supply chipsets and solutions for feature phones - 2G Bar phones, low-cost android phones to higher-performance 4-5 inch phablet phones, which uses quad-core chipsets for higher performances. We also supply chipsets for 3G Data Cards. What prospects do you see for your business in Nepal? Like other markets, we have highly valued the Nepali market and local brands. We don’t make phones, but try to enable our customers and local brand partners, like Colors Mobile, to do so as easily as possible. The adoption of smart phones by the Nepali market is increasing and that is important for us. The emergence of Android smart phones democratise the market, which is heavily occupied by major technological giants. We believe that the consumer adoption of these smart phones, with access to data services, social networks and other varied applications, will continue to have beneficial effects for the societies that adopt them. Why should consumers choose your products? Because of the way we approach the market and we plan. We supply the chip but what we deliver to the customer is much more than that. We don’t make the final products but we deliver complete software solutions along with the chipsets. The products our partner delivers, at cost effective prices, are not lower in comparison with high end devices. For good user experience, the power consumption, battery life and multimedia experience fulfil the consumers’ expectations. How do you see the South Asian market? It’s been very important for us. For many years it’s been our major market for the 2G feature phone. The market effect we saw last year in China is now happening in the South Asian market. This means more tablets and more convergence from 2G to 3G. This trend is not going to stop and that’s why we are excited and focused on that. What is the level of competition you face in Nepal? The competition in mobile space is always tough. Different brands, different chipset suppliers and so many other factors drive the market. This year, the sales volume of smart phones, as we expected, has been increasing so far in Nepal. The global competition in the smartphone segment is huge and tough for each major or minor player. You have to deliver better, faster and more affordable products to the consumer in order to be able to sustain yourself in the market. That’s part of life in this business. What are your future strategies? We are focusing on 3G and 4G high performing technologies, including smart phones and devices for emerging markets like Nepal. We are also centred on more affordable Data Cards.
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