TVS Electronics, a part of the 90-year-old TVS Group, the only Group from Asia, outside Japan, to win the Deming Award for Quality. This particular accolade is a signature of authority, success and sustainable business saga. Perhaps a very few companies in India can come close to the stature of TVS-E. Started in the year 1986, TVS Electronics as an IT peripherals manufacturer today it has transformed itself into a provider of Transaction Automation Products and Solutions and Contract Customer Support. Over the past two decades, the company’s singular focus has been in providing innovative, made-in-India solutions to Indian customers - be it SMEs, Enterprise, Banks, Retail or Government customers. The company was ranked among the Top-3 Indian IT Brands in 2005, and this was possible only due to the overwhelming support we have received from the 3 Million+customers who use our products.
The chore ideology of the company is ‘to take IT to the heart of India’. S. Narendran, GM Marketing, TVS-Electronics says, “You know India, being a diverse country and even more diverse environmental and user conditions, it is important to fine tune products that suit such a breadth of customers. To serve all these customers with equal passion and support is what we aim at TVS-E. Our customers range from the small businesses, retailers to Large Banks, Insurance and Government departments. Probably this is the reason which has helped us to sustain in the market.”
TVS-E’s growth strategy is to focus on Products & Solutions exclusively in the field of transaction automation’– this is a large growth area within India. Narendran adds, “We will also look at expanding our presence by looking at opportunities outside the country.”
In the Transaction Automation Products and Solutions Business, TVS-E offers products in the transaction printing, business printing, Printing Supplies & keyboards area. V Mahadevan, Senior Product Manager, TVS Electronics, says,”“We also provide Transaction Solutions to some large multinational companies – today we are fast growing in the sales force automation domain.” Mahadevan adds, “The entire range of Dot Matrix printers and also the TVS Gold range of Keyboards are our flagship products. We continue to be No.1 in India in both the above product areas.”As per Narendran, TVS-E has been in the forefront of many innovative offerings and the company is the first to bring language printing into India. He adds, “We came out with printers with wide operating voltage to withstand the different, and sometimes even tough, operating voltage conditions of our users; we were the first to bring in the Patented Inkbank technology which simplifies the process of re-inking a dot matrix printer.”
TVS-E’s major strength is our highly reliable and rugged products; strong network of loyal channel partners – over 3000 Authorised Dealer Partners covering over 400 towns across the country. Also, the company has increased its strength in the retail sector, on the basis of its ability to understand the Indian market and customize the product based on the market requirement.
The company’s brand identity revolves around every aspect of customer – products that exceed their expectations; channel engagement–– loyal Sales and Service partners who continue to fulfill its customers’ needs of product availability and on time, high quality support anywhere in the country. Narendran maintains, “Our employees play a key role in identifying and creating products and processes that continuously take us closer to the customers.”
TVS-E is well known for its channel friendly policies and support. The company is believed to be the first to start engaging the third tier partners through a structured ADP Program (Authorized Dealer Partner Program) in 1999. It was a big success, and today any third tier partner is called an ADP!
Narendran says, “We continue to invest in expanding our partner network from current 400 to over 500 towns in the next 6-9 months and also invest in training them for skill development as well as in new products to offer best in class service.”
TVS-E spends on an average about 2-3 % of their total money spent on programs toward enhancing products and application skills of its partners. The company also supports the channels for actual operation in the market by assisting them with live product demos to the customer.
On the support front also the company is at the forefront of most of the Indian vendors. Its service support network revolves around 370 plus service partners over 600 towns. Most importantly, this reach enables the company to reach a customer within 6-8hours anywhere within the country.
The effective channel network and service capability has helped TVS-E to establish its strong base across the country. However, South, East and North India are believed to be TVS-E’s major strength areas. Mahadevan adds, “We are seeing significant growth in our presence in West India also.”
From the market verticals perspective, TVS-E solutions are being extensively used by Retail, SMEs, Insurance & Government customers. The company is a leading player in these customer segments. The company is also rated by most of the consulting houses and even customers for its reliability. Narendran maintains, “A primary reason is the value added services that we provide which has helped us to build strong relation with our customers, channel partners and other stakeholders. The systems and processes in TVS-E exemplify the stringent quality of the service and support we deliver to our customers.”
Finally…
With such a huge success in India, the TVS-E is not complacent. It has a goal to significantly enhance its product offerings - introducing new POS and label printers and also expand its solutions capability to address the needs of Banks & Travel/Transport houses. And in terms channel, the goal revolves around expanding the presence from 400 to 500 towns this year. The company is also taking significant steps in expanding its presence outside India too.
