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Guru Moorthy
CEO,
Sumee Computers
How big is the Karur IT market?
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact size of the market here. There are around 30 registered dealers that are selling 150 PCs per month. There are number of unregistered freelancers who either assemble computers or provide maintenance support. The market size might be bigger as some of the larger institutional sales are handled directly by the endors.
What are the drivers for IT growth?
Though many of the resellers cater to the home segment, it is the huge textile market which offers great potential. Karur district houses some of the biggest textile exporters in the country which cater to some retailers like Walmart. It is estimated that there are approximately 150 large exporters, 10,000 medium-sized textile makers and nearly 40,000 home-based handloom players. We feel that there is a huge untapped potential as most of these firms require PCs for accounting, communication and design.
The district also houses number of bus-body building firms that cater to nearly 90 percent of the South Indian market.
What are the buying trends?
The market is heavily skewed in favour of assemblers here. Post-sales service is very critical. Currently only assemblers are able to provide back-to-back support. Perhaps, since the market size currently is not large enough, the vendors do not have local service centers. Specialized products such as textile design and costing software, high-end color laser printers are also in demand.
What are the keys challenges facing resellers?
Resellers of branded computers are facing the challenge of post-sales service. Karur offers huge potential but the reseller community has not yet been equipped to tap the potential. We require trained manpower to sell, service and support a number of potential small businesses. Our biggest challenge is to convert the potential to real business.
What are the activities organized by your association?
We do not have an association here, but we take up our issues through associations in nearby cities such as Trichy, Madurai and Coimbatore. |