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Delhi based SMC never wanted to be a part of the run of the mill IT business.
Therefore it specialised in laptop battery business.
Learning things the hard way helps, especially as it teaches you how to
surmount obstacles and come up tops. This is how PK Jain encapsulates his
five-year journey in the IT business. He dealt with his share of travails but
managed to post a steady growth.
The company clocked a revenue of Rs 18 crore last year, Rs 3 crore more than
2003-04. It hopes to cross the Rs 20 crore mark this fiscal.
PERSEVERING DESPITE SETBACKS
Jain founded SMC International in May 1999, starting with selling RAMs and
motherboards. He saw the potential in laptops and added Toshiba to his portfolio
in 2001 and even opened a service center for these products.
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PK Jain |
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But the margins were not very good and Jain started harboring second thoughts
about this business line. Especially as services also did not generate good
revenue for the company. He says, "One has to be very manipulative in the
service business and make false promises to customers, which I was not
comfortable with."
Though the service outlet is still in operation, it is not a focus area for
the company. Jain slowly moved towards reselling PC components and peripherals
to survive. But he is sure that laptop components are a lucrative business and
dreams of opening a manufacturing base for its batteries in the country.
AMIGO SAVES THE DAY
In a bid to learn more about how the laptop batteries market operates, SMC
became the sole distributor of these products for Amigo Incorporated USA. It has
50 partners across the country today, and has gained all the knowledge, which
would come in handy as and when Jain opens his cherished factory for batteries.
"Amigo has been a blessing in disguise for us, especially since we are
the sole distributor. This has given us the freedom to position the brand in the
best manner possible and gain better penetration in the country," remarks
Jain.
After a successful partnership with Amigo for laptop batteries, SMC will soon
start selling UPS and mobile batteries for the vendor this quarter. It will also
focus more strongly on its server business from HP and IBM.
ATANU KUMAR DAS
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