Brand loyalty key to OEM success

The expected market-share
of monitors in India should touch six million units in FY 2010-11.
CRT monitors have already become extinct and TFT is the technology
that will rule the market. 18.5 inch and 20-21 inch TFT's will hold
more than 70 percent market-share. The market has seen a growth
between four to six percent over the last two years. Last year, sales
were of 5.7 million units. This year, taking conservative estimates,
the figure should exceed six million units. We are an OEM and as such
our customers are driven by brand loyalty and faith in the product
robustness and quality. But in the assembled market, established
brand names certainly affect the buying pattern of the customers. The
bulk of monitor sales
are happening in the upcountry markets. This is primarily because
large metros are adopting branded PCs, which come with OEM monitors.
The metro markets have already witnessed growing PC sales over the
past decade. Most households already have PC penetration. The metros
are witnessing a rise in second PC purchases, which are majorly
notebook and netbooks. Naturally monitor sales are dwindling. LED is
the technology in
TFT's which is here to stay. Most large monitor and panel
manufacturers are into R&D, coming out with new technologies. We
will witness a revolution soon in image clarity, 3D imaging and
affordability. There is an installed base
of over 40 million assembled and branded PC's in India, which would
require monitors during up-gradation. As such, the market seems to be
there and thriving.