HCL signs with DoP to market its product

HCL Infosystems (HCL Insys), India's premier information enabling company, and Department of Posts has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) whereby HCL Insys will market its entire consumer product range through the extensive network of post offices across the country.

The MoU executed through HCL Insys' Office Automation division, will allow the company in a revenue sharing agreement, to display and retail its consumer products including Bean Stalk PC's, Toshiba laptops, HCL InfiNet's Internet access packs, Nokia cell phones, franking machines, Pitney Bowes mail inserting systems and mass mailing solutions through the post offices across the country. HCL Insys will provide sales training to post office personnel.

"This is a landmark agreement for the Department of Posts. It is our vision to make the department more consumer focused and providing value-added services like these is very much a part of our business strategy. In this direction, we have already tied-up with various service providers such as IDBI, western Union, ICICI prudential, Standard Chartered, UTI Bank, etc," said BN Som, Secretary, Department of Posts, Government of India.

HCL Infosystems will undertake a pilot project for 3-6 months in two states, namely Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh at six post offices in Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Erode and Secunderabad. Following this, the company will by the end of the year target 500 post offices for marketing its products.

Speaking on the occasion, Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman & CEO, HCL Infosystems Ltd, said, "The Department of Posts has an unmatched reach and penetration with its 1,50,000 strong post offices network in the country. By using this extensive network of post offices, we will be able to reach out to consumers in the remotest part of the country. It will help us to achieve deeper penetration and make our products more accessible to the consumers. The tie-up will enable us to pursue our mission of making the benefits of information technology more accessible to the masses.