Mangalore: Maintaining fair play

The chief port city in the state of Karnataka, Mangalore is located about 350 km west of the state capital, Bengaluru. The city derives its name from the local Hindu Goddess Mangaladevi. Mangalore's economy is dominated by the agricultural processing and port-related activities. In terms of cargo handling, the New Mangalore Port is the ninth largest in India.

Mangalore boasts of an established information technology (IT) market. Major IT and outsourcing companies like Infosys, Wipro and MphasiS BPO have established their presence in the city. Plans are also on to create an IT park in Mangalore, for the promotion of small and medium IT entrepreneurs in tier-2 cities. According to the dealers of the city, Mangalore IT market generates a healthy amount of business; however since the last 2 months, the situation is otherwise. Sujai Monteiro, CEO, CATS and secretary Mangalore IT Dealers Association (MITDA), said, "Market is not doing good since the past 2 months, mainly due to the shortage of hardware products in the market. Sales have dipped drastically. October was a favorable month though."

While laptops sell like hot-cakes in the city, brands such as HP, Sony, and Lenovo are the top sellers. Talking about the primary growth verticals of the city, Monteiro said, "For me, SOHO and SMB are the revenue generating verticals, while we do not get any business from the education sector." Talking about the vendor-dealer relationship, dealers of the city claimed that they do no face any problem while dealing with them. Work relations is smooth and fine in the city. The only local association in the city, MITDA is very active in the region. As claimed by the partners, MITDA regularly conducts elections and events for its members. "MITDA is very active in Mangalore. It is a 4-year-old association. It has got 53 members in its kitty. Every month it holds 2 meetings, and overall it has organized 3 AGMs till date. MITDA also conducts periodic events and drawing competitions for its member's kids," asserted Monteiro. Talking about the future prospects, Monteiro said the future looks good. "On the SI front, the market may remain dull till February because of the shortage of products. But March onwards the situation might turn for the better."

Interview: Sujai Monteiro, secretary, Mangalore IT Dealers Association

How has the market been in the last 2 months?

Market is not doing good, mainly due to the shortage of hardware products in the market

Do you face any major problem with your vendors?

I don't have any problem with my vendors.

How many dealers are there in the city?

There are approximately 73 members in the city.

How many laptops sell in a month in Mangalore?

Approximately 400-600 laptops sell per month.