Moser Baer enters the domestic market with own brand

Moser Baer India Ltd, an OEM of optical storage products, has finally entered the domestic market with its own brand of CD-Rs and CDR-Ws. Positioning the product range in a price sensitive market like India was not easy and the company has settled for the middle range pricing. It hopes to attract both the entry-level buyers with its rich features as well as premium buyers. The target market would be both professionals and consumers. The company is expected to launch its range of DVDs and DVD-RWs shortly.

In retail pricing, the CDRs are being priced at Rs 20 per piece for a pack of 10 and Rs 12.20 per piece for a pack of 50 CDRs. The CD-RWs would be priced at Rs 50 per piece. The company has tied with Tech Pacific to distribute its products in the country. Tech Pacific has 900 outlets in 32 Indian cities.

Currently, the size of the recordable optical media market in the country is Rs 400 crore which is expected to grow to Rs 1,500 crore by 2005. The company's target is to capture 50 percent of this market by 2005.

Speaking at the launch, Deepak Puri, MD, Moser Baer, said, "India offers a huge opportunity for us and it was high time we made an entry in the market. The Indian buyer is no fool...is very tech savvy and knows what he is buying. We positioned our products after a great deal of thought."

The products for the domestic market have been specially manufactured with features that are suited for Indian conditions like being more resistant to humidity and high temperature, dust-resistant, as well as capability for more intense utilization. The products come equipped with the company's patented dye technology called Protection Plus which makes its products sturdier.

Moser Baer is a Rs 1,000 crore company with OEM supplies to almost all the major optical media manufacturers. It supplies to 10 of the top 12 optical media players in the world and has a 12 percent global marketshare. The company has experienced a CAGR of 60 percent over the last 10 years.

The company has six manufacturing units at NOIDA with a manufacturing capacity of over 1.15 billion units per year. It currently has an employee base of 4,000 people, which is expected to increase to 7,000 by the end of the current fiscal.

Cyber News Service