Q1. NEC India is offering and developing solutions for Carrier Network, Unified Communications, Retail, Security and Surveillance Systems, IT and Multimedia Products in India since August 2006. Kindly walk us through your journey so far.


NEC Corporation entered the Indian market in 1956 to supply Microwave Radio equipment, the first for NEC’s Microwave Radio equipment. In 1961, NEC opened its first liaison office, and has been working towards understanding the Indian market dynamics and customer needs.

Over the years, NEC has emerged as one of the prominent IT and networking solutions provider in India. With its suite of solutions, NEC caters to a wide audience across various verticals including Education, Hospitality, Healthcare, Retail and Enterprise. NEC’s telephony solutions have been an integral part of the Indian Hospitality sector.

The company is focusing heavily on the education sector with its superior yet affordable multimedia solutions in the projection and display space. NEC is betting big on government and enterprises for its Public Safety & Security solutions. NEC’s servers and storage are well known among enterprises, while NEC’s POS solutions are commonplace in the retail sector.

To strengthen NEC's business capabilities in India further – it is expanding its IT and networking businesses in the rapidly growing Indian market. NEC India is working with its partner ecosystem to introduce new solutions and services for a ubiquitous networking society.


Q2. What is the USP of NEC product range that has been helping the company to excel competitive Indian market?


With the divide between IT & telecom fast diminishing, today, there is greater synergies between IT & telecom technologies like Near Field Communication will attract the consumer and will make communication & transactions easier, faster and more mobile. Also with the shift from capex to opex model, cloud computing will become a reality.

NEC is well positioned as a holistic IT and networking solution provider with proven expertise in providing IT solutions across enterprises, hospitality, education, retail. We truly embody the convergence of IT and telecom. We will play an important role in empowering our customers with innovative solutions to achieve greater efficiency, optimize resources and build a safer and a more environment friendly nation.


Q3. Currently we see many display technologies from NEC, available or coming to market, including TFT-LCD, PDP, rear-projection, LCOS and OLED. Even old CRT technology is still alive. What picture do you forecast in a few years from now?

We are not present in the rear projection, LCOS and OLED space.

Led hybrid as a technology is coming up. In the projection market DLP, LCD and LED is here to stay. However LED has its shortcomings in the form of small luminosity. Large display market will continue to be dominated by LED back lit and direct lit technology because of its long life and lower power consumption. However the rest of the market will continue to have DLP and LCD technology.


Q4. What is your opinion about the driving forces for the display industry? Where do you see the innovations coming from?


The Indian display market has been growing at a rapid pace. This market is fast getting personalized looking for solutions which go beyond regular computing, operational and integration needs. The influx of advanced technology in the space has revolutionized the display market like never before. The professional display segment is looking at higher resolutions, full HD wider screens, 24x7 operations, multi functional solutions as touch functionality and integration of peripheral devices such as 3D projection, speakers, webcam etc. Apart from monitors, there also has been a growth in the Digital Signage solutions which comes mainly from its proliferating use in installations for commercial markets like the retail and hospitality industries.

NEC is a leader in the global display solutions space. We take pride in developing and delivering advanced technology solutions such as digital signage and large video wall displays. With a legacy of over 110 years in the display market backed by innovative and high end Japanese technology; our solutions conform to the highest level of reliability and scalability and can be customized as per the customers’ requirement.


Q5. Which Indian companies do you see as your biggest competitors? Do you see any challenges from your competitors in Japan?


We have different competitors for different Bus. For MMPG, we closely compete with Benq and Epson and in PNS it would be Cisco, Seimens as our main competitors. Hence for each BU our competition is difference because our product range differs.


Q6. Is NEC Display Solutions planning to expand its product portfolio in India?


Yes we are looking at introducing new and cutting edge products and solutions. We are also looking at catering to new verticals with our display solutions. We are also in the process of announcing our partner enablement program to enhance our reach as well as depth in the country. However, I would urge you to hold on for a few more days and we will come out with a detailed statement on each of the above which will give you a clearer picture of our go to market, new products.


Q7. News-charts indicate NEC is gradually expanding its retail presence in India. Which regions in your opinion are recording the highest sales and how do you keep up with the momentum in slow growing regions?


With more than a hundred years of innovation and experience in the IT industry and over three decades of experience in the retail domain, NEC continuously strives to develop new technological innovations to empower retailers to optimize their retail operations with proactive strategizing. It is this driven passion to provide high-quality, robust yet eco-friendly Japanese solutions and the constant innovation that resulted in NEC being the preferred technology partner for leading retailers in the supermarket, departmental store, food and beverages, and hospitality industries. Till date, NEC supports approximately 15,000 locally- and globally-linked retail stores across various industries in Japan, US, China, and Southeast Asia, Middle East and remains as the leading retail solutions provider in Japan. NEC has a strong presence in the Indian retail market presently and is associated with well known brands. Last year we launched state of the art Twin POS G5 and G7 solutions which have seen a lot of traction in the Indian market. We are looking at focusing heavily on the entertainment, gaming and F&B industry with our retail solutions in India.

In this space too we will be announcing large customer wins very soon so please stay tuned!


Q 8. What is your mindshare about branding NEC and their upcoming portfolio in Indian market?


Our clear positioning is as a trustworthy holistic solution provider for our customers. Our products conform to the highest quality standards and are known for its durability across the world.

True to our brand statement which is "Empowered by Innovation," expresses our commitment to empowering people and society through continuous innovation in every area of our businesses, fueled by our infinite passion for innovation and our customer-focused spirit of collaboration”. Innovation even in branding & marketing is a key focus. Even in the years to come you will see innovation not only in our product portfolio but also in the way we market it.

Our upcoming product portfolio is cutting edge, advanced and is designed not only to meet current needs of our customers but also cater to requirements that come when businesses scale up gear up for advancement in all spheres.


Q9. With lot of buzz indicating Indian economy to be a short term benefactor for foreign IT investors, where do you see India as a potential market for NEC five years down the line?

NEC's prime objective is to enhance awareness, interest and desire for their products and solutions at the end customers and channel partners’ level. The company hopes to garner a sizeable position in the Indian projector and telephony market through their existing product line-up, and augmenting their channel partner expansion, increasing Geo-spread and reach, strategic tie-up and appointment of vertical specific SI partners.


Satinder/ITVoir Newsdesk