Showing posts with label LG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LG. Show all posts

Thursday, January 10, 2013

The third time in india

LG finally had it right the third time in india. now it is decisively upping the stakes

“Our determination for walking the full distance is unwavering. We would like to move faster but we won’t be impatient. A broad consensus in favour of industrialisation (in India) is gradually emerging and we trust that the respective Governments are doing their best...”

Yes, this is a comment from a Korean company on its commitment towards India. But while you may be tempted to think this is LG, it is actually a comment from Posco, when we asked them how, despite the problems with the steel plant, the company continues to stubbornly invest time and money in its India plans. While making steel and making consumer durables are like chalk and cheese, Posco’s determination may be due in part, to the inspiring forays of other Korean MNCs in India; LG in particular.

LG had earlier tested the waters with two unsuccessful attempts (in the form of JVs with Bestavision and Birla group). In March 1997, K. R. Kim (who was then working in Panama) was bought on board to spearhead the Indian subsidiary of the Korean consumer durable giant. Moreover, the market, which was led by the likes of BPL, Onida, Videocon, Weston, Philips, et al, was now changing. LG, along with the other Korean giant Samsung, proved more than a handful for the incumbents, with their aggressive pricing, promotion and distribution strategies.

Cut to 2009, the company has not only clocked a mind boggling turnover of Rs.107.93 billion in 2008 (with a growth rate of 18%) but is also aiming high for its next big fix – the $6-billion revenue target by 2010. But the initial experience of LG in India has not been a cakewalk as the key challenge for the company at the time was not of growth but of survival. From cultural conundrums to corruption, from office space hiccups to high attrition rates, the company had it all. In fact, there was a time when the durable giant had to bear the wrath of the local land mafia and criminal elements at its manufacturing base at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
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Thursday, October 25, 2012

A lesson taught ...and learnt?

from the ceo to the office boy, from the business tycoon to the paan waala, from urban to rural; mobile handsets have travelled a great distance in india, and so has nokia. but thanks to the latest twists in the tale, nokia may need to adapt quite a bit very soon

The ‘Black & White’ era went into decline mode in India way back in 1982, when the first colour TV sets were introduced on the occasion of the Asiad Games (movies were already in colour, though; interestingly, India’s first indigenously produced colour film was Kishan Kanya; way back in 1937). But the ‘grey’ era continues to be strong till date. Not on your screens, my friend, but in markets. Ask the MNCs and they will recount, in horror, countless stories on how the grey market has, time and again, wreaked havoc with their plans.

And that was just the beginning of Nokia’s quagmires when it entered the Indian market in 1995. It was a market where mobile phones and services were a luxury item. With the prices that these models commanded, you could get a decent second hand Fiat car in those days!

There were a few key planks on which Nokia played its cards, and played them well. Firstly, they developed phones specifically for the Indian market, with durability to withstand Indian conditions and features like torch, vernacular SMS, news feeds, et al. Also, with other players like LG, Sony and Samsung being perceived as diversified consumer electronic companies, Nokia scored heavily on the fact that it had a core focus on mobile phones & developed strong brand equity.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

 
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