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Prices for LED TV and appliances such as refrigerator, washing machines are expected to go up by around 10 per cent from January next year on account of rise in costs of key input materials like copper, aluminium and steel and increase in ocean and air freights charges. Besides, prices of TV panels (Opencell) have also gone up by over two-folds due to short supply by the global vendors, while cost of plastic has also gone up due to rise in crude oil prices, said manufacturers. Terming it as imminent and unavoidable, manufacturers such as LG, Panasonic and <keyword id="192310" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Thomson">Thomson</keyword> are going to increase the prices from January, however, Sony is still reviewing the situation and is yet to take a call on this. "We expect the increase in commodity prices to impact our product pricing in near future. I anticipate the prices to go up by 6-7 per cent in January itself and may go up to 10-11 per cent towards end of FY Q1," said Panasonic India President &amp; CEO Manish Sharma. LG <keyword id="3628053" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="electronics-india">Electronics India</keyword> is also going to increase the price of a minimum of 7 to 8 per cent across its products in the appliances category from January 1 next year. "From January, we are going to increase the price of 7-to 8 per cent on all products including TV, <keyword id="87019" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Washing-machine">Washing Machine</keyword>, refrigerator etc. There is an increase in raw material prices and metals as copper and aluminium. Moreover, crude oil prices have gone up, hence the cost of plastic materials have also gone up substantially," said LG Electronics India VP-Home Appliances Vijay Babu. While for <keyword id="233026" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sony-India">Sony India</keyword>, it's still a 'wait and watch' situation and yet to take a final call on this but hinted that it is also moving in that directions. On being asked about the prices Sony India Managing Director Sunil Nayyar said: "Not yet. It is a wait and watch. We are watching the supply side, which is changing day by day. Its blurry situation and we have not decided as how much... Tendency is moving towards that situation." The panel prices have edged up and the some of the other raw material costs also has gone up, specially for the TV, he added. "I reckon it with primarily with demand and supply situation. There is excess demand because of work from home and there is limited supply because factories were not running at full capacity and that has created a vacuum in the supply side and have pushed up the prices," said Nayyar adding "it was a perfect storm as all thing came together disruption in supply, excessive demand and extraneous issues". Prices of small screen sizes have a bigger issue for the industry and their prices have gone up significantly. "Off course, the large screen also has an issue but I do not think it is troubling. India is still a predominantly 32-inch screen size market," said Nayyar. <keyword id="3562273" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="super-plastronics">Super Plastronics</keyword>, the brand licensee for French Electronics brand Thomson and Kodak, said there is a scarcity of TV Opencell in the market and the prices have almost gone up by 200 per cent. "There is an increase of 200 per cent in panel prices and despite the increase, there is short supply. Due to no alternative of panel manufacture at the global stage, we are dependent on China. So, Thomson and Kodak will increase the android TV prices by 20 per cent from January," said SPPL CEO <keyword id="4774298" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Avneet-Singh-Marwah">Avneet Singh Marwah</keyword>. Videotex International Director Arjun Bajaaj said: "The other factor leading to a sharp rise in the prices is the three-fold increase in Import Freight charges compared to October 2020." However, there is a warning note also from the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) saying that a price hike by the brands may also hamper the overall demand in the next quarter. "A rise in the commodity cost by 20-25 per cent, increase in the ocean and air freights to the extent of 5-6 times due to shortage of containers and the lag in the mining activity due to the pandemic is putting upward pressure on the overall input cost for Appliances. As a result, brands are most likely to increase prices to the extent of 8-10 per cent in near future, which may hamper the overall demand in the next quarter," said CEAMA President Kamal Nandi. However, Nandi, who is also Business Head and Executive Vice President - Godrej Appliances, said the industry hopes that it will be offset to some extent by pent up demand surfacing now. According to Nayyar: "It would not sustain for a long period but for the industry until the first half of the next year, the pressure would remain." The Indian appliances and consumer electronics industry is largely dependent on global imports, mainly from China, for the sourcing of components and some of the finished goods. According to a joint report by CEAMA and Frost &amp; Sullivan, the industry had a total market size of Rs 76,400 crore in 2018-19, in which Rs 32,200 crore was contributed from domestic manufacturing. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/mahindra-mahindra-to-raise-prices-of-tractors-from-january-1/articleshow/79835855.cms">Mahindra &amp; Mahindra to raise prices of tractors from January 1</a>

Prices of TV and home appliances likely to go up by around 10% from January 2021

Growing up in an India that has just opened up its liberalization of policies, <keyword id="96132" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kodak">Kodak</keyword> was a household dream. Urban Indians who are fond of traveling would own a Kodak camera to make their experiences memorable. Undoubtedly a big brand in photography and camera, Kodak had taken a backseat recently with too many photography pages popping up through the social media in India. While Kodak has always maintained its lead in the B2B market, the B2C market in India was waiting for more surprises in the product line. And it has actually turned out true. And the surprise from Kodak is totally wild. While you were thinking of lens, cameras and something related, Kodak has just come out with its wide range of LED TVs. 
 The new head-turner in the field of personal gadgets, LED TVs is of utmost importance. Be it <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword> and Chill or playing your favourite game of PlayStation, the new India desperately needs a TV. And what better than state of art technology combined with sleek look and of course at a budget price? It seems, Kodak having played it like <keyword id="4277091" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rahul-dravide">Rahul Dravide</keyword> (slow and steady) have understood the Indian market better than anybody else. 
 Kodak has tied up with <keyword id="4277092" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="super-plastronics-ltd">Super Plastronics Ltd</keyword> for production and marketing of Kodak TVs in India. Kodak's smart TVs are available online and a 50 inch costs Rs 39,000, which is way less than other able competitors. 
 
If data is to be believed, India is expected to become the fifth largest consumer durables market on a global level by 2025. The consumer durables industry is projected to double at 14.8% CAGR to reach approximately USD 12.5 billion in FY15 from USD 6.3 billion in FY10. The improving living standards have made the need for electronics consumer durables a must in the Indian household. The changing environmental dynamics, urbanization and rising income levels are driving the growth of this segment that was once inhibited by the high price point. The Indian television market is shifting from the traditional cathode ray tube (<keyword id="431185" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="CRT">CRT</keyword>) technology to LED, LCD and Plasma televisions. Some leading players have officially stopped the production of CRT televisions and are now concentrating on LED TV’s. 
 Avneet Singh <keyword id="18683" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="marwah">Marwah</keyword>, CEO/Director, Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd (SPPL) spoke exclusively to <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> and shared the inside stories. 
 
 
 
CRT MUKT Bharat 
“We also plan to initiate a social awareness program by the name of CRT MUKT Bharat. The CRT market is valued at almost 1/3rd of the LED market in India and the price gap between the two is considerable. With the rural population looking to upgrade themselves, we see a greater demand from rural areas as well. Experts say although sales of LCD and LED TV sets have grown 28 per cent annually in the last five years, flat panel TVs are yet to replace CRTs completely,” Marwah told Business Insider. 
 
Why Budget TVs? 
“We believe in paying for what you get, hence our televisions are priced according to the technology provided therein. Moreover, we chose to keep the price a budget one as we look to approach the masses and make our television available to all,” said Marwah. 
 
Future products 
Kodak plans to introduce 55 and 65 inch smart televisions in the coming year as well televisions with 4K technology.

Kodak is all set to disrupt the consumer durable market in India. Here's how

<ul><li>The <keyword id="19955368" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Budget-2024" source="keywords">Budget 2024</keyword> will be tabled by the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23.</li><li>The tech and electronics industry’s expectations from the Budget 2024 include a push for localisation, <keyword id="20335594" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reduced-GST" source="keywords">reduced GST</keyword> and more.</li><li>Here are the key expectations from the tech and electronics industry from Budget 2024.</li></ul> The Budget 2024 is set to be tabled on July 23 by the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and like each sector, the Indian tech and electronics industry is ready with its list of expectations from the Narendra Modi-led government in the upcoming budget. The Indian government has been pushing for an increase in electronics manufacturing in India with schemes like Make in India and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. This article delves into the key budget expectations of the tech and electronics industry in India. <h2><keyword id="19869633" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Budget-2024-expectations" source="Orion">Budget 2024 expectations</keyword></h2>In the last budget, the government had reduced taxes on key smartphone components such as camera lenses and lithium-ion batteries. This move was aimed at boosting smartphone production in India and bringing the costs down. Companies and consumers both will hope for similar boosts in the upcoming budget as well. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111573138" title="Union Budget 2024: When will it be presented, what time, where to watch and what are various sectors expecting?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The <keyword id="19981334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PLI-scheme" source="keywords">PLI scheme</keyword> has played a key role in boosting domestic production in various sectors. The introduction of a revamped PLI scheme for the manufacture of various consumer technology products such as smartphones, laptops, wearables and more will give a good boost to domestic production. “Guided by Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we seek government support for extensively localizing component production, fostering a lucrative environment where homegrown brands can lead globally. Incentivizing domestic production through tax breaks, subsidies, and R&amp;D funding will enhance India's manufacturing capabilities,” said Amit Khatri, co-founder, Noise. Industry leaders are hoping for steps aimed at boosting the disposable income of consumers. “Higher disposable incomes will lead to a promising growth impetus. We look forward to a budget that will create a stable and growth-oriented tax environment, which will help in ease of doing business, and will lead to increased economic activity and demand generation,” said Pradeep Bakshi, chief executive officer, Voltas. Companies are also hoping for simplified GST rules and reduced GST rates. In one such instance, TV makers are hoping for a reduced GST rate for TVs sized above 32 inches. “One expected move is reducing the GST rate on LED TVs larger than 32-inches from 28% to 18%. This change aims to boost consumer spending in the electronics sector. Expanding PLI schemes to include smart TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines is also important for market growth and improving manufacturing capabilities,” said Avneet Singh Marwah, chief executive officer, Super Plastronics. In addition to measures aimed at boosting domestic production, companies are also hoping for antidumping duties to ensure fair competition with Chinese companies. "While the government has made significant strides in supporting Indian manufacturers through initiatives like the 'Made in India' campaign and the PLI scheme, there is a pressing need to level the competitive playing field. Anticipations include measures such as antidumping duties to ensure fair competition against Chinese and other international companies in the industry,” said Imran Kagalwala, co-founder, UNIX India. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/economic-survey-2024-public-sector-investment-drives-infrastructure-growth-but-private-investment-needed/articleshow/111927594.cms">Economic Survey highlights public sector investment's role in driving infra growth; Underlines need for private sector to step up</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2024-expectations-fame-scheme-aid-for-vehicle-scrapping-and-other-expectations-of-the-auto-industry/articleshow/111783199.cms">Budget 2024 Expectations: FAME scheme, aid for vehicle scrapping and other expectations of the auto industry</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2024-key-sustainability-and-energy-initiatives-that-indian-government-plans-to-implement-this-year/articleshow/111917956.cms">Budget 2024: Key sustainability and energy initiatives that Indian government plans to implement this year</a>

Budget 2024 expectations – PLI scheme to GST reduction, budget expectations from the tech industry

Technology company <keyword id="5888620" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kodak-tv" source="Orion">Kodak TV</keyword> on Monday forayed into the premium Matrix <keyword id="2899301" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="qled" source="Orion">QLED</keyword> Series with Google TV in India. With a starting price of ₹33,999, <keyword id="14965242" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Matrix-QLED-tv" source="Orion">Matrix QLED TV</keyword> is available in three sizes -- 50-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch on Flipkart as Big Billion Days Sale (BBD) Specials. "We are proud to be recognised as one of the premium Smart TV brands in India. <keyword id="96132" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kodak" source="Orion">Kodak</keyword> has a history of introducing new technologies in the market and we believe that this launch will prove to be a game-changer in the future of technology," Avneet Singh Marwah, Director and CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL), the official manufacturer of Kodak TVs, said in a statement. "We are highly excited to bring Kodak's new variants under the Matrix series, which are an outcome of investments that we made in technology research within India. With the 65-inch model, we will be a tough competitor in the premium QLED Smart TV segment," he added. The TVs have improved sound with DTS TruSurround sound, a QLED 4K display with 1.1 billion colours, Dolby MS12, HDR 10+ with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. SPPL said it will also be the first Indian manufacturing company in the country to introduce QLED TVs with Google TV. With an integrated Google Assistant, the Kodak TVs offer a large screen for Chromecast video meetings, documents and built-in apps, such as YouTube Learning and Google classroom, assisting in learning and upgradation. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/a-woman-reportedly-died-after-a-redmi-6a-exploded-while-she-was-sleeping/articleshow/94150755.cms">A woman reportedly died after a Redmi 6A exploded while she was sleeping</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tata-tiago-electric-car-to-launch-soon/articleshow/94147690.cms">Tata Tiago EV to launch soon – could be the cheapest EV from the car maker</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/pvr-inox-gain-650-crore-market-cap-after-brahmastras-100-crore-opening-weekend/articleshow/94154703.cms">PVR, Inox gain ₹650 crore market cap after Brahmastra’s ₹100 crore opening weekend</a>

Kodak unveils Matrix QLED TVs in India starting at ₹33,999

<ul><li>FM made many tech-related announcements in the <keyword id="14925728" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget-2023-24" source="Orion">Budget 2023-24</keyword>.</li><li>The government has reduced the customs duty on camera lenses for smartphones and open cells for TV panels.</li><li>The government also announced centers of excellence for artificial intelligence and 100 5G labs.</li></ul>Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="Orion">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> on Wednesday presented the much-awaited Budget 2023-24 in the parliament. She made several announcements regarding changes in duties, new initiatives by the government and changes to the tax structure. She also reduced custom duty for smartphone components such as camera lens and open cells of TV panels. The government also announced that it is setting up three new centers of excellence in artificial intelligence (AI), 100 5G labs and more. If you are a tech enthusiast, here are the top tech related announcements from the Budget. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Smartphones may become cheaper" comment="subhead" text="Smartphones may become cheaper">Smartphones may become cheaper</cmsannotation> The government has reduced the customs duty on camera lenses used in smartphones from 2.5% to nil. This will reduce the cost incurred by the smartphone companies and may result in smartphones becoming cheaper for users. We will have to wait and see if companies will pass on the benefit to customers and if so, how much. “The move to reduce customs duty on certain input component parts for mobile phones will help drive the broadening and deepening of the local component ecosystem and increase domestic value addition. Very positive move,” said Muralikrishnan B, president, Xiaomi India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Televisions may become cheaper" comment="subhead" text="Televisions may become cheaper">Televisions may become cheaper</cmsannotation> The FM also reduced customs duty on open cells of television panels from 5% to 2.5%. This will reduce the cost of manufacturing TVs and also boost domestic production. “We welcome the move of the government to reduce the custom duty on open cells to 2.5 percent. This will really help the domestic TV manufacturing industry to scale up and compete with the global brands,” said Avneet Singh Marwah, chief executive officer, Super Plastronics, a licensee of Kodak. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Centers of excellence for AI" comment="subhead" text="Centers of excellence for AI">Centers of excellence for AI</cmsannotation> Sitharaman also announced that the government is setting up three <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/government-to-set-up-three-centres-of-excellence-in-artificial-intelligence/articleshow/97520242.cms">centers of excellence</a> in artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the government’s ‘Make AI for India’ and ‘Make AI work for India’ initiatives. The centers will be set up in prominent educational institutions in the country and will see collaboration between these institutions and industries for research and development of practical AI applications in agriculture, health, and sustainable cities. “Using data as an asset to drive insights requires two critical things — availability of reliable data and the ability to cross-reference data across multiple data sets, and the Union Budget has addressed both the issues effectively. On the back of the data governance policy, bringing the academia and corporates on a common platform will enable innovation across multiple use cases. This will boost India's AI leadership for solving grassroots problems,” said Sudipta Ghosh, Partner and Leader, Data &amp; Analytics, PwC India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="100 5G labs" comment="subhead" text="100 5G labs">100 5G labs</cmsannotation> As telcos have been rolling out 5G services in full-swing across the country. FM announced that it is setting up 100 5G labs in the top engineering institutions across the country to develop applications and services for 5G. “One hundred labs for developing applications using 5G services will be set up in engineering institutions to realise a new range of opportunities, business models, and employment potential. The labs will cover, among others, applications such as smart classrooms, precision farming, intelligent transport systems, and health care applications," Sitharaman said in her budget speech. “By promoting an AI ecosystem, 5G labs and setting-up skill centres for emerging technologies, India will get the interdisciplinary R&amp;D boost,” said Manpreet Singh Ahuja, Partner &amp; Leader TMT, PwC India. "We welcome the announcement on setting up of 3 centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 100 labs in engineering colleges for development of 5G applications, which are progressive steps and would help fuel the proliferation of 5G and its ecosystem in the country," said Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="National Data Governance Policy" comment="subhead" text="National Data Governance Policy">National Data Governance Policy</cmsannotation> Sitharaman also announced that the government will come up with a National Data Governance Policy to help academia and start-ups with anonymized data. "To unleash innovation and research by start-ups and academia, a data governance policy will be brought out. This will enable access to anonymised data,” the minister said. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="National Digital Library" comment="subhead" text="National Digital Library"><keyword id="3580900" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-digital-library" source="Orion">National Digital Library</keyword></cmsannotation> In another push for education, the government will set up the National Digital Library, offering youth access to quality books across subjects, languages and genres. In addition to this, states will be encouraged to set up physical libraries at panchayat and ward levels and provide infrastructure for accessing the National Digital Library resources. “Initiatives like National Digital Library and fostering a digital public infrastructure for agriculture will further push widespread penetration of smartphones that can further catalyze a stronger ‘Digital India’,” added Muralikrishnan B. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/zero-tax-on-income-upto-rs-7-lakh-under-the-new-tax-regime/articleshow/97524028.cms">FM plays Santa: Zero tax on income upto ₹7 lakh under the new regime</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/income-tax-bonanza-capex-push-emerge-as-the-stars-of-budget-2023-24/articleshow/97521646.cms">Income tax bonanza, capex push emerge as the stars of Budget 2023-24</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/bahubali-budget-more-money-with-middle-class-experts-on-budget-2023-24/slidelist/97523178.cms">Bahubali Budget, more money with middle class: Experts on Budget 2023-24</a>

From cheaper smartphones to 100 5G labs, here are the top tech announcements in Budget 2023-24

The <keyword id="8540092" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="per-unit-cost">per unit cost</keyword> of <keyword id="62356" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="TVS">TVs</keyword> will go up by at least ₹2000-3000 starting April 1st, 2021. In the last eight months alone, TV <keyword id="6366990" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prices">prices</keyword> have soared upto 300% causing a net escalation of almost INR 3000-4000 per unit. Besides the prices of TV panels (open cell)which have been on a continuous rise to the tune of more than double, mainly due to supply shortage by global vendors, other factors that are leading to this surge are - a hike in custom duty, rise in cost of input material like <keyword id="46003" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Copper">copper</keyword>, <keyword id="44891" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="aluminium">aluminium</keyword> and steel and an increase in ocean and air freights charges, that is collectively set to put the prices on fire. Owing to this, the local TV manufacturers have been constantly appealing the government to take up TV manufacturing under the PLI Scheme. TVs comprise a large chunk of the consumer electronics market with over 85% market penetration rate. It is preempted that there will be a boom in the television manufacturing sector, including global brands from across the world , that will now look to partner with local manufacturers.If the industry is looking to establish a global competitiveness and gain cost advantage, then PLI must be extended to TVs also. Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO , Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd., a leading TV manufacturing firm and India Licensee of Thomson and Kodak smart Tvs in India, says, "Currently only a handful of Chinese and Taiwanese firms control the flat-panel market and that allows them to raise prices, which hurts our costing. The government must seriously evaluate, bringing TV manufacturing under the PLI scheme, as this will make the Indian TV industry more competitive on the global stage and help pass the cost benefit to the consumer , directly". "How the government banned the import of TVs last year, to push and help the domestic industry, likewise PLIS for the TV sector will immensely benefit the local manufactures in both scaling up operations and generating more employment opportunities. In case the government remains unable to do so, the per unit cost of TVs are sure to hike up further by at least Rs 2000-3000 starting April 1st, 2021. This can seriously hurt the consumer buying sentiment, further crashing the demand altogether, making economic recovery of the sector rather impossible", he added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/check-out-all-the-hiring-opportunities-in-2021-in-india/slidelist/81343839.cms">A whole host of jobs, from government to private to foreign companies in India, are opening up ⁠— here’s a look at some of those</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/these-are-the-worlds-top-food-delivery-companies-indias-zomato-and-swiggy-have-a-long-way-to-go-as-compared-to-their-global-counterparts-like-doordash-or-meituan/slidelist/81344728.cms">These are the world’s top food delivery companies – India’s Zomato and Swiggy have a long way to go as compared to their global counterparts like DoorDash or Meituan</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/wipro-share-price-has-outperformed-its-peers-in-the-last-one-year-but-analysts-are-still-cautious-about-giving-it-a-buy-rating/articleshow/81345564.cms">Wipro's share price has outperformed its peers in the last year — but analysts are still cautious about giving it a 'buy' rating</a>

TV prices to rise by ₹3,000 from April 1, 2021

New Delhi, Apr 21 () Many appliances and consumer durables manufacturers have decided not to resume manufacturing despite the government relaxing certain guidelines for industries to operate in lockdown 2.0, preferring to wait till the curbs are fully lifted.Companies like Panasonic India, Godrej Appliances, Dixon Technologies and Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd said with retail outlets shut there is no point to start production as there is existing unsold inventory of March at warehouses and dealers.Moreover, in certain states like Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and some districts like Noida of Uttar Pradesh, local authorities and governments decided not to allow any manufacturing activities.According to Panasonic India, the company would wait to start production until a favourable market condition returns."As our factory in Jhajhar, Haryana is in the green zone, we are engaging with the local authorities for permission to start manufacturing in the near future. The issue today is more on the demand side than supply, we have enough inventory with our distributors of our ACs and refrigerators to meet consumer demands," Panasonic India and South Asia President and CEO Manish Sharma told .The objective behind starting operations will be ensuring sustainability over longer term once markets are allowed to operate, he added. "We are prepared for staggered operations with workers coming in batches ensuring social distancing, frequent sanitizing, usage of masks among other initiatives to protect our workforce," Sharma explained.Expressing similar views, Godrej Appliances Business Head and EVP Kamal Nandi said, "Where will I ship my products? There are no retail activities on the ground and moreover, there is enough stocks available with the dealers. There is no point in production at this stage."Nandi said Godrej Appliances would like to wait till May 3, when the lockdown ends, to plan resumption of production as under the current guidelines it has to consider many factors, including accommodating staff at the plant.Companies like LG, Samsung, Dixon and smart phone makers Oppo and Vivo -- which have manufacturing units in industrial zones at Noida and Greater Noida -- have not resumed production as the district administration of Gautam Buddha Nagar has banned all commercial and industrial activities inside the districts.Dixon Technologies, India's largest contract manufacture in the appliance and consumer electronic, has also not started manufacturing at its units as it is still awaiting approvals.When asked whether the company has started its manufacturing operation, Dixon Technologies CMD Sunil Vachani said, "Not yet. We are waiting for the approvals from the Noida Authority."He further said, "Both of our units at Noida and Tirupati fall under red zone. So we are waiting for the approval. We are hoping it to be sooner than later." While, Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL), which manufactures TV under the brand name of Thomson and Kodak, said that the new guidelines should be realistic and helpful for the industry."Currently, we are looking forward to the new notification by the Centre and the state governments and whatever norms the government has decided we will be happy to implement," SPPL CEO Avneet Singh Marwah said.He, however, said all "those notifications and norms should be realistic and the intention of the government should be to give permission to start the manufacturing sites".Meanwhile, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals said it has partially resumed its manufacturing at its plants."… pursuant to the receipt of confirmation/ permission received from the concerned administrative authorities, the company has partially resumed the operations at its plants located at Goa and Vadodara in a phased manner," the company said in a regulatory filing.Earlier, in February and March, the Indian appliances and consumer electronics industry was battling for components as it is largely dependent on China for the sourcing of components and some of the finished goods.According to a study by the industry body Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) and Frost &amp; Sullivan, the industry had a total market size of Rs 76,400 crore in 2018-19. KRH RKL MKJ

Appliance, consumer electronics makers look at production resumption after lockdown lifted

(Eds: Recasting overnight story) New Delhi, Apr 22 () Many appliances and consumer durables manufacturers have decided not to resume manufacturing despite the government relaxing certain guidelines for industries to operate in lockdown 2.0, preferring to wait till the curbs are fully lifted. Companies like Panasonic India, Godrej Appliances, Dixon Technologies and Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd said with retail outlets shut there is no point to start production as there is existing unsold inventory of March at warehouses and dealers. Moreover, in certain states like Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and some districts like Noida of Uttar Pradesh, local authorities and governments decided not to allow any manufacturing activities. According to Panasonic India, the company would wait to start production until a favourable market condition returns. "As our factory in Jhajhar, Haryana is in the green zone, we are engaging with the local authorities for permission to start manufacturing in the near future. The issue today is more on the demand side than supply, we have enough inventory with our distributors of our ACs and refrigerators to meet consumer demands," Panasonic India and South Asia President and CEO Manish Sharma told . The objective behind starting operations will be ensuring sustainability over longer term once markets are allowed to operate, he added. "We are prepared for staggered operations with workers coming in batches ensuring social distancing, frequent sanitizing, usage of masks among other initiatives to protect our workforce," Sharma explained. Expressing similar views, Godrej Appliances Business Head and EVP Kamal Nandi said, "Where will I ship my products? There are no retail activities on the ground and moreover, there is enough stocks available with the dealers. There is no point in production at this stage." Nandi said Godrej Appliances would like to wait till May 3, when the lockdown ends, to plan resumption of production as under the current guidelines it has to consider many factors, including accommodating staff at the plant. Companies like LG, Samsung, Dixon and smart phone makers Oppo and Vivo -- which have manufacturing units in industrial zones at Noida and Greater Noida -- have not resumed production as the district administration of Gautam Buddha Nagar has banned all commercial and industrial activities inside the districts. Dixon Technologies, India's largest contract manufacture in the appliance and consumer electronic, has also not started manufacturing at its units as it is still awaiting approvals. When asked whether the company has started its manufacturing operation, Dixon Technologies CMD Sunil Vachani said, "Not yet. We are waiting for the approvals from the Noida Authority." He further said, "Both of our units at Noida and Tirupati fall under red zone. So we are waiting for the approval. We are hoping it to be sooner than later." While, Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL), which manufactures TV under the brand name of Thomson and Kodak, said that the new guidelines should be realistic and helpful for the industry. "Currently, we are looking forward to the new notification by the Centre and the state governments and whatever norms the government has decided we will be happy to implement," SPPL CEO Avneet Singh Marwah said. He, however, said all "those notifications and norms should be realistic and the intention of the government should be to give permission to start the manufacturing sites". Meanwhile, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals said it has partially resumed its manufacturing at its plants. "… pursuant to the receipt of confirmation/ permission received from the concerned administrative authorities, the company has partially resumed the operations at its plants located at Goa and Vadodara in a phased manner," the company said in a regulatory filing. Earlier, in February and March, the Indian appliances and consumer electronics industry was battling for components as it is largely dependent on China for the sourcing of components and some of the finished goods. According to a study by the industry body Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) and Frost &amp; Sullivan, the industry had a total market size of Rs 76,400 crore in 2018-19. KRH RKL MKJ DRRDRR

Appliance, consumer electronics makers look at production resumption post lockdown

GST is a long-term vision and process but a step in the right direction. It is one of the biggest tax reforms that the country has seen since independence. The decision of ‘one country one tax’ is always beneficial for any country. For an economy where the volume of transactions is increasing through the digital mode, this move will certainly result in the increase of the GDP of the country. Although, debatable at this point, the inflation rate is also anticipated to decrease. However, if the inflation rate increases at this point, it will directly affect the consumer electronics industry of the country. Slow down Over the last half year, the consumer electronic industry has slowed down significantly due to demonization and will experience a further slow down due to GST. Not just the consumer electronics sector, this slow down just cost India the tag of the ‘fastest growing economy’. The March end growth figures are the lowest since the December quarter 2014. In June 2017, there has been a major slowdown in the manufacturing sector, where output generated is as low as 50%-60%. Most of the manufactures have closed down their plants on 27 June, only to re-open them, post the introduction of GST and attaining clarity on the working of the same. After-effects The price of television sets is set go up by 5-6 % from 1st July, with the GST council recommending a 28% tax on the same. Some players in the market have decided to wholeheartedly support their trade partners in this respect, as there will be an excise duty loss that will be faced by dealers/ distributors across the country. A heavy impact on sales for the first few months post GST is expected, but we are optimistic that once the festive season arrives, sales will pick up again. Government deferring filing of returns Delaying the filing of returns until September under the GST regime is a smart move, as this will give manufacturers time to settle down into the new format. These two months will be a teething period for everyone so that return filling and other nuances can be understood and are aligned in the system. On the other hand, there are less than a few hours to go before the GST rollout and the government is still clarifying details and working out the implementation as well as deciding on tax rates. Recently, the government announced deferment of filling to August and September, which raises a concern amongst businesses about the capability of the tax department of handling the implementation and the coordination of the smooth running of the system. Are you ready? While all revisions are underway, we feel that the vendors and suppliers are ready for GST. There is certainly a positive attitude towards the implementation in the trade, which is a good sign for the economy. The finance minister has confirmed on 21st of June that GST will roll out on July 1 which puts a rest to the speculation that there could be further delay and we are all geared up and focused for towards the change. The major concerns are for small scale businesses that may have to recruit people specially for GST. This will not be an easy task since to hire people, one must ensure that they are well versed with the system. Another concern is that from filing a return quarterly, the system will change to filling returns every month which will also amount to extra work as everyone is accustomed to a quarter closing in the country. Heavy Discount Currently, there is a lot of panic regarding GST as retailers are hoping to avoid building inventory that they will have to carry forward after 30th June. Bigger companies and brands are offering discounts, some to the tune of 40%, to liquidate their inventory as soon as possible, which poses great difficulty for affordable category brands, like ours. India has a phenomenally large rural market, where there is noticeable fear related to GST and where there is substantial speculation, therefore we have started educating our trade partners about the processes and roll out of GST and the consequences that retail and consumer electronics will face. Grey market and Tax evasion If we talk about LED TV’s in the affordable category, the most significant challenges being faced by them are fake products, grey or cash market. We may not discuss it openly, but this is certainly terminating our economy. There is a tax revenue loss of Rs.1500 to 2000 on each 32” set. This parallel market has been generating revenue to the tune of $1.5 billion and is growing at the rate of 25% per annum. As a result, many TV brands have had to shut down their operations in the past. These TV’s are declared at an erroneous rate of duty or at 50% under invoicing, due to the various loopholes in our system. If strict measures are not taken while implementing the GST, it could very well turn around to be the biggest tax loss to the country instead of the biggest tax to reform it. However, ‘One country one tax’ will lead to single taxation for supply of goods. The opportunity to conduct business will increase as there will be more accessibility to different parts of the country. Due to the multifaceted tax structure, small and middle scale businesses used to hesitate in conducting business deals with big houses or those located outside their immediate periphery. (This article has been contributed by Avneet Singh Marwah, Director and CEO of Super Plastronics, which is the Kodak TV Brand licensee partner in India)

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