Aims to strengthen Zebronics brand with products designed for Indian operating conditions and local consumer preferences
Top Notch Infotronix, India’s leading supplier of computer peripherals, consumer electronics and entertainment products under the brand ‘ZEBRONICS’, has set-up an in-house Research and Development Division. The Company, which has specialised in bringing quality products at value prices for the mass Indian market, aims to utilise the R&D Division to further strengthen its product portfolio, making it more consumer centric, suited to Indian operating conditions and user preferences.
The R&D Division has been structured as a separate unit, co-located at Zebronics headquarters in Chennai. Covering an area of 2,000 sq.ft., it has been equipped with dedicated labs covering 5 verticals – Audio Systems, Power Products, Computer Peripheral Products & Accessories, Telecom and Security Products. The Division is well-equipped with latest equipment and follows international norms and standards along with India’s new BIS initiative, in all test and development activities.
The R&D Division is headed by industry veteran Debu K Dasgupta, VP Technical at Top Notch. With his experience of over 30 years in the consumer electronics field and his technical background in electronics design and development from Japan, Dasgupta has been tasked with ensuring that the R&D team, currently with a strength of about 10 qualified members, works on test, evaluation and basic design for various product lines.
Commenting on the development, Rajesh Doshi, co-founder & Director of Top Notch said, “The time is ripe for investing in the country and we decided to start with strengthening the R&D dept as it will enable us to design products expressly to address the needs of our consumers who want the latest branded gadgets at a reasonable price point. At Zebronics we have consciously focused on this market segment as it is the fastest growing in the market.”
Elaborating on the specific role of the newly-formed R&D Division, Doshi said, “Up until now, our focus in pre-sales was on product testing and quality control. However, we have now decided to go a step further and design products to meet the aspirations and needs of our customers. Our designs will be based on Indian consumer preferences in terms of both aesthetics and styling as well as technologically suited to local usage conditions. Once we have our own designs, we can get our empanelled OEMs to manufacture to our specifications. We will be giving the OEMs, the design parameters to which we want them to conform.” The R&D initiative will also help Zebronics in reinforcing its brand differenciation and uniqueness, among the value-conscious consumer segment, according to Doshi.
To cater to Zebronics increasing focus and market coverage in speakers and sound systems, the R&D Center has a dedicated Audio Lab, equipped with specific instruments for testing all parameters of audio systems – from sound spectrum performance analysis to power bandwidths. The Lab has its own Acoustic Listening Room for real-time tests and evaluation of Zebronics Speaker Systems, as well as a AutoCAD measurements test bench to ensure that all mechanical parameters are within design limits as specified for each product line.
The Power Products Application Lab will oversee the design and testing of all Zebronics power products including UPS/ATX SMPS power supplies, laptop adaptors, power banks etc. The Lab has defined India-specific protocols for all power products taking into consideration the extreme conditions of India such as power fluctuations and extreme climate conditions. With internet access via Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and GSM devices becoming mainline in the country, a dedicated lab for developing Telecom and Security Products has also been incorporated in the new R&D Division. A technical communications desk will coordinate between the R&D and all business development teams as well as Zebronics vendors and empanelled manufacturing facilities (located both in India and overseas), and maintain data, reports and records for all tests.
