Going from Strength to Strength By Suraksha Adhikari A manufacturer of quality products for decades, Him Electronics is now strengthening its brand to enter new domains Bhaskar Munankarmi Assistant Manager Him Electronics Pvt Ltd Him Electronics Pvt Ltd was established in 1988 as a Consumer Electronics (CE) distributor in Nepal. A sister-concern of the Golchha Organisation, it is today the largest dealership and manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country. The company was established with the technical assistance of Sanyo Electrical Co Ltd and the Himstar brand was subsequently introduced with black and white televisions. Since then, the range of products offered by the brand has grown to cover some home appliances as well. The brand name ‘Himstar’ was kept so as to keep uniform and associated with the company Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. “The logo has a star in it, combined with yellow, black and white colours which are quite visible and justifies our motto of creating brand visibility,” says Bhaskar Munankarmi, Assistant Manager at Him Electronics Pvt Ltd. In the initial phase, the company focused on electric products like CFL, after which it gradually shifted to consumer electronics. “We have a variety of products and they are popular not just due to our reasonable price but also for our prompt service, after sales facility and best quality material,” claims Munankarmi. With more than 250 employees at present, the company’s popularity has risen gradually. “This has not been an overnight success - our patience and hard work has led us to our present position.” Him Electronics did not have a strong dealership network to begin with and had fewer portfolios in the market but it strengthened its network and added goods which led it to become a recognised brand. “Ever since the establishment of the company, continued effort was put in to provide better, efficient and prompt after sales service which has reinstated the service motive stronger than before,” Munankarmi explains. Initially focusing on the production of televisions, the company expanded its service to the production of electronic products keeping in mind the increasing requirements of customers today. This helped widen its scope and popularity in the last two decades. The company’s products were targeted to a middle class market that desired quality products at an affordable price, and it claims that it is the most affordable brand with good quality for middle class consumers. With 250 employees and 300 dealers across the country, the company is currently providing its services in Birtamod, Itahari, Biratnagar, Lahan, Janakpur, Birgunj, Narayanghat, Butwal, Pokhara, Dang, Nepalgunj and Dhangadi besides the Kathmandu Valley. “We have not planned to enter the international market as currently our focus is to cover the national market successfully,” states Munankarmi. With a strong market presence despite tough competition, the Himstar group believes that it has proven that brand issues come second to quality. “Despite well established competitors including CG, Videocon, Sony and Whirlpool, our quality products have maintained a good name in the mind of the consumer,” says Munankarmi. Himstar’s market share is approximately 18 per cent but the company aims to increase the number to 25 per cent in upcoming years for which a range of products are being marketed aggressively, according to Munankarmi. The list so far includes televisions, audio/video systems, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, wrist watches, CFLs, circuit breakers and more. Along with these, the company is planning to provide a complete package of home appliances as they are preparing to penetrate the upper middle class market by tailoring its products according to demand. Focusing on strengthening its brand to enter this new turf, Him Electronics continues to maintain an incremental rate of profit of 20-25 per cent each year as a key part of its market strategy.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 08:57:25 +0000