25 March 2021, New Delhi, IN: Honda India Power Products Limited(HIPP) has completed 35 years of its operations in India. During the course of this journey, HIPPhas gained 5 million customers in India and overseas.
It is one of the first Japanese conglomerates to enter the Indian market in 1985 and thereby contributed to strengthening economic relations between India & Japan. Since inception, the company has been providing innovative, eco-friendly & best-in-class products to its customers across India in the field of power backup, agriculture & construction.
In conversation with Mr. Vijay Upreti, Senior Vice President – Marketing & Sales, Honda India Power Products Ltd., below Q&A discusses more about the company’s performance, its Make in India strategy, utilization of technology and plan for 2021.
Mr. Vijay Upreti, Senior Vice President – Marketing & Sales, Honda India Power Products Ltd.
Q1. How was the year 2020 for Honda India Power Products when compared to Indian Agriculture Equipment Market ?(Product launches, Segment Growth, Revenue, Market Share, Future product strategy).
Mr. Vijay Upreti: The entire COVID-19 situation has been unprecedented which nobody could have foreseen or prepared for. It caused us to evaluate how we operate so, in a way, it gave us an opportunity to reform and innovate to better suit the new-normal.
Like everyone else, we have had our share of highs and lows in the year gone by. Initially, the effects of pandemic were alarming, leaving operations at our Greater Noida manufacturing facility suspended for almost two months. Then with some careful steps and out of the box thinking by our Honda associates, we were able to swing back into action.
Despite all the challenges, we were able to achieve some significant business outcomes in the year 2020. We were first in the industry to launch a 1.3 hp 4-stroke backpack brush cutter in the Indian market thereby offering Honda’s legendary 4-stroke technology providing unmatched fuel efficiency and working efficiency to the Indian customers.
HIPP crossed 5-million-unit sales milestone in Year 2020, which also marked the completion of 35-years of successful business operations in India, trust reposed by our valued customers in these years inspires us to strive harder to meet their expectations in the rapidly changing business environment.
We are committed to bringing joys in the lives of our valued customers in line with our vision of “Empower People, To Do Better!”
Q2. Technology became a big game changer during the pandemic. How did your company utilize technology to stay afloat ?
Mr. Vijay Upreti: At HIPP, we have been always proactive to introduce latest technologies and process’ in our daily work areas to enhance efficiency while maintaining seamless workflow. With the unravelling pandemic and ensuing restrictions in normal ways of doing business, we started to engage with our associates and channel partners on various digital platforms regularly to maintain continuity of business. We have also strengthened our online presence through our Website and Social media handles and have made efforts to make our products available through the “e-Commerce” platform to our customers thereby offering them the convenience to shop for our products online.
Q3. Since the Indian government is focussed on Make-In-India, how is Honda India Power Products adapting to the scenario ?
Mr. Vijay Upreti: Honda India power products Ltd is engaged in manufacturing and distribution of world class power products since 1985. With its ‘State-of-the-Art’ manufacturing plant at Greater Noida, Company Area Offices at 16 locations across India and a carefully nurtured sales & service network of over 600 dealers pan India, we are very well positioned to produce World class products for a worldwide customer base. We source nearly 70% of the raw material locally and are making concrete efforts to indigenize critical components via technology transfer, skill upgradation of local supply chain and manpower. Today, we export ‘Made in India’ products to over 60 countries including the developed markets like the USA, Europe & Japan.
Q4. What is Honda India Power Product Ltd planning for the Indian market in 2021? Also tell us about your forecast for the agriculture industry in 2021.
Mr. Vijay Upreti: We have seen that Indian economy is recovering well with Q3 results showing growth, we expect this trend to further consolidate in the coming year. Based on our research and understanding of the Indian markets, we have planned for introduction of new technologies and products focussing on the diverse Indian agriculture market. In line with the customer expectation for light weight yet powerful solution for their daily needs we are now in the final stages of preparation for launch of an array of products meeting different usage and applications in Indian agriculture.
