NEW DELHI: Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd<\/a>, brand licensee for US-based brand Kodak smart TVs<\/a> in India, is investing Rs 300 crore to set up its research and development (R&D) facility in Hapur, UP to strengthen its software capabilities.
The center is expected to be operational by the end of 2021, Avneet Singh Marwah<\/a>, Director and CEO of Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd told ET. \"We got the land from the UP government. We will be hiring new engineers for Android<\/a> along with sound engineers. There will be a lot of other teams which will work on chipsets and coding.\"
With the investment, Marwah said that the company is trying to avoid making the mistake which Indian handset vendors made. \"We are investing in R&D to take control over the product quality which will help us compete with other brands.\"
Marwah said that the Kodak<\/a> brand grew 100% in 2020 due to the anti-China sentiment in the market. \"...we saw a sudden spike as consumers started liking Indian brands. We saw 100% revenue growth.\"
He, however, added that there's a slowdown in the market due to the panel price increase<\/a> globally. \"We want to maintain the growth this year, but it is difficult seeing the price increase.\"
The company sells half a million TV units in the country, which it expects to double by next year. \"Our new plant is coming up and the investment is already underway. It will help us scale production.\"
The company last year announced its investment worth Rs 500 crore in the next three years to set up a fully automated TV manufacturing plant at Hapur.
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