LED World catches up with Surya Roshni’s managing director- B. Raju to find out how the LED industry in India is shaping up and the company’s role in the LED business.
LW: What do you think of the future of the LED market in India?
B. Raju: I strongly believe that this emerging technology has a bright future in India. I feel that this market may grow at a rate of 40 to 45 per cent. What is heartwarming in this connection is the fact that consumers have started switching over to this segment. Of course, the growth of this market will remain technology-driven. Our focus has been to educate consumers and promote sustainable energy-efficient products so as to derive a competitive advantage and value enhancement for our channel partners.
LW: What is the current state of the Indian LED Lighting Market? What according to you are its future growth prospects?
B. Raju: The LED market is already growing at a robust pace over the last 2-3 years. The country offers huge growth potential, especially over the next 5-10 years. Increasing adoption of LED lighting is being witnessed across commercial and residential sectors, public sector projects, smart city projects, etc. In addition, growing awareness among consumers on account of awareness programs by manufacturers and regulatory bodies is expected to play a vital role in shaping the country’s LED market over the next five years. Based on these factors, the LED lighting market in the country is anticipated to grow robustly through 2020. The future growth prospects are that in India’s emerging consumer market, rapid economic growth, escalating population, rural electrification programs, urbanization, and mega urban projects.
LW: What will be the company’s major growth drivers in the coming years?
B. Raju: Our major growth drivers will be our lighting business and super-efficient & 5 star fans businesses, which will increase due to penetration of LED and energy-efficient fans, and focus on energy-efficiency. LED is an evolving technology and in the coming years, it will find its own space on account of energy-efficiency, long life and overall cost effectiveness. The focus on energy-efficiency by the government and the work being done by EESL are fuelling this sector’s growth. We ensure that LEDs manufactured by us are energy-efficient with extremely low maintenance costs and provide assurance of impressive life spans.
LW: What is the share of lighting business in the company’s overall revenue? And how much is the contribution from LED lighting in particular?
B. Raju: In the company’s overall revenue of Rs 3000 crore, the share of lighting business stands over 48% at Rs 1,448 crore. The contribution of LED lighting in lighting business is Rs 350 crore, which is almost 25%.
LW: Which countries are you exporting LED lighting products to?
B. Raju: The Company is exporting conventional lighting products to over 15 countries for the last 30 years, whereas, the export business in the LED segment has just started but this shall certainly increase in coming years. We are exploring the possibility of exporting LED Lighting products to our present export customers.
LW: Could you please tell us about your R&D facility?
B. Raju: Counted amongst one of the top lighting R&D centres in India, the Surya Technology and Innovation Centre (STIC) at Noida caters to Photometric, Electrical, Mechanical, Environmental, and Endurance test requirements for development of latest generation energy-saving luminaires. Additionally, the STIC is also being used to carry out Photometric Optical Testing of the luminaire for quality control. STIC houses the Mirror Goniophotometer from LMT, Germany, an equipment for precise and accurate measurement of the distribution of light in the lamps, luminaires and LED chips, which can be found in technological centres of some of the leading lighting companies in the world. STIC has approvals from DSIR, Govt. of India and NABL.
LW: Are you developing any new products?
B. Raju: We have developed new products such as Eco Halogen GLS lamps and LED Filament lamps. Our company has taken initiatives with respect to capacity expansion to cater to European and Latin American markets. We have also installed a separate machine to manufacture these types of lamps in our facility. In our upcoming range of LED lighting, we are introducing new streetlights, floodlights, COB down lighters and emergency lights. We are coming up with new 50 SKU before Diwali.
