TVSE Modifies Proton, Plans Phased All-India Launch

Realizing that the Proton printer would have to be modified to be a success,
Chennai-based TVS Electronics relaunched the new product in Mumbai on May 9. Zia
Askari of Cyber News Service spoke to TVS Electronics printers group product
manager Mahadevan NV about Proton’s acceptance in the market and the company’s
plans for a phased launch in India.

l What
went wrong with Proton the first time around and when did you realize that you
needed to modify the product?

TVS Proton was designed in India for the world market. Certain prerequisites
were speed, lower operational cost, ease of use and modern and progressive
features. When we soft-launched the product in select locations to test first
reactions, the response indicated that the printer would be the rage of the
market. The product proved to be excellent as it fulfilled the rudimentary
elements of speed, cost, ease of use and looks.

However, the initial success also had another impact. For instance, based on
the trends prevalent at the time Proton was launched, TVSE used a USB port in
the printer. Since it was a major hit, TVS Proton was used for a wide variety of
applications, some of which were not USB ready and needed installation support.
This was provided through our service partners. Thus, the need was felt to
incorporate some changes to enable the printer to carry out additional
applications.

l What are the prime changes
that you have incorporated in the latest version of Proton?

The new TVS Proton is now completely "Plug & Play" with a
standard parallel port configuration. We are certain that our customers will
find it much easier to install and operate.

l What was the response to the
Mumbai launch of the product?

The response has been extremely good. We have sold close to 850 printers
since the launch in early May. The initial response from users has also been
extremely satisfying.

l When are you going to launch
the product in the Hyderabad market?

We are planning to launch TVS Proton in a phased manner all across the
country. For our customers in Hyderabad, who have the pre-USB Proton, we have
already arranged for replacements though I cannot say by when exactly the new
Proton will be launched in the city.

l After this experience, what
do you feel should be done to ensure that this kind of situation doesn’t
recur? Are you going to increase R&D efforts to ensure this?

TVS Proton’s features have been designed with the feedback given by our
customers. We will continue to fine-tune the product as and when required.
Moreover, we will carry on with our efforts to provide intensive training to
service partners and also work with a large number of software providers. As far
as R&D is concerned, we have a very young and talented team, which can react
to market needs in double quick time.

l Where else will Proton’s
latest avatar be launched?

It will be launched all over India. We are also taking TVS Proton across the
world, and there are plans afoot to tie up with some global partners.

ZIA ASKARI

CNS