India to be a global hub of superior LED products

With the country's overall lighting market valued at Rs 100 billion currently, there is ample room for further growth in the LED segment, says Rakesh Zutshi, President, Electric Lamp and Component Manufacturers' Association of India (ELCOMA) & Managing Director, Halonix Technologies. What prompted Halonix to enter the LED business? Understanding the potential of the LED sector and anticipating good growth in demand, Halonix Technologies entered the business early on, aiming to be a part of the LED revolution. Ever since, we have put together a large network of distributors and dealerships across India to ensure that our customers get their queries and requirements addressed expeditiously. As per our vision, this is the most effective way to strengthen the market, as prompt post-sales service is essential for complete customer satisfaction. Halonix offers time-tested and reliable LED lighting products that conform to all safety and performance criteria. What are some of the potential drivers that will boost the adoption of LED lighting in the coming years? High energy savings, longer life, lower energy costs, modular designs, and ease of use are some of the potential drivers that will boost the adoption of LED lighting in the coming years. The government is also doing a commendable job in promoting this segment by introducing many schemes like distribution of LED bulbs under Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) and National Programme for LED-based home and street lighting, to different parts of the country including rural areas. Consequently, the demand for LED is growing at a robust pace in all these markets. At the Electric Lamp and Component Manufacturers' Association (ELCOMA) India we are committed to fulfilling this swift growth in demand. Simultaneously, we are also working towards transforming India into a global manufacturing hub of not only superior but also economic LED products. What kind of opportunities do you foresee emerging in the LED segment over the next two years? LED lighting market in India was projected to register a CAGR of over 30 per cent during the period 2016û21. In view of this, we expect the LED segment to grow between 40û45 per cent over the next two years. The ever-widening gap between electricity generation and demand in the country has fuelled the growth of energy-efficient LED lighting. The lighting market in India is worth over Rs 100 billion, and a major proportion of the demand is in the LED segment. Of course, that represents a huge opportunity for growth. Can you elaborate on the kind of government projects your company has participated in till now? Halonix Technologies has embarked on a mission to create a robust ecosystem for the manufacture of LED lighting solutions and add wings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious Make in India programme. Halonix is pushing the credo of Make in India through its state-of-art manufacturing facility at Haridwar. Moreover, Halonix takes immense pride in illuminating the country’s largest tricolour on its tallest flagpole at Attari near the India–Pakistan border. We are already supplying LED street lights to rural India. Halonix also plans to play a key role in supplying its lighting solutions for the smart cities project. We are also suppliers of LED lights to the Indian Railways, Airports Authority of India (AAI), state-owned enterprises, and municipal corporations. As a part of our CSR initiative, we recently participated in a campaign on women’s safety, under which we contributed to illuminating various dark spots in the Delhi NCR. How important is R & D to Halonix? The success of Halonix has been built on the back of its ability to develop, test, and deploy lighting solutions, relevant and suitable for the Indian conditions. It is only due to our keen focus on innovation and quality control that the brand has widely come to be accepted all over India by retail consumers and businesses alike. We already have a state-of-art production and testing facility. Moreover, we are among the very few companies in India to have a laboratory approved by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) within our manufacturing facility, where a highly-skilled team tests and develops products tailormade for India. What new products do you propose to launch this year and do you have plans to diversify into other segments as well? We have diversified in the smart lighting segment and have lined up a large number of new products to be launched this year. By offering state-of-art smart street lighting solutions to urban areas, we are contributing our bit to making India a nation of truly smart cities. - Manish Pant