Optoma Bullish About India Market

Optoma Technologies is a name to reckon with, when it comes to visual solutions in India as well as the world. VARINDIA talks to GORDON WU, VICE PRESIDENT, APAC and CHINA, OPTOMA, and VIJAY SHARMA, MD, OPTOMA TECHNOLOGIES INDIA, to know about the company’s offerings, key verticals, channel partners and vision for the India market.

Gordon Wu  
Vice President, APAC and China, Optoma

Making its presence felt
Optoma Technologies has come a long way in recent years, with its range of products in the ‘visual solutions’ category. Gordon Wu says, “Optoma has been specializing in visual solutions for over 20 years and is recognized as one of the world's leading projector brands. However, we’re not contented with just that. In recent years, we've expanded our product range to include Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs) and all-in-one LEDs. We are also dedicated to software development, with offerings like Optoma Solutions Suite (OSS) for education and Optoma Management Suite (OMS) for the AV industry.”

A bigger plan ahead
The company now has a bigger plan to provide a complete ecosystem for visual solutions and enhance the customer experience. Gordon elucidates, “In 2024, our goal is not only to grow our projector business but to also provide a complete ecosystem of visual solutions, integrating both hardware and software. Our hardware offerings include projectors and all-in-one LEDs, while our software solutions, such as OMS and OSS, focus on enhancing the overall customer experience through cutting-edge technology.”
“Additionally, we aim to build an ecosystem that supports a variety of applications, including houses of worship, exhibitions, museums, and cultural tourism. In education, our OSS software specializes in collaboration tools, and we see immense growth potential in the Indian education sector, with emerging technologies like 3D, AI, and immersive content playing a key role,” he says.

Gung-ho about India market
Gordon is quite excited about the India market and the opportunities it offers in the visual solutions segment. He says, “The demand for more immersive experiences is driving the need for high-brightness projectors, such as 20,000 to 30,000-lumen models, along with advancements in LED technology. We plan to launch a new all-in-one LED solution next year, further expanding our offerings and providing total solutions to our customers.” “As India is one of the fastest-growing markets globally, we have established a legal entity and opened our first office in Delhi to better serve local customers with a personalized touch. Looking ahead, we plan to open more offices across India, as Delhi is just the beginning. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and committed to delivering the best customer experience possible,” Gordon adds.

Vijay Sharma  
Managing Director, Optoma Technologies India

Channel partners vital for growth
Vijay Sharma is quite optimistic about the channel partners and their contribution to Optoma in India. He highlights, “Channel partners are a vital part of the Optoma family and act as our extended arm. To support them effectively, we have implemented policies designed to be mutually beneficial. One of these initiatives, introduced last quarter, rewards partners with extra incentives based on their purchases and the targets we set for them. This is just the beginning, and we plan to build on this program in the coming quarters and years.”

“As Optoma evolves with new product lineups and rapidly-advancing technologies, we ensure that our partners are trained and skilled to sell our solutions. Our in-house training team regularly organizes training sessions for partners and their technical teams, not only in India but across the South Asian market. These sessions take place every month and every quarter to keep partners updated on Optoma's latest offerings,” he underscores.

Education, a key focus among verticals
Vijay says, education is a key focus for Optoma, in terms of verticals, particularly in higher education and K-12. “We have introduced Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs) accompanying software solutions like OMS and OSS, which are essential for modern teaching methodologies. These tools integrate seamlessly with our hardware, meeting the needs of schools and higher education institutions. For example, we recently launched ‘high-brightness’ projectors, including our new laser series, to cater to this growing demand. Schools are upgrading from older setups to more advanced ones, like Ashoka University, which replaced its older lamp projectors with our latest 5,500-lumen laser projectors and high-brightness models for their auditorium,” he highlights.

He further says, they are also actively engaging with industry players by participating in exhibitions like Worlddidac and the World Education Forum, alongside their distributors and partners. “Through these events, we showcase our latest solutions and maintain our presence in the relevant markets, educating system integrators and channel partners,” he notes.
Policies among the best

Vijay believes the policies they have in place for the business partners are among the best in the industry. “In today's competitive market, price is not the only consideration — it is also crucial to protect the interests of our channel partners. We ensure that when partners sell Optoma products, their margins are secured. One of our key practices is "case locking," where partners share their cases with us, and we take responsibility for protecting them, ensuring there is no leakage,” he emphasizes.