BPL Rise N Fall Down

BPL has a pioneering legacy in Indian electronic industry. In 1963, BPL came into being in collaboration with the erstwhile British Physical Laboratories, UK, to manufacture hermetically sealed panel meters. It was a small beginning. In a few years BPL ventured into medical electronics and then test & measuring instruments. In 1968 BPL introduced India’s Indigenously built first ECG machine – the Cardiart T108. It instilled confidence that with ingenuity and commitment we can match the best in the world. It showed the way for bigger things to come.

In the 1970s, BPL began catering to national power grids with Power-line Carrier Communication systems. In the first two decades of its existence BPL was a brand built on its technological strength in professional electronic products. In the 1980s, BPL forayed into consumer electronics. Soon BPL became a trusted household brand reputed for its wide range of reliable products that included entertainment and leisure products such as colour TVs, music systems and video players, and home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and microwave ovens.

Meanwhile, extending its expertise into telecom, BPL started making EPBAX and telephone instruments. In the 1990s BPL expanded its footprint to include mobile telephony services with BPL Mobile. The company also started manufacture of alkaline batteries and indigenous manufacture of CRT for TVs. With relentless commitment BPL became recognized as the market benchmark for new age technology and digital concepts, superior product quality, and easily accessible service. This ensured loyal customers and nationwide acclaim in the industry.

BPL carved itself a place in over 20 million homes and hearts. Looking at the future BPL will make a sustainable difference in peoples lives, be it with affordable yet reliable LED lighting system for homes at the bottom of the pyramid, with medical equipment for growing need for primary healthcare or by making life enjoyable and safe with lifestyle enhancement products. Fall of bpl Sanyo was surprised BPL was not seeking the kits like every other company, but was asking for transfer of technology to fully manufacture TVs in India, Nambiar said in an email to Mint.

That was a tall task considering India had practically no local vendors to supply most of the components needed to make colour TVs, which was something BPL set out to do. But the entry of LG and Samsung meant serious competition. “The Koreans, with their relentless focus on customizing products for the local market, cost-cutting and global volumes had a huge edge,” said a former BPL group senior executive who did not want to be identified. “Why, the Koreans have even dethroned the Japanese globally. Today, Samsung which initially copied from Sony, is larger than that firm. ”