Aiming European & US Markets For Exports: Vinaya Shetty, VP, Havells

Aiming European & US Markets For Exports: Vinaya Shetty, VP, Havells

How is Havells India performing in the country with its products?

Havells started its journey in the solar energy sector in the year 2016. We slowly progressed in operations like distribution and bagged several projects in the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) segment. We have performed exceptionally well in the last four to five years. We have grown at a rate of around 15%-20% in these years. We were able to reach out to a wide range of customers. 

How are you trying to tap the renewable market in the country?

Currently, we have some of the best solar modules for the Indian market. We also offer grid-tied inverters besides off-grid inverters. We have a complete turnkey solution for consumers ranging from engineering, construction, and final handover to consumers. We started Havells Enviro to take care of the turnkey services for our consumers. We offer services for individual consumers, C&I segments, and also for utility-scale projects. 

What is the USP that can give you an upper hand?

Many things go in favor of Hevells, which can keep us in the leading position. We have around 40 offices in India at strategic locations. We also have 11 warehouses and about 250 strongly supported support staff in the field. Our technology-rich modules and inverters also add up to our virtues. So, the kind of reach and service support we can offer is unparalleled. At a time when solar technology is penetrating the remote and rural pockets of India and small cities, our strong and robust network can help to take care of the demands of the customers. 

What are the main components a customer looks for from companies? 

Customers typically look for a one-stop shop where they are assured of quality and a good design. They also want an exemplary installation of projects, whether an individual household rooftop consumer or an C&I segment customer. They will always prefer interacting with one player for all their needs, like modules, installation and inverters, rather than running behind multiple players for different needs. At Havells, we can provide all of these at one single point. Customers meanwhile also look for better prices, sales, and service needs. Those who can do justice to them will always excel in the market. 

What plans do you have to diversify your products and expand your reach? 

We have great plans for our solar business at Havells. We anticipate a growth of around 15%-20% in the sector in the next few years. We have also launched a dual-mode micro-inverter to support the power needs of our consumers. The unique thing about this inverter is that it was manufactured at Havells. It has a patented design with four US patents. We have launched two models of this micro inverter-2M and 4M. They can switch between grid-tied to off-grid based on the availability of the grid. 

Do you have export expansion plans? 

Exports will be central to our solar business. The new products we launched have good potential for exports. Although the Indian market is vast, we are trying to cater to the local demands. We are also eyeing exports in the European and the US markets for our dual-mode micro inverters and grid-tied inverters. We have aligned with some of the best brands of technology. 

Watch the full video interview here-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8zBnaFxFIU&t=13s