A tremor in Japan, the onslaught of foreign brands in India, and a discord within the Nambiar family knocked down consumer electronics giant BPL. Now, scion Ajit Nambiar is plotting a quiet revival.
LifePhone+, a health and fitness monitoring device manufactured by BPL Medical Technologies, is just about the size and weight of a smartphone. Its uses range from monitoring cardiovascular health to recording blood sugar levels. A companion smartphone app, also built by the company, stores the medical records on the cloud, enabling a panel of doctors to keep round-the-clock watch on patients and arrange for medical aid if required.
The instrument is one of a carefully chosen, tightly integrated set of medical devices that Ajit Nambiar, chairman and managing director of BPL Ltd, is betting on to resurrect the glory of his family business, started by father TP Gopalan Nambiar, or TPG as he is popularly known.
Those old enough to have memories of life in the 1990s can quickly recall the brand name BPL. Most middle-class homes had at least one BPL consumer device—a television set, a stereo or a refrigerator—that the company built in partnership with Japan’s Sanyo Electric.
Once among India’s largest consumer electronics players, BPL started life as a small supplier of precision panels to the armed forces in 1963 from Kerala’s Palakkad district. Over the next few decades, the group diversified into medical devices, consumer electronics and eventually telecom.
At its peak, in the late ’90s, TPG presided over a group that garnered annual revenues of Rs 4,300 crore, owned 25 factories in India and abroad, and was selling over a million colour television sets every year, and even exporting to Europe.
In 1999, TPG passed on the baton to Ajit Nambiar, who took over as chairman and managing director of BPL Limited.
The deluge began in 2004 when an earthquake destroyed Sanyo’s semiconductor plant in Japan, severely crippling its business. The financial tremors were felt in India too, and the company’s joint venture with BPL was wound up in 2007.
This story is from the March 31, 2017 edition of Forbes India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 31, 2017 edition of Forbes India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure
Living Waters
A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet
