Home automation mkt poised to grow 10 folds in next 10-15 yrs

When the automation industry first emerged, automation solutions were only seen in the homes of the very wealthy. Today, as the sector has grown in prominence in the market and have reached a point where purchasing technology has become more affordable, there has been an increased growth of multiple companies in the market. Moreover, automation brings a diverse range of possibilities to the market, offering opportunities to the consumers to try out new features for the perfect ambience, comfort, and luxury in their homes. Alok Hada, Director, Anusha Technovision Pvt Ltd, in an exclusive interview with BIZZ BUZZ gives insights about his home automation company and its prospects

How has the company evolved?

With over 19 years of experience in automation solutions, Anusha Technovision Pvt Ltd (ATPL) began with an aim to enrich people's lives by delivering automation and lighting control systems to varied segments of the industry. Our dynamic and passionate technology-driven company seeks to provide customized lighting controls, automation and AV solutions across verticals in commercial, hospitality, and residential industries. With an aim to ease your life through technology, our goal is to ensure convenience, comfort and total control through our services. From being a company that specialized only in lighting controls to a company that now provides complete home automation solutions such as motorized shades, audio and video systems, security and WiFi solutions, home theatre solutions, the growing journey has been one of embracing new technologies.

Have your products been first in the marketplace?

Having served more than 300 customers in the country for over 19 years, our sole focus is to provide our clients with quality products. When we started as a company, lighting controls were very new to the Indian market. It took some years to get people to believe in our products and buy into the concept of automation in hospitality and residential projects. With changing times, we endeavour to provide up-to-date technologies. As a widely trusted brand for its quality, we aim to bring more automation solutions from across the world to serve the customers. Additionally, we have also been a recipient of the Lutron top performer all India award for our sales, service and growth of up-to-date Lutron products for the last seven years in a row.

What is the future of smart homes in India?

When the automation industry first emerged, automation solutions were only seen in the homes of the very wealthy. Today, as the sector has grown in prominence in the market and we have reached a point where purchasing technology has become more affordable, there has been an increased growth of multiple companies in the market that offer. Moreover, automation brings a diverse range of possibilities to the market, offering opportunities to the consumers to try out new features for the perfect ambience, comfort, and luxury in their homes. This further increases the demand, which also includes opportunities for energy-efficient solutions in houses. As the India growth story reaches major districts all over India, so does the prospect of home automation. We firmly believe that we have just scratched the surface.

What are the key conveniences customers are looking for in a smart home?

Comfort, convenience and luxury are always prioritized by the customer when it comes to their home interiors. Smart home technology is no longer a niche but is becoming the standard to serve all needs. Customers opt for smart solutions so that they can control the lights, HVAC, blinds, shades, music, security systems, etc., using their smartphones or an easy-to-use keypad from anywhere in the house. As centralized home control technology continues to evolve, it presents a very exciting opportunity for a home system to be fully integrated into one device. One can also watch movies and listen to music anywhere in the house with the push of a button that can be controlled from anywhere in the house. Automation also enhances the aesthetics with the use of different light levels that quickly change the atmosphere. Consumers also prioritize smart security systems to ensure safety in their homes.

What according to you defines a smart home?

Smart home technology is one of the most impactful innovations of the current time. As central home control technology continues to advance, it provides exciting opportunities for complete home integration into a single control system. With the number of products increasing every day, smart home automation is applicable to many areas of homes. A smart home not only provides convenience and comfort within the home, but also allows residents to operate their home from afar. The home equipped with smart technology enables the users to control their house environment even from their offices using their smartphones, especially when they have missed turning off their lights, fans, HVAC, etc. This proves extremely beneficial to saving energy and going sustainable.

What kind of footprint does your company have in India?

With offices and employees in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Pune, ATPL has its presence throughout India, serving a wide range of project typologies. With our wide range of automation services, we have served more than 300 customers throughout the country. ATPL has been the winner of the Lutron top performer all India award consecutively for seven years, i.e., from 2014 to 2020. Our advancement in the latest technologies in the smart system, like Lutron lighting control systems (USA) and Crestron automation systems (USA), has made us a pioneer in serving customers in India looking for automation solutions.

How big do you reckon the Indian market is?

The Automation Industry being relatively new, is very small compared to, say, the lighting industry or the much bigger electrical products industry. In my view and estimate, the current size in terms of turnover of the various companies engaged in this business would not probably exceed Rs 500 crores today. However, it does have the potential to grow over ten fold in the next 10-15 years.

How big is your push towards exports?

We are system integrators and hence, not really exporting material. The few jobs that we have done outside the country (mainly Nepal and Africa) have been where the client had an Indian connection and wanted us to sell and install the automation systems.

How do you plan to grow the market?

There are two ways to grow the market - one via the 'specifiers', namely the architects and the consultants, where our endeavour has been to inform, educate, and help the 'influencers' adopt the automation technology into their projects. This has been our primary means of growth as these specifiers, in turn, help overcome the hesitation in the end users to go for automation. The second method is to go directly to the end-users such as hotel owners (for their hotels) and homeowners via the trade magazines, industry exhibitions and mainly through the existing users spreading the word to their friends and family. In addition, we continue to add our presence in more and more geographical locations across the country.

Do you see a big enough market for your kind of products with price change?

The one thing that has happened in the last ten years is that the buying power of the upper class and upper-middle class has increased in general, which has increased the aspiration among the growing affluent consumers in not just the main metros, but all the major cities. Since different companies have also brought out products that cater to almost all market segments, there is a product for all price ranges.