Lenovo mulls its branded products in India

Lenovo is contemplating on launching its branded products in India. The
company has set up an internal committee codenamed 'Project Monsoon', which
is evaluating the current scenario in India. Based on the evaluation, Lenovo
would work out the types of products to be launched and the timeframe for the
India market.

The vendor is betting for high growth as in the future, India would show a
better growth rate than developed markets like the US and Europe. With
innovation as its mantra for success, the company believes in launching products
not based on price points only, but also based on the cultural fit for the
country.

According to Lenovo Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer, Deepak Advani,
features like one key Internet access, options of decreasing the processor speed
for lower computing needs and resetting of the old layout on the computer with
the press of a button are Lenovo's strong points, which could be leveraged by
the company to penetrate the Indian PC market. According to the company, it has
been a smooth transition from IBM to Lenovo.

The IBM channel network and sales teams now with Lenovo will be leveraged to
ensure a seamless supply chain transition. IBM Business Partners (BPs) will now
be Lenovo Business Partners (BPs). Deepak said, "Initially, Lenovo will
market products with both IBM - including Think-branded PCs - and Lenovo
branding. We will build upon the innovation, leadership and quality attributes
that have helped define each organization and what they stand for today. To keep
Lenovo at the forefront of PC innovation, the development, engineering and
design capabilities from IBM's PC Division will become part of Lenovo."

After deciding on when to enter India, the company would also formulate its
channel policy — whether it would use IBM's channel base or build its
separate channel force. The company has earmarked a sum of $200 million for
worldwide marketing and branding exercise.

The company is also looking at a Center of Excellence in Bangalore and is
looking at further leveraging the skills and knowledge base in the Bangalore
center.

PRAGATI SIMLOTE