|
|
|
Hybrid work is here to stay even if things turn normal: HP India Head
|
|
|
|
Top Stories |
 |
|
|
|
Nishant Arora | 28 Dec, 2021
As countries reopen after navigating a long spell of the Covid-19
pandemic, the world will never be the same again in terms of people
going back to offices -- even if things come back to normal -- and
hybrid work is going to stay with us, says Ketan Patel, Managing
Director, HP India market.
India has millions of flexible workers
(and the pandemic has created millions more) who will now be working
from home, or from anywhere going forward.
"The world will remain
in the hybrid mode, irrespective of the new Omicron strain. I think one
thing people have realised -- large customers, small customers or
educators -- that there is a huge productivity opportunity from working
from home or working from anywhere which they don't want to miss," Patel
told IANS.
The global supply chain is currently facing
disruption owing to the pandemic and several industries -- from
automakers to smartphone manufacturers -- are bearing the brunt.
According
to Patel, the supply chain threat will always loom in the new normal
and "we have to be continuously checking how the situation is emerging
and setting expectations with our customers."
"Since a lot of our
customers need a lot of our devices for their business continuity
plans, we are very mindful that without their devices, their business
and their entire productivity can be at risk," Patel said.
"We
are working very closely with our customers to continuously communicate
to them, doing advanced planning with them and have a cushion in our
supply chain so that their productivity doesn't get impacted," he
elaborated.
Hybrid workplace is going to fuel growth categories like computing and home printing products.
According
to Gartner, the worldwide PC shipments totalled 84.1 million units in
the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 1 per cent from the third
quarter of 2020.
As Covid-19 vaccines become more widely
available, consumer and educational spending began to shift away from
PCs to other priorities, slowing momentum in the market, said the market
research firm.
The Indian PC market (inclusive of desktops,
laptops, and workstations) also reported an all-time high shipment
record of 4.5 million units in Q3, according to International Data
Corporation (IDC).
HP maintained its lead in the overall PC
category in India during the period, with over a million shipments in
the domestic market.
According to Patel, the company is expanding
its portfolio in manufacturing across multiple products in India, in
order to make sure that "we play a meaningful role in building India's a
global manufacturing hub".
The PC penetration in India among the millions of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is still dismally low.
"A
lot of SMEs are trying to join the digital bandwagon to be e-commerce
ready, and want to be digitally connected to their customers. Some of
the small mom-and-pop shops are also trying to be connected as a seller
through a network of e-commerce platforms. Going forward, computing will
become a centre-stage of everything that they do," Patel told IANS.
One
of the challenges India always has is that it has a low PC penetration,
in the range of 14-15 per cent, as compared to other economies where it
is in the range of 40-50 per cent.
"This is that massive opportunity which will take us to a different level," Patel said.
"Gaming
is another category that will see a boost in 2022. I think the gaming
market in India has grown more than 100 per cent last year. PC gaming
has helped people remain connected with their friends and entertain
themselves. That is why gaming has become mainstream and has driven a
lot of growth," Patel noted.
Some people buy gaming products for
casual gaming but because of high-processing and high-graphics
capabilities, they can also create casual videos.
"So if you are
a YouTuber, you use that power of the machine. If you are a
photographic enthusiast, you can use that power. If you want to stream
content on OTT, the PC machine with high-processing power and graphics
capability and great screen gives you that experience too," the HP India
head elaborated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Customs Exchange Rates |
Currency |
Import |
Export |
US Dollar
|
84.35
|
82.60 |
UK Pound
|
106.35
|
102.90 |
Euro
|
92.50
|
89.35 |
Japanese
Yen |
55.05 |
53.40 |
As on 12 Oct, 2024 |
|
|
Daily Poll |
 |
 |
Do you think Indian businesses will be negatively affected by Trump's America First Policy? |
|
|
|
|
|
Commented Stories |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|