A word about you and R & D

Most entrepreneurs as well as those in some traditional fields in electronics are invariably afraid to think of R&D as anything profitable or promoting business.

The traditional people say their products are selling. So why at all R&D which is a waste of money and energy? This is the major reason why we cannot produce any product of either domestic or international standards and expectations.

There are those who are badly in need of research work. But often they burn their fingers. Instead of depending on people who already know the problems of design and development, they try to do things at their end thinking it would save them a lot of money. But as usual, they would invariably realise they have been wrong; have spend more money than expected.

What is most novel and attractive is that an entrepreneur can pull out of R & D at any stage without losing even a penny!

In a couple of months, most have to realise their targets cannot be met so easily. And if anyone succeeds, the next discovery is that the product has very little content either by way of technology or consumer expectations and demands.

So, it is not without reasons, that business people decide they do not require R&D. They firmly believe that they would be better off without it. Yet the fact is that Research and Development is the vital source of any industry that wants to grow and stay firm amidst toughest of competitions.

And this is where we come in.

What you can expect from us

We are, first of all, not "suitcase" consultants with readymade market surveys that serve no purpose, or project ideas which can end up nowhere, or readymade and polythene-packed technology over which neither the provider nor the recipient has any control.

But we do all these things in a very personal and different sense. Our R & D is genuinely an extension of your business. The word 'genuinely' has been used to its fullest extent.

Once you have decided on a product or project to execute, it would shift to us to focus it to a viable enterprise. There would be long drawn-out meetings between us, touching on every aspect of the product. The product should be minutely examined as to its value for money to the end user, whether thus it can be subject to mass production or not, how should it finally appear in the market and how strong the concept is. If the requirements are not met the idea is rejected and you can introduce another one until something is mutually agreed upon. And you are not charged anything for these efforts. This is why our R & D is really an extension of your business. You do not have to consider it as any outside effort. We are as much involved as you are. In short, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Revenue expectations will always take the back seat

Once the concept on a product is clearly refined and defined, the next step rests within the R&D organisation to study the various feasibilities and technologies that could give shape to the product. Once this is understood, the process passes through the selection of right components that would finally give shape to the product. The test procedures and quality analysis are drawn up. And all these are filtered with a singular and powerful element called PRICE. After all, the end user has to pay for the product and it must be affordable in the context of its need and use.

The entrepreneur once again comes into the scene and thread-bare discussions are held to determine whether the product passes all the COMMERCIAL TESTS.

Now is the time for real R&D, away from all commercial interests and it is declared over when prototypes can be duplicated and stand all functional and quality tests.

However, the role of the R&D organisation is not over. The next stage is the commissioning part of the product. Now the R&D interacts with the working premises of the entrepreneur training his manufacturing team to go ahead with the work. Probably people do not realise that this is as CRUCIAL as R&D itself.

In tune with our policies, we intend to be more involved with companies than just busying ourselves with concept planning and product developments.

We are there with you always whether you are actually onto an R&D project or not. Developing a new product is only one facet of good business. There are day-to-day production problems to be looked after and these problems can be many and varied: from production-worthiness of a product to variations in the quality of production. We do not have to explain more to a person who already has some experience in manufacturing. You may require help in quality management as well as quality test methods and the necessary instrumentation to do that. Many a time these equipments come at such a fancy price that most manufacturers would prefer to do without them. As we interact, you will discover what important roles we can play in these fields.

May be you are already involved in your own in-house R & D and there are many areas wherein you would require help. You may not know the best components that could go into design or the availability of these or the prices. We could contribute in this.

A product once made is not an answer for all times. You got to upgrade technology to keep up with the competitions, you may have to provide variations of the product as per the needs of the customers and if you are not a solutions provider, others can overtake you easily. We are again in the picture.

It is more than probable that the work of R&D would never be over as products have to be revised, manufacturing supports and technologies have to be replenished. It is a never-ending job.

And what about the costs?

If an R & D organisation is bothered only about the revenues coming from prospective clients then it ceases to be a genuine organisation. It is not that revenues are not important, because for any organisation to run smoothly and last out in the field, money is an essential fuel. But if it has to fulfill a social responsibility, then pure revenue principles have to take the backseat.

Besides, we are looking to the SMALL SCALE sector where entrepreneurs are in plenty but finances weak. And it is here that we can exercise our social responsibility best.

So, how do we intend to help the ordinary entrepreneur?

• We are easily accessible. Our gaze is not at your pocket, but at who you are and what sort of help we can give you. We can sort out the problems mutually and even if after a lot of work, you have to abandon the project for whatever reasons you have, you do not have to feel that you owe us anything.
• You do not have to be bothered about the financial implications during the product development phase since we are there to take care of that provided the costs do not go beyond certain limits.
• Once the product and technology is in your hand, you could get a certain time frame within which only you got to pay back. So the pressure is off you to a large extent with immediate financial liabilities.
• We can also go a second mile. You may not have sufficient funds to get into effective manufacturing as per the market needs. You can take us on as your collaborators. What else can anyone ask for?
• You have nothing to lose. You only stand to gain.