Mornsun Guangzhou Science & Technology Co. Ltd has grown into one of the biggest industrial power module manufacturers in China over the past 17 years. It is ranked amongst the ‘National High-Tech Enterprises’ in China. And today, Mornsun is a leading brand around the world. The company continues to globalise its operations across North America, Japan, India, Germany, etc. In conversation with Electronics Bazaar, the company’s MD, Hongjun Zhang talks about the importance of the Indian market for the future growth of the company.
EB. Do you think India is important for the future growth of your business? If so, do share your reasons.
India is currently enjoying a faster pace of economic growth among the countries of the world, and the market volume is huge. The IMF had predicted a 7.3 per cent GDP growth for India in 2015-16 and 7.5 per cent in 2016-17.
The market prospects are optimistic, because the construction of infrastructure and medical institutions, as well as environmental protection rules rose sharply with ther Indian government’s investments and support.
Mornsun provides one-stop power solutions for its customers in industries such as energy, electric power, transportation, medical, automotive, mining, etc. India is one of the most important strategic markets of Mornsun.
EB. Are you already doing business with India?
Yes, we have been doing business in India since 2005, though the company established its office in India only in 2013.
EB: Do you have distributors in India or are you supplying the market directly?
We have our office in India and local distributors in different territories. We supply products and services based on customer orientation.
EB: Have you ever visited India for business?
Yes, my first visit to India was in 2011 and normally, I visit India for business purposes, once a year.
EB: Has your company ever participated in an expo in India as an exhibitor or visitor?
Mornsun participates as an exhibitor in Electronica, which is held in the month of September, every year.
EB: What are the biggest challenges for you when doing business in India?
Economic reforms increase both foreign and local competition but it also gives rise to more opportunities. As mentioned earlier, the secondary sector and infrastructure construction has sharply risen in the country. We will export more products for specialised industries and provide one-stop solutions. For example, our new DC-DC converter, the PVxx-29Bxx, is designed for utility-scale PV system cost reduction. Besides, we will continue to provide more cost-effective products. Overall, localised marketing is our strategy.
EB: Are you looking for distributors in India?
Yes, if there are suitable partners, we will strengthen our sales network in India to offer better service, like in Bengaluru.
EB: What are the qualities you look for in a distributor?
We consider three factors:
- The nature of the business and experience
- The technical support force and the sales team
- The sincerity and readiness to cooperate
EB: For your products or services—who is more important—the technical or the commercial decision maker?
The technical decision maker is more important.
The power supply is the heart of industrial equipment. What concerns customers the most is not the price, but the reliability and performance. We provide one-stop solutions based on customers’ specific requirements, including operating environment, key parameters and system compatibility. Besides, we trace and provide technical support from the design stage to trial-production and then on to bulk production. We maintain a close relationship with our customers’ engineers, at every stage.
EB: What is more important for you—domestic sales in China or exports? What percent of your overall revenues did exports account for last year?
Both are very important for Mornsun. By continuously achieving self-transcendence, Mornsun has accumulated over 350 patents and IIPR over the past 17 years. Now, we have more than 35 per cent market share in China.
Regarding export, our overseas markets are primarily America, Germany, Korea, India, etc. We have expanded our distribution network to over 40 countries and have set up branch offices in America and India. About 40 per cent of our sales revenue comes from exports. In the future, we will continue to provide the best services to gain costumer recognition and build brand awareness, in order to achieve 20 per cent growth in overseas sales.
EB: How do you promote your products? What is your marketing strategy?
Local sales play an important role. Of course, visiting customers is a very direct and effective way. If there are suitable chances, we will expand our sales network both off-line and online. For example, nowadays we cooperate with Chip 1 Stop, a web shop in Japan, aiming to better serve APAC clients.
Also, we participate in exhibitions and hold technical seminars now and then, to communicate with our clients and share information.
Besides, we advertise both in the print media and do network promotion via local professional media to increase brand exposure.
In short, we will continue focusing on brand building and expanding our distribution network.