With a robust plan in place, Thuse Elektronics aims to increase its market share

- Advertisement -

With a best-in-class manufacturing set up, Thuse Elektronics plans to increase its revenue and customer base to scale new heights

Thuse Elektronics, Pune
Thuse Elektronics, Pune

By Kartiki Negi

Milind Thuse, managing director, Thuse Elektronics
Milind Thuse,
managing director,
Thuse Elektronics

Monday, October 06, 2014:  Located in Pune, Thuse Elektronics Pvt Ltd, an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company, is a first generation business started by Milind Thuse, the managing director of the firm. The company celebrated its silver jubilee in July 2014. Started with an investment of just Rs 10,000, the firm recorded a turnover of Rs 50 million in 2013-14 and aims to top that figure by a huge margin in FY 2014-15.

- Advertisement -

Milind Thuse believes that the company’s unique characteristics are its focus on design for manufacturing and testing, and its ability to provide total end-to-end solutions to its customers. The company has established its presence across various sectors such as home appliances, automotive, telecom, etc. “We are basically a total solutions provider for our customers, starting from the design to the end product. Our aim is to satisfy our customers with whatever services they demand in terms of designing, manufacturing, PCB assemblies or a complete solution,” says Milind Thuse.

The journey so far

Thuse Elektronics ventured into the market 25 years ago as a very small enterprise. But it was equipped with the best-in-class equipment. “We started EMS activities by offering total box-build solutions for Bajaj Auto, manufacturing of solid-state AC flasher indicators, and the association continued for eight years. This was a major breakthrough for the company. After this, we focused on customer development, by offering diverse services,” says Milind Thuse. With dedication and determination, the company managed to increase its customer base over the years, and today, with ambitious plans in place, it is gearing up to reach new heights.

However, this long journey has not been a cakewalk for Milind Thuse since he is not from a business family. Being a first generation entrepreneur, the biggest hurdle for him was raising finance for the firm. “The Indian economy was not in great shape, so the availability of working capital and funds was the biggest challenge. I believe that the environment today is much more conducive to setting up a new unit as there are many finance options available for expansion plans,” says Milind Thuse.

The company also faced several hurdles due to lack of guidance. “Initially, I had a very stubborn attitude about technical matters rather than commercial matters. Due to this, my manufacturing activities started very late and I also missed out on a lot of high volume business. There was no one to guide me on how to handle business situations from a commercial angle. Today, after 25 years, I feel that I could have grabbed many of the opportunities that came my way. I should have been more professional in handling difficult situations,” he adds. Milind Thuse believes that one gets to learn a lot from the mistakes committed. “The biggest lesson that I learned was not to depend on a single customer. For the first six to seven years, we were only doing business with Bajaj Auto, but when it moved into its own subsidiary, we suffered a major setback. So, now we have multiple customers in our portfolio,” he adds.

However, the company managed to sail through the testing times and emerged as a strong player. “When there is fire in the belly, one can stretch oneself to the maximum limit. Way back in 1991, I had also joined a management course to learn the management ethics and practices,” said Milind Thuse.

Strengths and limitations

Assembly line at Thuse Elektronics’ Pune facility
Assembly line at Thuse Elektronics’ Pune facility

Thuse Elektronics’ biggest asset is its quality manufacturing set up, which is rare for companies of its size. It operates from the single facility located in the industrial area of Bhosri in Pune, and is spread across 929 square metres.

The company offers three types of EMS services and considers these to be its strength. First, it provides end to end solutions where it designs products from scratch and goes on to provide the entire testing, prototyping and mass production services. Second, while the design part is done by the customer, Thuse Elektronics only takes on the manufacturing, including sourcing of components from global vendors. Third, while the customer provides all the material such as components, etc, Thuse Elektronics does the job work.

Talking about the company’s philosophy, Milind Thuse says, “I have always believed in fair business practices and justice to all. We believe in giving quality services, which in turn leads to the customer’s trust. This is a very important aspect that has turned out to be very fruitful in the long term.”

The last two to three years have been very crucial for the firm as it shifted to a new and bigger facility, attracting new customers. This was the time when Thuse Elektronics managed to get a foothold in the market. “We have achieved a lot on the capacity front as we’ve expanded our facility and added new equipment to ensure quality in the production process. Thuse Elektronics is a ISO 9001 certified company since past 10 years,” says Milind Thuse. He also gives credit to the company’s well trained staff members, who have been an asset to the company. “Our employees are an integral part of the company. They have contributed to its growth and are its major strength,” he adds.

Strategies to beat competition

Thuse Elektronics has been following the age old practice of not saying ‘No’ to any customer, no matter what the business volumes are. “Whatever the service required—whether a total turnkey solution, a box-build solution or job work activity, we are ready to do everything,” says Milind Thuse. This has proved to be beneficial. To back its technical expertise, the company has invested in R&D activities.

It has also built itself on the principles of transparency, honesty and quality. “I firmly believe in providing a better quality of service to the customers, while offering them value for their money,” he adds.

Assembly line at Thuse Elektronics’ Pune facility
Thuse Elektronics’ facility at Pune

However, Thuse Elektronics lacks sufficient strength in the area of sales and marketing. So the company has come up with a robust plan to bridge the gap. “We have multi-directional plans that involve e-marketing, for which we have already linked our website with trade promotional portals like Indiamart, etc. We have also tied up with Google and have started getting a good number of customers. The company is in the process of building a good marketing team, which will take care of enquiries and convert them into business,” informs Milind Thuse.

Future outlook

The company has aggressive plans to increase its market share in the next two years. It is also a member of DEMA (Defence Electronics Manufacturers Association), through which it has acquired land in a greenfield cluster. “At present, the proposal has been put forward to the local authorities, but once it is through, we will be expanding our manufacturing base at these premises,” says Thuse.

Besides adding new equipment to its plant, the company now wants to delve deeper into technology. “We are not just an EMS business, we are also a technology driven company. So, our next level of activity is to get more into the manufacturing and designing areas, which involves a complete fusion of electronics, mechatronics and Web technology,” he adds.

KEY FACTS AT A GLANCE

Year of establishment

1989

Turnover (2012-13)

Rs 63 million

Workforce

50

Production capacity

26K CPH

Manufacturing units/plant locations

One at Bhosri MIDC, Pune

Major machines in the plant

Ekra automatic printer, Juki pick & place, Heller reflow, ViTechnology AOI, Kyoritsu ICT

Major customers

3M, IFB, KPIT, Impact Automotive Solutions Ltd, etc

Product range

Washing machine controllers, hybrid car ECU, streetlight timers, etc

Sectors catered to

Home appliances, automotive, telecom

Services offered

EMS – from design to mass production

Contact details

Milind Thuse, [email protected], +91-9822024928, +91-20-67333444. Thuse Elektronics Pvt Ltd, Plot 33A, Sector 7, PCNTDA, Bhosri MIDC, Pune 411026

 Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine

- Advertisement -

Most Popular Articles

Automotive car sensor

ISRO Chairman Urges Association With Automotive Industry To Produce Sensors Locally

0
The space research organization is making significant strides in creating indigenous car sensors to empower the automotive industry. At the Bangalore Tech Summit on November...

U.S. Approves $1.5B Subsidy For GlobalFoundries Expansion

0
Winning the $1.5 billion US government subsidy, GlobalFoundries is looking to power industries like automotive, IoT, and defence with advanced chip manufacturing in New...

Trump’s Tariff Plan Could Derange Electronics Pricing

0
From disrupting global semiconductor supply chain to inflating iPhone prices, what can Donald Trump's proposed tariff raise on Chinese imports can cause? Donald Trump,...
Chip Manifacturing-NIvidia

New Blackwell Chip Will Propel Nvidia’s Unprecedented Market Growth In Coming Years

0
These chips have effectively dispelled concerns regarding potential pullbacks from tech giants investing heavily in AI processing and data centers. The global AI backed fabless...

David Goeckeler Appointed Chair Of SIA Board

0
Bringing 40 years of tech experience to lead the global semiconductor industry, David Goeckeler, CEO of Western Digital, joins to lead the SIA Board...
Abhishek Malik from Calcom Vision Limited

“India’s Electronics Sector Is Growing Rapidly, Making This The Decade For Investors To Engage”...

0
From the complexities of manufacturing and sourcing components to testing processes that drive innovation, know all the exciting dynamics shaping this ever-evolving industry in...
Sunit Kapur, CEO of Epsilon

“Epsilon Leads With Low-Carbon Graphite Manufacturing, Outpaces Chinese Competitors” – Sunit Kapur, CEO of...

0
Are LFP cathodes and silicon-graphite anodes the best for cost efficiency in EV batteries? Sunit Kapur, CEO of Epsilon Advanced Materials, discusses this with...
John W. Mitchell, President and CEO, IPC

“India’s Core Focus On 5G, IoT, AI Fosters Need For Advanced Electronics,Components, And Semiconductors”...

0
Will Industry 4.0 supercharge India’s progress in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing? IPC President and CEO John W. Mitchell shared more strategies on the country’s...
Raman M., Co-Founder and CEO, chargeMOD

“Our Goal Is To Achieve Complete Sustainability By 2025-2026” – Raman M. Of chargeMOD

0
In a conversation with Nitisha Dubey from EFY, Raman M. of chargeMOD, elaborated his goal of developing virtual power plants by decentralising power production. Q....

“Adoption Of IoT-Enabled SMT Machines Is Still In Early Phases” – Pradeep Tandon, Director...

0
While electronics are becoming smarter through the Internet of Things, is electronics manufacturing following suit? Pradeep Tandon, Director for India, Middle East, and SAARC...
Applied Materials Representational Image

Applied Materials Selects Six Startups For Deep-Tech Accelerator Programme

0
The selected deep-tech startups will be evaluated for investment by Applied Ventures and potential collaboration opportunities with Applied Materials. In collaboration with the company's India...

Space tech Startup Akash Secures $68M CHIPS Funding

0
Eyeing to power into AI, EVs, and more high-tech industries, Akash Systems lands $68 million CHIPS grant to boost its cooling tech facility, generating...

Wireless Light-Based Communication With Velmenni’s Technology

0
Velmenni is at the forefront of wireless communication innovation with its pioneering light-based technologies, Li-Fi and LC Link. Founded by Deepak Solanki in October 2014...

Harnessing AI Technology For Efficient Pest Management

0
AI-Genix, an agri-tech startup, is transforming pest management for farmers through advanced AI-enabled systems that precisely target harmful pests. In an industry where pesticides and...

One Charger To Charge All Your Devices

0
Now, there is no need to carry different chargers for different products. This Bhubaneswar startup has launched a universal 65W charger using GaN technology...

Industry's Buzz

Learn From Leaders

Startups