Samtel Color, a member of the Rs 630 crore Samtel group, is India“s largest manufacturer of colour picture tubes (CPTs). The company, which holds 50% of the domestic market share may soon face the pr…
Samtel Color, a member of the Rs 630 crore Samtel group, is India“s largest manufacturer of colour picture tubes (CPTs). The company, which holds 50% of the domestic market share may soon face the prospect of losing its leadership status with the proposed entry of other companies into the sector. The reduction in import duty on CPTs in the 1995 Budget from 65% to 40%, with more cuts possible, may also affect Samtel. Samtel is preparing to face the challenge with plans to increase CPT capacity at its Ghaziabad plant with an outlay of Rs 160 crore by the end of 1996. By 1998, the capacity will be further increased with the addition of two more production lines at a cost of Rs 500 crore. Samtel has reached an agreement with Corning of the US for the manufacturing of glass shells for CPTs at the factory of group company Samcor Glass in the Rajasthan region of India. Samcor, a 50/50 joint venture with Corning, currently produces glass shells for black and white picture tubes. Samtel group plans to increase its exports from the 1994-95 level of 10% of turnover to over 50% of turnover by 1998. The group has an agreement with Mitsubishi of Japan for the provision of problem-specific guidance to Samtel“s engineers to upgrade its CPTs to international standards. The group is negotiating with Mitsubishi to renew its technology agreement for advanced large-size and colour display tubes.