Pallavi Singh, VP, Super Plastronics: We plan on introducing washing machines with unique features at never heard of price points” – Times of India

White-Westinghouse, an American home appliance brand with a legacy in the industry has been in the Indian market for quite some time with its mass premium product line. Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL) has been the company’s brand licensee since 2012, manufacturing its washing machines. White-Westinghouse claims to have gained a foothold itself in the semi-automatic and fully automatic washing machine segments, acquiring a 1-2% market share. The brand aims to up this market share to over 3% in the next two years as it works on introducing more SKUs. A qualified Charted Accountant, Pallavi Singh is vice president of SPPL. She has also worked with KPMG as a tax and regulatory consultant. At SPPL, she heads the e-commerce and after-sales division. In an interaction with Times of India Tech-Gadgets Now, Pallavi talks about SPPL’s relationship with White-Westinghouse, its washing machines business and SSPL’s role.
Q. What is the strategic rationale behind SPPL’s decision to enter the washing machine market in India with White Westinghouse brand?
SPPL has been in the washing machine market since quite some time. We have been selling semi-automatic and more recently fully automatic washing machines in our home grown brands, SVL and Suntek. The brands are almost 25 years old. We decided to foray into the washing machine space with an international brand with a strong brand equity to capture a larger market share. We also felt that with a brand like White Westinghouse has a strong pull with respect to the appliance space since it is a major global player in the same.
Q. How does SPPL plan to differentiate itself from existing competitors in the Indian washing machine market?
We plan on introducing washing machines with unique features at never heard of price points. Since we have developed a cohesive unit for washing machines, we have the capability of making changes to the machines, as required by the consumers, which is within our controls.
Q. What market research or consumer insights led SPPL to believe that there is a demand for semi-automatic washing machines in India?
As I said, we have been in the market space for washing machines for a long time. With evolving times, consumers would like updated products in their homes and hence we see a higher demand for fully automatic washing machines, although not as popular as semi-automatic ones. We understand that not all households wash clothes on their own and employ house help to do the same, hence the need for semi-automatic washing machines is still quite high, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Q. How does SPPL plan to address the unique challenges and preferences of the Indian market in terms of washing machines?
We aim to product niche products with never seen before technology that has been developed based on feedback received from our consumers. This is an ongoing and evolving process and we shall take up challenges in a stride of doing business.
Q. What distribution and sales strategies does SPPL intend to adopt to penetrate the washing machine market effectively in India?
We sell on all major e-commerce marketplaces along with that, we are present in LFR’s with our other categories and are trying to leverage the same to establish an offline market presence. We shall try and tap into as many pincodes as possible with our current distributors, while forming new ones along the way. The aim is to be able to reach almost every pincode in India by the end of 2025.
Q. How does SPPL plan to establish brand awareness and build trust among Indian consumers who may be unfamiliar with its washing machine products?
We have been slowly and steadily creating brand awareness by using our social media platforms coupled with other online marketing tools. We are always on the lookout for new opportunities which can help us increase brand awareness and trust amongst our consumers. We are also working upon creating a stronger doorstep service network so that our consumers know we are there for them.