The Hindu Business Line : Affiance to move DVR unit from Vancouver to India

Affiance India expects to sell 600 digital video recorder units in the coming year in India. Aggressively pushing its DVR product as an ATM security device that can be connected to a Central Monitoring System, Affiance has already initiated talks with several banks.

Bangalore , Dec. 19

ENTHUSED with the immense potential offered by the Indian security market, the Affiance Group plans to shift its production facility located in Vancouver to India by mid-2005. With an estimated investment upwards of $5 million, the company would initially locate its manufacturing unit and later move the customer help desk, technical helpline and after sales support for its DVR product line to India.

While North America is its primary market, Affiance also expects to use the Indian production unit as an export hub for the West Asia and African markets and the domestic market.

According to research firm, IDC India, the security market in India is pegged to touch Rs 480 crore by 2008 with the electronics security market (comprising systems such as closed circuit TVs, wireless and wired camera) estimated to be $100 million with a year-on-year growth at 30 per cent.

Given such promising estimates, Affiance India expects to sell 600 digital video recorder (DVR) units in the coming year in the Indian market and "the production facility will cater to our overseas market also. To gain business momentum here, we have 20 resellers on board with Top Sequipments being the latest to join us. They will also be our system integrators," Mr Manmohan Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Affiance Security and Loss Prevention Solutions (India) Pvt Ltd, told Business Line.

Till date the company has implemented 23 installations in India. Aggressively pushing its DVR product to the Indian banking industry as an ATM security device that can be connected to a Central Monitoring System, Affiance has already initiated talks with several banks. The flagship product of Affiance, SecurDVR Pro, is a video surveillance recorder that enables digital, remote and online recording.

Last year, the company manufactured 1,200 units of SecurDVR Pro for the North American market. The upcoming production facility in India would have manufacturing capacity of 100 units per day and Affiance hopes to utilise the facility to optimum capacity in three years.