Interview with Mr. Muneer Ahmad, AV Head, ViewSonic India

ViewSonic is an American brand founded in 1987 by Mr. James Chu, headquartered in Brea, California, USA. They are one of the leading global brands for visual solutions that focuses on display-centric product offerings that include LED monitors, projectors, commercial displays, and cloud computing solutions.

The brand has more than 30 offices around the world and its products are sold in more than 125 countries. Working with the industry’s most advanced technology providers, they are committed to developing cutting-edge solutions and are dedicated to providing their customers and partners with complete, intelligent, interactive, and integrated solutions that best meet their computing needs.

Their fundamental business philosophy is to offer an outstanding user experience to customers, one that exceeds expectations. The brand has been honored with over 3,000 awards globally for both its products and services.

To know more about ViewSonic we have an email interaction with Mr. Muneer Ahmad, the Business Head of ViewSonic – India. He has been a part of the (Audio Visual Industry) for over 18 years. Before accepting the role as a Business Head with ViewSonic India, he was associated with BenQ India for more than 6 years as the Regional Sales Manager.

Muneer graduated from Bangalore University in 1999 with an MBA degree in Marketing. For over a decade he has been in Information and Technology industry, he has utilized his experience in developing business with outstanding accomplishments in the Indian Market. Currently, he strategizes marketing plans and sales initiatives for ViewSonic in the Indian market as it’s a growing and thriving market for the company.

Muneer is highly spoken of in the industry and comes from very strong recommendations; he has contributed extensively towards amplifying the visibility of ViewSonic in India. These efforts have significantly boosted the company’s presence and helped establish them in major economies of the world to target their key audience. Under his guidance and leadership, ViewSonic is been ranked among the top 3 projector brands in India in under a year amongst 20 competitive brands in the projector segment

 

May we know, how was your journey so far with ViewSonic?

Ans. I have been associated with ViewSonic for over 5 years, and these years have been magnificent for me in driving the company’s growth. Having prior experience in a similar industry helps in developing and dwelling on new strategies and approaches which garner the interests of our end customers. Our team of experts does rigorous research to understand the customer requirements, industry behavior and therefore, develops and designs innovative products embedded with best-in-class features and advanced technology. I monitor and work closely with my R&D, products, and sales team to contribute extensively towards amplifying the visibility of ViewSonic in India. These efforts have significantly boosted the company’s presence and helped establish them as a key player in the industry.  In recent years, ViewSonic is ranked among the top 3 projector brands in India and also preserving the tag of No. 1 IFP brand since 2020.

 

Every coin has two sides, so does the Pandemic. If we take the positive side, then it has boosted the technology infiltration not only in offices but homes as well. So, what changes ViewSonic has seen in recent covid times?

Ans: Since the pandemic, companies and many industries have been paving their way to developing innovative and user-friendly technologies which can ease the work-from-home scenario for corporates and students. The increasing demand for a hybrid learning model in which both online and offline teaching is incorporated has generated a demand in the education industry. ViewSonic introduced a range of solutions especially for teachers and students, such as myViewBoard software, ViewBoard Pen Display, and more. Also, with the pandemic causing people to stay indoors, they are encouraged to create a ‘Netflix-and-chill’ ambiance in their homes by embracing lamp-free and home-theatre projectors such as the recently launched PX-series and M-series.

ViewSonic has provided a wide range of work-from-home options. For corporate organizations, encouraging their employees to work from home on larger screen size, probably on a portable projector that has become a necessity.

 

Pandemic already changed the way of teaching, Ed-Tech companies are now proliferating. What is your take on this?

Ans: ViewSonic has been at the forefront of the EdTech market for many years. ViewSonic’s education solutions provide everything that teachers and students need, no matter where they are, from producing digital material and video-capturing courses to arranging digital assignments. As the pandemic reaches unfathomable levels, educational institutions and teachers are being forced to experiment with using the internet to convey knowledge. With hybrid learning becoming a faster approach to the modern scenario, ViewSonic’s myViewBoard is a perfect software for the modern teaching environment. With its complete digital whiteboarding ecosystem, it grants people access to dynamic tools on any touch device. myViewBoard’s full suite of tools, features, and functions provide a shared place for shared tasks.

 

Is virtual learning the new normal? How to make online learning more engaging?

Ans: Since the pandemic, virtual teaching approaches have been an emerging tactic, and with technology as a crucial factor, it is offering educators and students a range of platforms. Embracing the digital revolution and adjusting to the “new normal” might be nerve-racking, but understanding the new possibilities virtual learning provides is also essential. All it takes is a targeted strategy, the correct digital tools, and creative imagination to attract your participants’ attention and convert your virtual meet-up into a fun and intriguing session. Following the right approach, tools and techniques can make online learning fun and engage too. With ViewSonic’s myViewBoard, it provides some excellent aspects such as:

• Creating interactive lessons and activities in a virtual classroom
• AI Pen which automatically detects items or diagrams drawn onto the myViewBoard,
• Immersive Reader feature, a text to speech feature and is especially helpful for Language teachers

 

What type of Ed-Tech trends are you seeing in India since the pandemic?

Ans: Ed-tech is certainly transforming the way the world studies, thanks to an improved experience that works more swiftly and effectively. With the digitization in education institutions, such as the addition of AR and VR, online stem learning, and many more. With this, hybrid learning has also been the trend during these times. ViewSonic has incorporated several components, including hardware such as ViewBoard Interactive Flat Panels, ViewBoard Pen Display, and as mentioned earlier myViewBoard, a digital whiteboard software, to bridge the gap between physical classrooms and digital learning.

 

Please let our readers know about the trends of the Projector market and the growth trajectory of the prominent players of 2021

Ans: With the industry’s continued progress, the market is rapidly changing. Recently, View Sonic has surpassed the competition to become the world’s No. 1 brand of Digital Light Processing (DLP) projectors by sales volume, up from No. 3 in 2020. Over the previous few years, View Sonic has been the fastest-growing brand in the projector market. The pandemic has caused a sense of fear that has lead people to stay indoors and encouraged them to create a ‘Netflix-and-chill’ ambiance in their homes by employing lamp-free and home-theatre projectors. As a result, we have released revolutionary items in the Home Theater segment, such as our X-series projectors. It provides home-theatre system support because of its immensely good speakers, in-built android/iOS support, surfing of OTT Platforms, and much more. Along with this, we continue to provide innovative products such as our PX Series, M series, and Lamp-free projectors.

 

What new or innovative products can we expect from ViewSonic in the year 2021?

Ans: With an overwhelming response to the PX and M1 series, we upgraded our features and launched the new version of both series.  By constant innovation and revolutionizing the entertainment, education, and corporate sector, we launched the IFP series, CDE 20 series, and other projectors. In the coming months, we will be expanding and launching several other new, innovative projectors which will be offering best-in-class features and technologies for our end-user.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, ViewBoard displays are becoming more popular whereas demand for projectors has gone down in the past few years. What is your view on this?

Ans: ViewSonic has not limited itself to a single industry, but has diversified into several. Viewboard Displays have been popular since the pandemic. With the country adjusting to the new normal and settling to the ways of the latest edtech trends, the education institutions have been approaching digitization for the convenience of both teachers and students. Apart from that, the projector market was one of the worst-affected categories during the global pandemic. However, ViewSonic recorded decent growth in the total projector market. As a prominent player in the projector and home industry, we have consistently ranked among the top five brands both globally and in the Indian market.

 

How Indian market is different from the rest of the world when it comes to selling AV solutions?

Ans: India is becoming the world’s fastest-growing market for audio-visual equipment and spending in sectors such as education, infrastructure and corporate, is moving at a faster pace. For ViewSonic, the Indian market is very crucial and holds plenty of opportunities to grow its business and strengthen its presence here. The demand for AV equipment can be widely observed in the education and corporate sectors. Along with these, the shift to smart technology, up-gradation to the high-tech home interiors, and increase in demand in the younger generation have also been driving factors in the Indian market.

Understanding the market, ViewSonic has been aggressive in developing and innovating products. It has responded by introducing several new and innovative technologies, including LED light source technology for UHD projection. In addition, ViewSonic has developed a Pantone-validated panel technology for enhanced color in desktop displays.