Strengthening ‘Make in India’ initiative- Rajendra Seksaria, CMD, BSPL- Foxin: Interview

Foxin, from the house of Balaji solutions private limited, is a leading IT Hardware Distribution House established in 2001. It caters to a wide range of products for personal and business applications. Foxin started operations in June 2006 with a bundle of IT Hardware & Electronic products during the IT boom.

Committed to developing high-quality products, backed by adequate research and development, Foxin has been successful in creating an extra edge in a highly competitive market of IT hardware and Mobility products.

The house of Balaji solutions is among the top 10 IT hardware distribution houses in the country that operates on platforms such as IT, Telecomm & Electronic Lifestyle market. The top categories Foxin retails in are wearable tech, home audio, earphone & headphones, memory storage, and gaming peripherals to name a few.

Let’s learn more about the company and its further plans from Mr. Rajendra Seksaria, Chief Managing Director, Balaji Solutions Private Limited (BSPL) – Foxin.

Rajendra Seksaria Chief Managing Director Balaji Solutions Private Lim... min
Mr. Rajendra Seksaria, Chief Managing Director, Balaji Solutions Private Limited (BSPL) – Foxin

He has been in the IT hardware industry for more than 25 years with a firm belief in contributing to society. Rajendra Seksaria is a member of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and is a local member of the Rotary Club, Kolkata. Before his role at Foxin, in the year 1992, he started his career with a restaurant franchise at Nicco Park, Kolkata.

Having spent three years in the restaurant business, Rajendra Seksaria was keen and passionate about exploring the IT hardware industry. His entrepreneurial journey began in the year 1995, where he dealt with the reselling of products from various vendors based in Calcutta.

In 2001, he established BSPL, which at the present is one of the leading IT Hardware and mobile accessories distribution houses in India.

After studying the current trends in the market and the needs of consumers, Rajendra Seksaria is set out to currently develop wearable devices such as smartwatches and wireless headphones. A few of their models include – FOXFIT AMAZE, FOXFIT AMAZE PRO, and FOXFIT PULSE.

 

1. Every success has a great struggle behind it, so how did Foxin become what it is today?

The journey involved in establishing such a venture has been in the books for a few years. We intended on creating a strong base before establishing the brand Foxin. Initially, we focused on evaluating the market trends, customer demand, and our scale of operations.

Having founded Balaji Solutions Private Limited (BSPL), an IT and hardware distribution house in the year 2001, we catered towards facilitating several brands such as DELL, Lenovo, and Cannon to name a few. Having commenced operations on a small scale, presently BSPL operates 25+ offices, 95+service centers, employing 650+ people pan India.

After getting a better understanding of the market, we took the plunge in the year 2006 to create a brand that would deliver exceptional quality, our in-house brand Foxin – an IT and electronics hardware brand. We have seen the brand grow tremendously over the years and we are proud of our team, their perseverance, dedication, and hard work have truly contributed outstanding results. With ventured into power banks, USB cables, and mobile stands in the year 2017, we have currently branched out into several new vertices such as wireless headphones, speakers, and smartwatches. As a brand, we seek to innovate, create and inspire consumers nationally as well globally by delivering products of quality and value.

 

2. Currently, Foxin has a quite compact range of smart products, any plans to expand it further?

We are indeed looking at expanding our portfolio on a larger spectrum. Given the present situation, consumers are seeking products that cater to personal benefit. As the consumer segment is extremely competitive, we are looking to manufacture our own smartwatches in India, looking at a timeline in about 6 months or so.

Make in India has been a great initiative and platform for us manufacturers, therefore seeking to curate value-added products for our consumers. Technology has evolved and so have preferences, wired headphones have now become wireless and Bluetooth-based and the same goes for speakers and smartwatches. Our mission is to manufacture such products encompassing unique features and hence expanding our operations in various locations such as Nepal, Bangladesh, and Dubai as our base to centralize operations internationally.

 

3. Already a good number of old and new brands are there in the Indian accessories market, so in such situations what unique do you think Foxin has to offer its customers?

The consumer tech industry is growing at a relatively steady rate, which creates a space for further competition. We have been in the market for several consecutive years now and one thought we have certainly gathered through the way would be – listen to your consumer.

Inspiration brings in innovation, such as converting a regular watch into a smartwatch that caters to various functionalities such as monitoring blood oxygen levels or heart rate. At Foxin, we pay close consideration to consumer needs, the present landscape of the industry, quality, and price. These are few key examples that have led Foxin to sustain and flourish in the market.

 

4. What is your road map for the next 2 years?

The digital landscape is sure of great significance, therefore tapping into this area would be one of Foxin’s central focuses. Curating products that are unique and beneficial to users as the recent situation has seen a drastic change, hence producing products that will factor in features about the current landscape.

Our focus would be on manufacturing our own products in India and strengthening our e-commerce base. Several consumers today find it beneficial to purchase their products online, hence we find it pertinent to create a space that is simple and quick for users to make their purchases.

 

5. This whole year was full of chaos, how was it for you, and has 2021 bring some change in terms of business?

The past year has certainly been challenging for us as a whole. The unprecedented situation has taught us the importance of adaption. We are slowly seeing a rise in wearable technology; several users today have factored in health as a priority.

Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to curate products that cater to such a need. For example, our FOXFIT AMAZE PRO – monitors blood oxygen levels, blood pressure, and heart rate along with the ease to answer calls and texts. As most users are working from home, we see a rise in demand as most purchases are seeking the aspect of functionality and increased capabilities.

Apart from this, the season of festivities is picking up and consumers are looking forward to making such purchases. It was a rather chaotic experience, but we believe we are adapting and understanding the situation and are taking steps appropriately.

 

6. As per your years of experience, what trends or innovations we can expect in mobile accessories in the coming years?

Foxin ventured into mobile accessories at an early stage and since then we have seen the industry evolving. From mobiles cases to a selfie sticks, consumers are looking for accessories that make their life simple. We believe wireless charging is a trend that will definitely pick up in the next few years. We’ve seen positive demand for portable chargers, wireless headphones, and portable speakers. Therefore, innovating a newer space for such products would be our focus in the coming years.

 

7. Pandemic has boomed eCommerce, what is your opinion will be the future for standalone stores? 

Ecommerce has certainly been of great help to this pandemic, with several users ordering their products at a click of a button. But we do believe brick and mortar stores are experiential and pertinent as consumers especially with products relating to technology, one would like to touch, feel and experience the product before making their purchase. For example, Apple stores are one such example that is known for their service and experience, several users line up to experience their products. We do believe eCommerce is simple and extremely useful, but standalone stores will be a preference for many.

 

8. Our PM has called for a Local initiative, how Foxin is contributing to that?

At Balaji Solutions (BSPL) flexibility is the key to all our offerings and intrinsic to this flexibility is the spirit of innovation that it brings to its products and services from the very stage of design to implementation. Foxin our in-house brand was launched in the year 2006 offering IT hardware and electronic products which was led than followed by Foxin accessories and wearable devices in early 2017. In line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative the company has capitalized on its experience profound understanding of the Indian market. It’s started its own manufacturing unit in Kolkata.