Keltron set to launch consumer PC

By Anand Parthasarathy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV. 24. Keltron is about to re-enter the personal computer market with a range of aggressively priced models targeting the home and small office market. Four models ranging in price from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 43,500 will go on sale, initially in Ernakulam, before the end of the year.

Manufactured at Keltron's Aroor plant on the outskirts of Kochi, the models are all Internet-enabled with a built-in modem and a CD drive. The entry level machine is based on the Cyrix 226 chip while pricier models have Intel's Celeron or Pentium II processors under the hood.

The range will be at least 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than big name branded machines of comparable specification, Mr. Ajay Kumar, Keltron's Managing Director, told "The Hindu". Mr. Kumar said that the company -- a pioneer among State-owned electronics corporations in India -- is sharply focussing on e-governance as an integrator and total solutions provider. It has already delivered a number of system solutions to State departments, including the networking of the Secretariat.

The Kochi Corporation has retained the services of Keltron to provide a paperless office solution. And the effort to provide voter identity cards to all eligible Kerala citizens has made this the first State to meet the Election Commission's national target. Keltron is now undertaking a similar task in Tamil Nadu.

In an effort to add muscle to its new development directions, Keltron has earmarked Rs. 8-10 crores in the current financial year for research and technological upgradation programmes. This will bolster its core strength in hardware products and stave off obsolescence in a rapidly changing scenario.

The corporation still enjoys a good brand name in the State for its quality and it has an edge over other -- especially up country -- PC makers, Mr. Kumar feels, because of its well- established service network. It continues to serve the military and high performance market with a range of sensors and devices.

In the early 1980s Keltron enjoyed an enviable customer loyalty across the State for its television sets and consumer electronics products. Putting the recent creatively lean years firmly behind, the corporation seems to be in the throes of reinventing itself as an Information Technology provider to back up the State's new- found enthusiasm for e-governance.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : TTP to be reopened on Nov. 28
Next     : 'Politicians yet to fathom IT potential'