Managing Director | Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics brings technology solutions to a breadth of markets, including telecommunications, information systems, transportations, medical, industrial and consumer electronics. Arrow is a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions.
Mr. Sanjeev Keskar, bachelor of Engineering and a Masters in Management Science, has worked in various capacities as Country Head and Managing Director with the companies like PMC Sierra, Freescale, AMD, National Semiconductor and currently holding the post of Managing Director Arrow India. Sanjeev has been associated with the IESA (India Electronics and Semiconductor Association), elected to the Executive Council of IESA and has held positions of Treasurer, Vice Chairman, Chairman and Advisor since Year 2011. In conversation with ELE Times Sanjeev Keskar discusses various aspects of Arrow Electronics business and company’s special position at the global scale. Read the excerpts from the interview.
ELE Times: Distributors generally talk about the very slow growth the industry is experiencing. Do you experience the similar concerns? What’s your take on this?
Sanjeev Keskar:We are seeing government policies about MSIP ( Modified Special Incentive Package), EMC ( Electronics Manufacturing Cluster) and PMA ( Preferential Market Access ) are making impact and helping to drive “Make in India “ initiative to grow electronics manufacturing in India. In addition, a number of global EMS companies investing in India are going to help job market in domestic manufacturing as well as training the talents for the future of the industry. Local mobile phone companies have started local manufacturing which will contribute to the growth of electronics industry in India. These are pretty good signs of vibrant development of the industry.
ELE Times: What would be the “next big thing” that might spur growth in the electronics industry? Can you point out the emerging markets or technologies that look promising to you?
Sanjeev Keskar: The Key growth drivers we see for Electronics Industry in India include:
- Industrial electronics: Smart Metering, LED Lighting, Motor Control , Power Supplies, Inverters.
- Telecom: LTE / GPON / DWDM
- Automotive electronics: New Emission norms , Safety Standards, TPMS , GPS and Infotainment
- Smartphones and Tablets
- Medical electronics
- IT and Data Centers
- Connectivity / IoT: Bluetooth, Wi Fi , GSM/ GPS…..
ELE Times: Automotive, Avionics and IoT may be noted as brighter spots amid the sluggish economic recovery. Do you see that trend continuing? Are there any other glimmers of hope on the horizon?
Sanjeev Keskar: Yes we see these as growth drivers. India’s Department of Electronics and Information Technology (GOI) has set a target of reaching USD 10 billion market size in Auto Electronics by 2020 which is 3x the current market size. The Indian Auto Electronics space is gaining momentum due to the following drivers:
- Increasing electronic content per car: Cost of Auto Electronics content as percent of total automobile cost in India is expected to double from 23% to 45% over the period 2010-2030 as per the latest McKinsey ACMA Report 2015
- Increasing Premium/ Luxury cars sales in India: Higher-end car models feature more auto electronics with larger and more complex electrical systems
- Emerging technologies: Satellite navigation systems, remote security systems, ADAS, traffic control systems, parking cameras, tyre pressure warning systems, parking sensors etc. are some of the emerging electronic accessories in the Indian Auto electronics space
ELE Times: According to reports Arrow has almost the top ranking in the ladder. What milestones do you foresee in the near future?
Sanjeev Keskar: Arrow is uniquely positioned as an ecosystem builder to help solution providers manage technological complexities and advance their businesses to seamlessly fit the ever-changing, opportunity-rich landscape. With a global footprint and industry-leading engineering and supply chain expertise, Arrow has been serving the India market for more than two decades. Arrow has extensive presence in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune which are the emerging high-tech areas in India. Arrow offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions from many of the world’s foremost technology suppliers, complemented with industry-leading resources, tools and service support. Our best-in-class technical experts and design engineers are constantly working with technology suppliers and thinking Five Years Out to guide our customers as they bring their innovations to life.
ELE Times: As Arrow enjoys a global reputation, what are the greatest challenges the company faces in serving a worldwide customer base?
Sanjeev Keskar: We have a solid understanding of the Third-Platform Technologies eco-system and have established collaboration with not just IDH partners but also service/system integrators to enable business models to support software and apps development, We are working with some of the most innovative leading electronic component suppliers.
For instance, the application varieties in IoT space are tremendous and new comers to the ecosystem may not have enough solution expertise to build a complete application. IoT is going to be driven by four key elements: sensors, actuators, connectivity and data management (people ad processes are a given). All data collected from devices that are connected via sensors and gateways will simply be shared through the cloud. Marrying wireless connectivity with security, low power microcontrollers, long battery life, gateways, and different software operating systems combined with big data storage and analytics is not easy. Companies need to work with trusted partners who have a holistic view of IoT, skilled engineers, and wide portfolio of custom or modular solutions from proven technology suppliers to help them cut through the fog of protocols, hardware, system development, delivering platforms and sub-systems that are IoT-ready. Large enterprises and companies have their own R&D investment and engineering team and resources to support them to pursue their own IoT opportunities. However for a technology ecosystem to thrive, it is important to nurture and enable a community of technology SMEs to flourish and prosper. With the enormous number of connected IoT nodes, technology manufacturers are faced with ever-increasing complexity and challenges around wireless connectivity, system integration, data management and aggregation and monetization opportunities.
These SMEs may specialize in a number of domains including, IP research, design, manufacturing and production, software development etc. While they excel in their own areas, they may lack expertise in wireless connectivity, sensing, system integration, data management and aggregation.
This is where Arrow comes in. We provide our customers with a comprehensive approach and connected solution framework to help them develop a new generation of connected intelligent devices.
For example, traditional lighting customers who are experts in optics and analog may have difficulty mastering the wireless connectivity in smart lighting.
Infotainment ODMs may have limitation developing a complete solution for connected car with cloud service.
From chips to sensors, wireless connection to secure communication network, boards to operating systems, modules to design libraries, firmware to middleware, protocol to intuitive user interface, we offer complete turnkey solutions, engineering expertise, and vertical market knowledge that customers need to bring their innovations to life.
ELE Times: What are the key trends in electronics components distribution that may shape the industry? How the current trends are affecting a company like Arrow? What other industry trends are you watching today, particularly as they relate to customers and the supply chain?
Sanjeev Keskar: One of our global strengths is our ability to guide customers through some of the technology world’s most challenging issues – delivering practical solutions that allow customers to focus on the things they do best, bringing their innovations to life. As a recognized leader in managing one of the most complex supply chain and logistics operations around the world, Arrow offers end-to-end solution from engineering and design, to production services across all stages of the technology lifecycle, optimizing operational efficiency, manufacturing capability and flexibility.
