Debuts internationally starting with Bangladesh
Omega Seiki Mobility is taking long strides in the world of electric vehicles. It is evident in the passion, capability and agility shown by its founders. Sarada Vishnubhatla interacts with Uday Narang, Chairman, Anglian Omega Group and Dr. Deb Mukherji, Managing Director, Omega Seiki Mobility and explores the company’s debut internationally into Bangladesh, their plans and strategies to expand their business – both domestically and internationally, and delves into their dreams of making the brand a global name in EVs!
Mr. Uday Narang, Chairman, Anglian Omega Group (left) and Dr. Deb Mukherji, Managing Director, Omega Seiki Mobility
Two things that you can tap into when speaking to the heads of Omega Seiki Mobility (OSM) are their vibrant energy and quiet yet sharp intellect. That is what Uday Narang, Chairman, Anglian Omega Group and Dr. Deb Mukherji, Managing Director, Omega Seiki Mobility, are for you. Their great partnership drives OSM to go beyond boundaries in the EV world with practical yet innovative products by establishing right alliances globally.
OSM Bangladesh – First International Foray
In a strong progressive move, OSM has ventured into Bangladesh as the first stopover outside home. And it seems like they have hit the bull’s eye.
Narang is happy that “OSM- Bangladesh will be the first Bangladeshi automotive company.”
Statistics from the World Bank suggest that though Bangladesh may be perceived as 3rd world, the fact is that it is growing robustly at a growth rate of more than 8% per annum. In 2019, it recorded 8.2% growth.
Narang says: “Bangladesh offers free trade agreements with EU. We have aligned with top 5 businesses there. We hit roughly 40% of the world’s young population together in India, Bangladesh and ASEAN countries. With Bangladesh as a base, we can access markets in the Far East, Southeast Asia, ASEAN, and SAARC for our export-oriented business.”
Though plans are big for Bangladesh, India will remain the parent hub for the OSM business. It is also because Narang and his team believe in the AatmaNirbhar Bharat concept.
Dr. Mukherji fills in: “We are a global brand with a clear strategy to reach multiple locations with multiple products in India and abroad by 2030. Bangladesh fits highly strategically into our plan of things because it is a friendly neighboring country and they are developing infrastructure fast. Their economy is also growing significantly.”
It also helps that the labor costs in Bangladesh are significantly lower than India.
EVs – Need of the Hour in Bangladesh
Indian automotive companies have set up manufacturing bases there since long in Bangladesh. And, Narang is happy that currently the Bangladesh government is working on formulating their EV policy and OSM Bangladesh (OSM-B) is only happy to help.
He elaborates: “Their domestic automotive market is growing, especially, in the huge 2-wheeler segment. OSM-B will be manufacturing EVs in 2- and 3-wheeler segments. The current EVs that are plying on their roads are cheap imports from another of our neighbouring countries and they are generally unregistered while being unstable vehicles. Once the EV policy is put in place, it will open the doors for us to introduce a robust and OEM-quality, certified vehicles into the market.”
OSM will share experiences, and knowledge with their Bangladeshi partners, in their bid to build the EV ecosystem, and not just in India. Currently, OSM-B is working on the pricing and product configuration, with the plans firmed that the company will produce parts in Bangladesh.
Building OSM-B Market
OSM combines speed, agility and capability with cutting-edge EV technology and high quality to offer low-cost EV solutions for the Bangladeshi market. First mover advantage works extremely well for the brand. And, Narang and Dr. Mukherji assure that OSM offers only one quality globally.
Narang proudly shares: “We define the phrase ‘technology in motion’. We like to change with the consumer patterns. Hence, speed, cost effectiveness, and technology are what we want to bring to our customers. And we are ready for any competition that is sure to come up in future with our technology, designs, experience and efficiency.”
OSM India currently employs close to 100 people, and OSM-B will initially employ 40-50 people for the assembly shop besides 20 or so in the technology center.
Product Bouquet
Currently, OSM offers Rage Plus, Sun-Ri, Ride and Stream as its most sought-after products.
Dr. Mukherji shares: “In the EV segment, we use modular platforms such as Rage which is an L5N platform on which our vehicles are currently built. Then we have the L3 platform also. The products for Bangladesh would be customized variants with different names but in an economical price range.”
OSM plans to add a passenger version in L 5 category besides passenger and cargo versions in L 3 category also.
He further adds: “We have started working on a pick-up truck of 2-tonne payload with 200 Km range, which we will be targeting globally.”
Creating the Yearning
OSM-B understands that the general perception towards technology is that it will translate into expensive solutions. But Dr. Mukherji is quick to dispel the notion.
He says: “Technology does not mean higher cost but cost efficiency. It is a good problem to have because it encourages us to continuously improve our product, better our technology in offering value engineering. And our products are made keeping the customer needs at heart. A robust product sells itself. When the customer sees that this vehicle will last 5 years or so, and that it will give him a high running cost benefit, that will create the yearning.”
Crushing the Road Blocks
Every new setup faces the obvious logistical and infrastructural issues and bottlenecks in production and transport. OSM-B is prepared to tackle and learn from the challenges.
Narang has a plan: “We plan to build a huge R&D center in Dhaka which will be a full-fledged product development hub, and one is under construction in Faridabad, India.”
And, his strategy is to identify problems – be it in components, batteries, infrastructure, or the products – which will be tackled first in India, and then best practices will be applied at OSM-B. Oncethe volumes are built up to upto 25000 units a year, expansion plans will be taken up.
As per plan, the next round of investment may happen 2 years from now, the bosses say.
The OSM-B green facility will be built on 100 acres of land in an industrial zone with a completely integrated setup including the body shop, to paint and assembly shop along with a test track. The facility will be carbon neutral, energy efficient and fitted with solar and wind energy harnessing systems.
Vision – OSM
OSM’s vision is to become the ‘Tesla of the cargo segment’. In alignment with it, the brand is working towards becoming one of the top 3 EV players in India in the cargo section and also grow into a major player in SAARC, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Narang elaborates: “We are dreamers with focus. We believe that with the right technology, right people and the right alliances we will achieve our aim. Down the line, we will be working on autonomous vehicles and surely, we will be working on hydrogen fuel cell concept too. Ideas are galore.”
Talking about their plans for OSM-B, Dr. Mukherji says: “We wish to be the pioneers of electrification in Bangladesh automotive market. We want to be part of the local industrial fabric, and we want to develop the entire supply chain of components. And then ultimately make Bangladesh as an export hub.”
Currently the company has close to 20 dealerships with one in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh for 3-wheelers opened recently. The brand’s aim is to touch 100 dealerships by the end of 2021.
And, their ultimate dream is to etch the name of Omega Seiki in big and bold letters in the history of Indian EV saga!
