Sumanglam International was incepted in 1996 (brand: Odyssey) by a dynamic young man with an MBA from Delhi University backed by a wide and resourceful experience in the imaging industry including his brilliant career with reputed organizations such as ITDL and Oriental Carbon & Chemicals Ltd. That brilliant young is Mr. Sharad Midha, who, today at the age of 73, is still very active and is a guiding star to the young entrepreneurs in the imaging industry. In an interaction with Imaging Solution, Mr. Sharad Midha shares about their successful journey of 25 years in the Indian aftermarket imaging industry to evolve into a shining and reputed brand.
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Mr. Sharad Midha shares, “We are excited that we have completed 25 years in the imaging industry. Since the beginning, we maintained a steady growth and kept on adding new products such as cartridge parts, OPC drums, etc to our portfolio, with quality and reliability as the main theme. We import imaging consumables only from reliable providers from Taiwan and Japan (and some from China) with a proven track record of developing high-quality products. We maintain a good reputation in the market and all our products are well-recognized and accepted by the customers. We have a wide range of products that meet the needs of machines of different brands and models. Our focus is more on black toners and toner cartridges, and color forms only one percent of our business. We follow strict quality control measures and our toners and cartridges are eco-friendly and deliver the promised yield and consistency. As for toners, we import about 70% from Taiwan and Japan and a little from China, and about 30% of the toners from the Indian manufacturers. Odyssey is a well-recognized brand in India, and we have the reputation for quality and transparency in our deals with partners and users.”
In 2000, Sumanglam launched its own brand Odyssey, which is today one of the reputed brands in the Imaging aftermarket industry in India. Odyssey currently has a wide range of product portfolios including printer & copier toner powders, toner cartridges, cartridge parts, desktop printer inks, lamination machines, etc. Sumanglam is also a National Distributor for TTI (a Taiwanese brand) for toner powders and Hanpfor OPC drums.
Mr. Sharad Midha adds, “Regarding our lamination machines, we import components from abroad, body parts from the Indian providers. We sell over 2000 lamination machines every month. To serve the needs of the different customers, we have two types of lamination machines: 2-roller laminators and 4-roller machines. In the 2-roller machine category, we have two types—one with a plastic body and the other with an aluminum body. The 4-roller laminators have better balance and deliver high-quality lamination work. In the 4-roller laminator’s segment again we have two models—Eco 12 (light-duty machine) and YL 320 (heavy-duty machine).”
With a sales force, including the company’s own and contracted, of over 100, over 10 branch offices, and a strong dealer network, Odyssey provides their products all across the country. The Odyssey also provides top-class lamination machines and consumables.
Talking about the market trends, Mr. Sharad Midha comments, “Our business currently reached 95% of the pre-lockdown levels. The demand for printer toners has almost reached the normal levels, but the demand for copier toners is still low and expected to improve only after the educational institutions like schools, colleges, coaching centers, courts, etc start working full-time hopefully by early 2022. Even the jobber segment will work full-time only after the educational institutes open. Work From Home and Learn From Home have a little positive impact on the demand for compatible consumables. We hope things will be normal by early 2022. Talking about the Make in India program, in my opinion, it takes a much longer time to make a significant contribution due to inadequate infrastructure and greater preference for imported products, but we wish India will become a self-reliant manufacturer soon. We just want to focus on whatever we are doing now and do better; we have plans to launch new products this financial year. We are content with our growth and optimistic about the future.”
