KOLKATA: The South Korean firm, which made a foray into the PC segment in February, will supply computers to Jharkhand state for a major primary education programme. Princy Bhatnagar, country manager of Samsung's branded PC arm, told reporters here that the order involves setting up units in 375 locations across the state, putting up servers and networking. He refused to divulge details of the order, which was bagged last week. "The order will be executed by a tri-partite arrangement between Samsung, Syntech and WEBEL, the West Bengal government's nodal agency for IT," Bhatnagar said. Bhatnagar said the Jharkhand government order was bigger than the one won jointly by IBM and Hewlett Packard for the Indian government's income tax department's computerisation programme. Samsung, a leader in the PC peripheral market, is aiming to capture 10-14 percent of the India's branded PC segment, which Bhatnagar said was witnessing a slump. The company was also in talks with various state governments, including those of West Bengal and Orissa, for extending its presence in eastern region, which contributed towards 40 percent of its PC sales. Bhatnagar said Samsung now had 10 percent market share in branded PC in eastern India. "We are hoping to capture 25 percent of the eastern market for branded PCs this year," Bhatnagar said, adding that its local tie-ups for distribution and manufacturing has helped it quickly gain in market share.
Source: IANS