n the finest tradition of the ninja warriors, stealth, speed and, most importantly, the element of surprise have been the key weapons in Sansui India�s armory. In fact, the consumer electronics company appears to have perfected the craft of nonuse (or �the art of stealth�, from which the ninja derived their warfare) so well that its achievements over the past two years have largely gone unnoticed by industry watchers.

The achievements are, of course, striking. Less than seven years after entering the country, Sansui India - the joint venture between Japanese electronics major Sansui Elec-tric Co Ltd and Kitchen Appliances India Ltd - is within striking distance of a double-digit market share in colour televisions (CTVs), and is almost running neck-and-neck with Onida for the No 3 position in the CTV market. What�s more, Sansui�s monthly volume sales of CTVs have grown by roughly 35 per cent, year on year, over 2002 and 2003, and the brand registered a turnover of Rs 700 crore last year. The target for 2004: a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore. All this, after having spent its first four years in India at the bottom-end of the CTV pile. ... more