Honor Tech, a smartphone brand that licenses products from China intends to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) within four years. The goal is to strengthen its manufacturing operations and expand its presence in the market as mentioned by a senior executive. Madhav Sheth, CEO of Honor Tech emphasized that the IPO is not solely focused, on revenue growth but on achieving profitability. He highlighted the importance of stability before venturing into the markets.
Upcoming IPO from Honor Tech
Although Honor Tech has already achieved profitability by trading its products in the market operational profitability is still a target to be attained. Sheth mentioned that while they are breaking from a contribution margin perspective and making progress in terms of profits there is still work to be done on the net side. In order to boost profitability Honor Tech is now concentrating on the budget smartphone segment. Aims to set itself by offering enhanced durability features.
Similar to its model Honor Tech’s latest smartphone is imported from its suppliers due to the limited availability of advanced manufacturing technologies in India. Sheth clarified that even though importing was necessary for this product efforts were made to subsidize costs, from the factory so as to align with market pricing expectations and ensure competitiveness within this segment.
Moving forward Honor Tech is currently engaged in conversations, with manufacturers who meet the criteria for the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program. The objective is to initiate the production of Honor phones in India starting from the year. However, it is crucial to prioritize product quality, which entails sourcing machinery from Japan for manufacturing purposes. Sheth emphasized the development of these capabilities within India to ensure adherence, to product standards.
Honor Tech, which emerged as an independent entity in August 2023 from PSAV Global, holds a licensing agreement with Chinese brand Honor, allowing it to sell and manufacture products in India without royalty obligations. As for industry trends in 2024, Sheth predicts a decline in demand for 4G smartphones, with brands focusing on repurposing components for affordable 5G handsets priced below ₹10,000. However, expectations of a spike in memory chip prices may lead to future price hikes of up to ₹1,000 on upcoming models.
