Panasonic eyes 10pc share of handheld Toughpad market in 4 yrs

Japanese consumer electronics maker Panasonic Thursday forayed into the handheld Toughpad segment with an aim to corner 10 per cent market share in 3-4 years, through its Toughbook series.

"We are aiming to have around 10 per cent market share in the segment through our handheld Toughbook in next 3-4 years," Panasonic National Business Head-Toughbook Gunjan Sachdev told PTI.

The company is eyeing opportunities in warehousing, e-commerce, and logistics market through its handheld Toughbook. Panasonic is already a market leader in the Toughpad segment in India.

At present, the handheld rugged devices market is estimated at Rs 250 crore in India. Panasonic would be competing with makers such as Honeywell and Zebra which are growing annually around 15 per cent.

"Our newest offering...further assists consumers with their enterprise based working environment by robustly assisting them to augment their efficiency levels through the unique blend of characteristics offered by Toughbook," said Hiroaki Sakamoto, managing director of the company's connected solutions division.

Panasonic is expecting a business of Rs 100 crore from Toughbook, part of its B2B segment, in next two years.

It is selling Toughbook-based rugged computing devices solutions to law enforcement agencies, defence installations, paramilitary forces, automobile makers and manufacturing companies.

"This year we would be closing around Rs 75 crore. With this new product, we would look to touch Rs 100 crore in next two years," said Sakamoto.

Toughbook is a trademark brand owned by Panasonic Corporation, which has a line of rugged computing devices that can withstand vibration, drops, spills, extreme temperature, and rough handling.