BPL Group

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British Physical Laboratories, doing business as BPL Ltd., is an Indian electronics company. It makes consumer electronics and health care equipment. It was founded in 1963 in Palakkad, Kerala, and is headquartered at Bangalore, Karnataka.

History

British Physical Laboratories India Pvt. Ltd. was founded in 1963, during the Licence Raj, by T. P. G. Nambiar in Palakkad, Kerala, as a company for manufacturing hermetically sealed precision panel meters for the defence forces.<ref name="companyHistory">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="BabuEtPulla2011">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="iipm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Nambiar had worked in the United Kingdom and United States, and when he returned to India, he desired to create a company that manufactured high-quality electronic products, and he wanted to make BPL a household name.<ref name="companyHistory"/> The initial products were precision measuring instruments such as hermetic sealed panel meters for Bharat Electronics as a subcontract for Indian Army.<ref name="thenewsminute.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The newly-founded company was joint venture with the British company of the same name.<ref name="WhoOwnsWhom1964">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="NDTV2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Then BPL expanded its medical product ranges to include electrocardiographs and patient-monitoring systems.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011"/> After the 1982 Asian Games, BPL expanded its range further and manufactured colour televisions and video cassette recorders, and later refrigerators, batteries and other consumer electrical equipment.<ref name="iipm"/>

The company headquarters was moved to Dynamic House, Church Street, Bangalore.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011"/> From medical electronics, it expanded into consumer electronics, telecommunications, soft energy and electronic components.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011"/>

1980s

From 1980 onwards, when the industrial licensing was relaxed, BPL began manufacturing televisions and telecommunications equipment, demonstrating its potential and future business area. It began collaborating with the Japanese Sanyo Electric Company in the early 1980s with a technology-transfer agreement.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011"/><ref name="icmr">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the early 1990s, after globalisation and liberalization of the Indian economy, competition entered the market. BPL retained its strong presence and growth rate. During the late 1990s, the company's annual revenue peaked at Template:INRConvert.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011"/>

BPL concentrated on importing technology, improving product quality, innovations and manufacturing of electronic products. In late 1980s, BPL had metamorphosed from an entrepreneurial venture, into India's biggest consumer electronics & telecommunication company.

Following economic liberalisation in India in 1991, BPL faced increased competition from South Korean companies LG and Samsung.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011"/> Internal disputes within the controlling family took away attention from external threats, and the company's fortunes declined.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011"/> By 2004, BPL and Sanyo were facing serious financial problems due to intense competition in the global electronics market.<ref name="icmr"/> In 2005, the companies announced a joint-venture, and BPL transferred its colour television business, then worth US$80 million, to the new venture.<ref name="MathewEtSinha2005">Template:Cite news</ref>

BPL was restructured with a focus on energy, healthcare, consumer electronics and home security systems. In 2015, BPL partnered with Flipkart as an online retailer.<ref name="thenewsminute.com"/> In 2016, BPL launched new LED TVs (32 Inch, 40 inch and more) with a very economical price through E-commerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon.<ref name="BabuEtPulla2011" />

Performance

BPL Ltd has reported a net loss of Template:INRConvert in the second quarter of fiscal 2005-06, on gross sales of Template:INRConvert. Operating losses were at Template:INRConvert.

Gross sales were Template:INRConvert in the corresponding period during 2004-05 while net loss was at Template:INRConvert.

According to the company, the promoters have brought in Template:INRConvert as contemplated in the corporate debt restructuring scheme. The amount was to pay statutory liabilities, unsecured, pressing creditors, dealers, credit balances, employee dues and working capital requirements, in part.

In respect to the auditors' qualification of the company's accounts for the period ended 31 March 2005, about undisputed amounts payable in respect of income-tax (Template:INRConvert), dividend tax (Template:INRConvert), wealth tax (Template:INRConvert), TDS (Template:INRConvert) and customs duty (Template:INRConvert).

The balance in customs duty would be paid once the financial restructuring is completed and normalcy of operations is achieved, according to the company.

Joint venture with Sanyo

The BPL Group and Japanese electronics major Sanyo Electric Company Ltd formally started their 50:50 joint venture.

The partners, who had shared a long-standing relationship since 1982, had been off the market for about two years, going through some tough times. In the year 2006, they decided to get back in action together to regain lost market share.

While unveiling the Joint Venture's plans, Sanyo-BPL Pvt Ltd Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ajit G Nambiar, said the company expected to post revenues of around Template:INRConvert by 2009 and lead the market in consumer electronics and white goods in five years.

However, they decided to market their brands separately with BPL focusing on the volume segment while Sanyo brand positioned itself as the value driver.

Besides, Sanyo also planned to use India as its sourcing base and has already started sourcing slim TVs from India. It also expected India to contribute five per cent of its global revenues from its operations in India.

In May 2007 after the failure of Sanyo BPL venture. The attrition rate in Sanyo BPL was 70%. BPL concentrated 100% on Healthcare Business group which has its own manufacturing of electromedical equipment such as electrocardiography apparatus and patient monitors.Template:Cn

BPL Medical Technologies

BPL Medical Technologies was spun off into a separate company in 2013. In May 2013, Goldman Sachs purchased a 49% stake in the new company for Template:INRConvert.<ref name="goldman">Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• Loop Mobile, formerly BPL Mobile
• Rajeev Chandrasekhar