In the ever-changing landscape of India’s IT and consumer electronics industry, few companies have made as lasting an impact as Rashi Peripherals. For over three decades, the company has been a pivotal force, bridging the gap between global technology brands and Indian consumers. With an expansive distribution network and a commitment to innovation, Rashi Peripherals has established itself as a key player in the country’s tech ecosystem.
In this exclusive interview, Vaishali Umredkar, Executive Editor of Electronics Maker spoke with Mr. Rajesh Goenka, CEO and Mr. Vishwas Kanwar, Business Unit Head – Embedded at Rashi Peripherals, to delve into the company’s journey, the evolving role of IT distribution, and how they are adapting to the latest trends and challenges in the industry. From their strategic partnerships with leading global brands to their outlook on digital transformation in India.
1. Please tell me something about Rashi Peripherals and your journey so far?
Rashi Peripherals (RP Tech), a 35-year- young company, now positions itself as a value-added distributor, with over 60 brands. We went public in February 2024 and continue to expand our offerings. As part of our strategy, we launched an embedded business vertical led by Vishwas, focusing on providing design and solution services to Indian manufacturers, supporting the Make in India initiative. The embedded team consists of 19 members, and we’ve set up a lab in Bangalore to design and test solutions, including AI and face recognition technologies. The journey has been exciting so far.
2. What is your focus for the India market?
Rashi Peripherals focuses on both embedded design and semiconductor product distribution, helping customers with ease of adoption by providing a variety of components. Their embedded lab plays a key role in simplifying design processes. India, historically a consumption economy for electronics, is now sourcing more locally, and the government is supporting this shift through initiatives like Production-Linked Incentives (PLI) and promoting the design-driven sector, which aligns with RP Tech’s focus on providing locally designed solutions.
3. Are you approaching to International customers?
Rashi Peripherals focuses on both Indian and global customers. We recognize that many global companies are making design decisions in India, and the Indian embedded industry plays a key role in these designs. Therefore, our approach targets both local and international markets.
4. Please tell me about your team strength?
Rashi Peripherals currently has a team of 19 people working in their embedded design vertical, which we expect to grow to 25 by year-end. The team includes business development professionals, field application engineers, and application engineers, with the latter providing direct value to customers through their expertise.
5. What are your competitive strengths as an embedded design solution provider?
Rashi Peripherals is a new entrant in the embedded design space, with a focus on promoting solutions rather than just products. Our approach involves understanding customer needs and environments, offering complete solutions, which we consider a key differentiator in the competitive market.
6. What are the products you have showcased in this exhibition?
At the exhibition, we have showcased products from key sponsors like Elmos, Intel, NVIDIA, and STMicroelectronics. Elmos offers ICs for automotive solutions like LED lighting and reverse parking. NVIDIA provides AI solutions, with a demo featuring their Jetson platform for collision avoidance in toy cars. Intel showcases processors for digital signage, factory automation, ATMs, servers, Wi-Fi modules, and networking cards. Additionally, we are presenting solutions from STMicroelectronics. Rashi Peripherals is focusing on offering comprehensive solutions for automotive and AI applications.
7. Can you tell us about your partners?
Rashi Peripherals currently has around 20 partners in the embedded space, with plans to add more as part of their solution-selling approach. One significant embedded design trend we can see having a great impact in India is intelligent video analytics, which can be applied in areas like smart traffic, smart city applications, and factory automation.
8. What’s your thoughts on Semicon India unveiled this year in this exhibition?
With the unveiling of Semicon India and the Prime Minister’s vision to make India a major manufacturing hub, Rashi Peripherals sees huge potentials in India becoming a significant manufacturing base, similar to China. This initiative aligns with the country’s growing potential as a global semiconductor and electronics manufacturing destination.
