Poompuhar plans to double profits with virtual showrooms

Santhosh Babu, Chairman and MD, The Tamilnadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd, said that the tender for the Design Research and Development Centre (DRDC) has been published recently and the DRDC will go hand in hand with virtual reality. He explained that the fund has also provided Rs 2.2 crore for virtual reality. 

The campaign will place the mobile units of virtual reality showrooms at places like airport and malls. 

Potential customers will be provided with head gears to virtually observe the art and crafts. “Both DRDC and VR showroom involve 3D designing. An organisation can occupy the DRDC facility and come up with designs as per our requirement. For example, products for seasonal demands like Valentine’s Day. They will also scan our products and put them in their virtual reality showroom along with their designs. After the showroom is set up, the products can be accessed. It is a continuous work for 2-3 years.”

He added that the marketing team of the organisation will take the VR kit throughout the world, participate in tenders and design the equipment at the DRDC. “They will give us the mould and we will make those products in our production units, especially in bronze and brass,” he said. The department is aiming to focus more on the souvenir and utilities market. 

He added, “This has huge implication and possibilities, as there are markets we are missing. Souvenir is one, for example, the Chennai Egmore Museum has many items on display inside, but when visitors leave, they only have brochures to take with them. We can come up with smaller replicas of the items at a size of less than six inches. Similarly, ornate door handles are a market that China has entered in a big way. We could tap that as well.” 

The department is looking at a turnover of Rs 75 crore in the current year -- almost a 35 crore jump from the previous turnover of Rs 40 crore. Santhosh Babu added that the department has been banking heavily on technology for all aspects of functioning, including design and marketing. 

He said, “The large part of the jump has been due to the interior designing projects we have taken — including the work at eight airports. We are also set for a huge project of Rs 45 crore in the Ulaga Tamizh Sangam in Madurai.” 

The department has about 70,000 artisans from across artisan belts in the state, with a large part of the sales comprising brass, wood and bronze. He said, “We are looking at ways to include 1.5 lakh of them in our database. The online market is huge for these artisans and they can sell directly to the customers.”