Feature: Beyond box moving?

• Features

• 28/09/2025

For AV to function, all parts of the industry need to be in sync. We have explored the rise of integration in India and now we are examining distribution.

The channel is important because without it products do not get to their destinations.

Suhas Mahashetti, senior manager for global strategies at Online Instruments, says: “Approximately 70% of AV products in India are routed through distributors, while the remaining 30% are supplied directly by manufacturers operating within the country. Over the past few years, the distribution ecosystem in India has significantly matured.”

He continues: “Indian distributors excel in maintaining inventory and ensuring quick turnaround times, which is critical for timely project execution. They have also built strong backend support systems that offer valuable technical assistance, especially during on-site challenges.”

Rhythm Arora, CEO of Qubix, shares his thoughts: “Distribution in India is in an interesting place, with traditional distributors still holding strong but starting to be challenged by newer, modern distribution models. Some still believe that distribution means moving boxes and solving the ‘credit’ problem. But India has changed a lot in the last five to seven years. GST has been implemented, creditworthiness of businesses is much better, and the distributors that were created to simply solve the problem of getting paid for large OEMs are starting to lose relevance.”

He continues: “At the same time, the need for having a distributor in every state to have ready stock available is dwindling. The logistics and transport infrastructure in India has improved to the point that it rarely takes more than two days for product to be delivered to most places. You don’t need a local ‘stockist’ anymore.”

With this input from two of the foremost Indian integrators it is clear that the distribution channel in India is capable of performing its core function. Expertise with delivering technology and astute steps taken by the government to improve business practices and enhance infrastructure mean that product is readily available, barring global or geopolitical disruption.

Mohammed Haaris, director at Nvincy, comments: “GST has played a pivotal role in transforming India into a unified market. The need for local stockists in every city is now obsolete. With logistics infrastructure significantly enhanced, we can efficiently ship products across the country. In the B2B sector, everything operates on project timelines. We maintain stock for fast-moving items and high demand items, but project- specific equipment is stocked based on demand and pre-ordered to meet project timelines.”

Room for improvement

The development of the AV industry, and its success, means that integrators are looking for more. Suhas from Online Instruments elaborates: “While many distributors have established strong foundations, those handling exclusive and technically advanced products need to invest more in customer experience centres to showcase the products that they hold. Setting up state-of- the-art experience centres and enabling on-demand demos can significantly improve customer engagement and product adoption.”

Rhythm from Qubix is more forthright and straightforward: “The distributor is meant to be a service provider. They are meant to solve a problem. And at this point, we as a business cannot justify paying 10% or 15% extra to a distributor that is looking to solve problems that do not exist.”

He continues and furnishes an example of what service and support look like: “The modern distributor is starting to focus on adding value, whether it is through training or product knowledge. For example, Alphatec is a distributor we love to work with. They have a solid applications team, and if you send them a BOM that is not quite right, they will come back with questions to clarify. If you miss a bracket or an accessory, they’ll catch it. And having this extra layer of review is helpful for us. We enjoy working with distributors that bring something to the table and add value.”

From the distributor’s perspective, providing these additional services and support is part of the plan but execution is not always a simple matter. Haaris from Nvincy says: “As a value- added distributor, we’re not just moving boxes - we’re investing in demonstrations, training, post- sales support, RMA support, and marketing. While some integrators truly value this added support, others take a more transactional approach, focusing primarily on pricing, stock availability, shipping, and billing. To offer these additional services, it’s crucial that our margins can sustain these efforts.”

He continues: “When we launch brands which we represent in India we go beyond simple distribution. We invest in market education, awareness-building, and post-sales support. Essentially, we take on many of the responsibilities that OEMs themselves would normally manage. Our role is to represent the brand to its full potential, without actually wearing the OEM’s employee badge.”

Across India, the region, and the globe?

Indian integrators can deliver projects across India and Indian distributors are able to support them in this endeavour. But Indian integrators are also looking to expand out of India and compete for business in the region as well as around the globe.

This creates a unique point of friction. The integrators would of course prefer having one point of contact on the side of distribution as they work across India and outside the borders of the country. Unfortunately, this is not the case in action as Rhythm from Qubix says: “The business world is divided into distribution territories and sometimes these divisions are not consistent and don’t make sense. I’ve seen parts of South Asia be part of EMEA, APAC, Southeast Asia, or SAARC based on what works for the OEM. Maldives and Sri Lanka are as likely to be managed out of Singapore as they are to be managed out of Dubai. And what that means for integrators like ourselves who want to grow and expand in the region, not just in India, is that our work is made more difficult because of the discord in the channel.”

Eliminating this point of friction is not easy. Haaris from Nvincy says: “While we are focused on expanding regionally, India remains a massive market for us. Once we feel we’ve maximised our impact within the country, we’ll look towards global expansion. However, our ability to support integrators in this endeavour hinges on eliminating friction in the distribution process. We aim to stay flexible, accommodating integrators who prefer working with a single regional point of contact. The challenge often arises with OEMs, especially when sales territories overlap. In such cases, it becomes harder to deliver the consistent and seamless support that our clients expect.”

There are a handful of distributors that can support integrators in India and the region. Suhas from Online Instruments says: “We’ve found significant value in partnering with distributors who operate across multiple regions. Our collaborations with Ingram Micro, Redington, Wesco Anixter, and Mindstech Technologies have extended seamlessly outside India, offering us consistency, trust, and even the ability to carry over credit terms across geographies. This has made cross-border operations smoother and more efficient. However, when working with Indian distributors who operate solely within the domestic market, we’ve had to forge new relationships with regional distributors for the same manufacturers outside of India. This underlines a strong opportunity for Indian distributors to expand their footprint and support services on a global scale.”

Rhythm from Qubix further highlights the synergy between an integrator and a distributor with a global mindset: “When we’re doing anything outside India, we have a preference to bundle products from Wesco Anixter, given that they were the best products for the job to begin with. This is because Wesco Anixter can deliver in Singapore, can deliver in the region, and can support us with credit and relationships which have already been built based on our business interactions in India. This setup means we can avoid the sometimes-laborious process of building new relationships with new distributors from scratch.”

Mohammed Haaris from Nvincy concludes: “We want to expand regionally, but India is still a huge market for us. When we feel we’ve done justice to the Indian market, we’ll start looking outward.”