Tamil Nadu handicrafts body harnesses power of digital to boost efficiency

In the next two months, travellers passing through the international airport at Chennai will get to ‘experience’ artifacts made by artisans from across Tamil Nadu, thanks to virtual reality (VR) technology. 

The organisation undertaking the task of setting up this virtual gallery is not a start-up or technology company, but Poompuhar, the retail arm of the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (TNHDC), which is named after an ancient coastal city in the state. The intent behind the project is to boost international sales of handicrafts and gain a global audience by leveraging new technologies.

The state’s handicrafts department has begun making virtual 3D replicas of all the products it sells in order to make them viewable through VR. The work is being done out of the department’s Design Research and Development Centre (DRDC) located inside the Poompuhar corporate office in Chennai. The facility is equipped with the latest 3D scanning tools, digital sculpting systems, 3D printers, manned by skilled design professionals. The centre is also working on creating 3D galleries online to aid handicraft sales via e-commerce, apart from its efforts to woo buyers at the airport and its stores across cities.

The VR-enabled virtual gallery is one of the many examples of how TNHDC is trying to change the face of the organisation using technology, whether it is product designing, prototyping, sourcing or selling to end-customers. The man driving this transformation is Santhosh Babu, a medical doctor-turned-Indian Administrative Service officer, who currently helms the corporation as chairman and managing director. As the Collector of Krishnagiri district in 2006, Babu had introduced the rural BPO concept in India. Back2School, another initiative he launched to monitor the attendance of students in schools using technology, has been a global case study, attracting recognition by the United Nations.

“VR is the next wave in technology. Globally, people are already shopping through VR even though the numbers are minuscule. This will also reduce the cycle time of selling the product,” said Babu.

The virtual store comes as a front-end of a gradual technology-led transformation driven by TNHDC across the entire organisation. This includes re-engineering and automating the key processes, including administration, marketing, design, and production to enhance the market-responsiveness and cost-effectiveness of the corporation. The time taken for clearance of files and bills, for example, has been brought down. This has made TNHDC the first department in the state to go completely digital.

The corporation is also developing an e-repository of all artisans in Tamil Nadu and their skills. This, when completed, will become the biggest marketplace for artisans in the world. Right now, dedicated webpages for 10,000 artisans have been created and over a period of time, this will grow to 100,000. For customers, separate sites for different crafts will allow them to view and purchase these products in an e-commerce format. 

Poompuhar goes high-tech

* Store at Chennai airport to offer VR ‘experience’ of handicrafts to travellers

* Poompuhar’s design centre in Chennai driving the initiatives

* Building 3D galleries, aiding online sales of handicrafts through e-commerce

* Department helping artisans create more contemporary designs of handicrafts

* An e-repository of all artisans in Tamil Nadu and their skills is being developed

Poompuhar has created its own e-commerce website and app, which like many of the large online shopping sites offers free home delivery through a dedicated logistics network. It has also signed memoranda of understanding with e-commerce majors in the country such as Snapdeal, Flipkart, Craftsvilla, ShopClues, and IndiaMART for selling Poompuhar products online. Apart from having its own site, Poompuhar has also built a strong presence on social networks allowing people to discover its products through friends and others organically.

Poompuhar’s design centre has also been working on using 3D designing and 3D printing to help artisans create more contemporary crafts. With the use of the technology, the department has created moulds for artisans that were used in the production of bronze idols.

“This centre will greatly enhance the capacity of Poompuhar to come out with new designs in the market. The DRDC will also provide access to information and maintain an extensive online database for designers, artisans, commercial organisations, and individuals interested in handicrafts,” added Babu.

The virtual showroom is being set up with an investment of Rs 21.7 million from the Tamil Nadu State Innovation Fund. The department has gone in for a public–private partnership model to do so and it is this entity that will also build and maintain the multiple digital platforms for promoting the sales of handicrafts of TNHDC.