WeP plans billing machines for milk co-ops

IT peripherals, solutions and service company WeP Peripherals is in the process of developing a customised automated billing solution for milk co-operatives in Gujarat.

The company is currently in talks with the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand, to finalise a deal to supply 10,000 units of such customised non-PC billing machines by March 2008.

The billing machines will be modified from the existing automated billing solutions called BP-40, launched by the company for unorganised small retailers. Priced at Rs 8,000 per unit, these machines will be manufactured at its units in Mysore and Himachal Pradesh.

Talking about the likely deal with milk dairies in Gujarat, Ganesh Bhatnagar, channel manager for WeP Peripherals, said, "We are close to obtaining contracts for customised billing machines from the milk co-operatives in Gujarat like Amul. Although, the deals are yet to be finalised, we hope to sell around 10,000 units by March 2008."

On the retail front, the company at present sells around 25 BP-40 billing machines per month in the state.

"The BP-40 billing machines have been developed for small retailers who are looking to serve their customer better as well as compete with the automated services of big retail stores. Since these machines do not require any PC connection and can store up to 2,000 items in its memory, we hope the product will be a hit in the mom-and-pop stores," said Bhatnagar.

Expanding its reach in Gujarat from Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat to Mehsana, Rajkot and other cities, WeP is expecting its sales to increase from 25 units per month to 100 units per month by March 2008.

"Given the strong retail culture in Gujarat, organised or unorganised, we expect to achieve a sales target of 2,000 units by the next financial year," he added.