After a successful show in its last two outings at Busworld Kortrijk in 2015 and 2017, CARBON, a home-grown Indian company returned with innovation at the 2019 edition of Busworld. The company showcased its complete range of monitors, security cameras, DVRs, MDVRs, (both on line and offline) mics and USB ports.
Said Kumar H, Marketing Director, CARBON: “Our participation in the last two editions at Busworld helped with a few important contracts in the form of Irizar and Polaris. Overall, we have managed to take eight per cent market share in Europe in the in-coach infotainment segment. Similarly, we have grown phenomenally in the African market. India being our home turf, we have a good market share already.”
The exhibit across various applications from CARBON gave a glimpse of its stable production line and robust product portfolio. The highlight was its unique monitor for coaches that had worm motor mechanism, making it resistant to force closure or accidental hits. “We have a 19-inch motorized monitor that can sustain accidental bangs or anybody trying to meddle around with it or force it close. It is a specialized worm motor and nothing will happen to the display screen or the entire unit, even if forcefully pushed,” explained Kumar.
Another thing that has picked well for CARBON is the installation of USB chargers. “Acceptance of USB chargers have grown exponentially for us. In Africa, we have a market share of 40 per cent and the installation of our products have really picked up well in buses supplied by AL, MCV, GB POLO, amongst others,” he revealed.
In order to cater to demands from coach builders, CARBON has invested in a few contract manufacturers in China. “We have invested in a display (monitor) factory in China. We are also moving to a bigger premise in India which can enable us to handle around 40,000 buses per year,” he informed. CARBON is also working on a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ concept that can be enabled to an entertainment page while passengers travel in a bus.
The goal of the company is to be known as a brand that is synonym with in-coach entertainment. “We are working on a device that will provide entertainment options to passengers without them downloading any app. They will just have to connect to the WiFi available in the bus and the entertainment page will load with several listings. Another area we have worked on is the dual zone system where the driver can listen to the songs he wants, without him have to overhear the songs from the coach. On the security front, we also have a wireless camera and monitors that can be retrofitted in a bus without long critical wirings. We also have a radar-based proximity sensor device that can deduct animals and humans differently in case they appear as an obstruction within close proximity of the vehicle,” shared the Marketing Director.