Mr. Katsura delivers an insightful session, sharing his expertise on the Indian market, Katsura’s philosophy, and the strategic partnership between Provin and Katsura.
The recent Katsura India launch event was graced by the presence of Mr. Yasuhiro Katsura, the legacy holder of the renowned Katsura brand. “The successful launch event was honoured by the presence of Mr. Yasuhiro Katsura. We are thrilled to have hosted the event at Greater Noida where we showcased the meticulous craftsmanship that goes into creating Katsura rollers, highlighting the brand’s commitment to precision and quality,” shares Akshay Kaushal, Executive Director – Sales, Provin Technos.
“We’re grateful for the loyalty and trust of our customers, who are the cornerstone of our success. The launch event was a celebration of our partnership with them, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter,” excitedly claims Akshay.
A delegation from Katsura attended the launch event. Those attending included: Mr. Yasuhiro Katsura, Mr. Kozo Uchiyama, Mr. Yosuke Tsunawaki and Mr. Yuya Igusa. Also present was Mr. Toshiyuki Ishibashi, International Sales Head of Ryobi Mitsubishi Graphic Technology.
The event featured a presentation on the history of rollers and Katsura’s innovative manufacturing process. Mr. Katsura delivered an insightful session, sharing his expertise on the Indian market, Katsura’s philosophy, and the strategic partnership between Provin and Katsura.
Katsura Japan, a 125-year-old industry leader, has partnered with Provin Technos, a renowned expert in service and marketing, to form Katsura India. This strategic alliance combines the best of both worlds to deliver exceptional quality rubber rollers tailored to the evolving needs of Indian customers.
“To begin with, we have placed our focus on the printing industry with the supply of inking and dampening rollers for Oil-based, Combi, UV and Eco-friendly inks. In due course we plan to expand our offerings for different segments and also enter the industrial roller market,” says Akshay.
“We have started with our first unit which has been set up in Faridabad, Haryana with the main focus on offset press rollers in particular. The initial target is to bring the capacity to its full potential. For the time, our supply centre will be this unit for all the orders across India. Few years down the line, we plan to expand our setup to different locations across India,” further adds Akshay.
Speaking on pricing, availability and technical support network, he informs, “There is a huge gap in the market at present in relation to the price point and quality standards. At lower price point, nobody focus on the quality part and when it comes to quality the price point is too high. We are here to bridge that gap where at a reasonable price point we strive to provide our customers with the highest of quality.
Since we are now manufacturing in India, availability is not a question at all and to top it up, domestic team of Katsura India is technically backed by Katsura Japan who are one of the giants in this industry.”
Starting with offset press market, Provin and Katsura will focus on expanding to different segments in a planned way once they bring up their first unit to its full potential.
Calling their Printpack Experience a resounding success, Akshay, sums up, “We had a fantastic experience at Printpack, with engaging conversations with customers that provided valuable insights. The event generated serious inquiries, particularly for larger paper sizes. The response to Katsura rollers was overwhelmingly positive. Our customer-centric approach, focused on understanding their unique needs and providing the right solutions, resonated well. By showcasing the current market offerings and highlighting the benefits of our high-quality rollers, we effectively demonstrated the value proposition of Katsura rollers.”
Furthermore, they have already started rolling out orders and have been receiving super feedback from customers on the quality, we learnt.
Katsura and Provin Technos have great plans for India. “As is a fact written in bold, India is and will be a go to in the future. Printing roller market in India is valued roughly around 1600 crore rupees with approximately 16,00,000 rollers sold annually. We see a promising market for Katsura India. Potential is huge and just needs to be tapped properly,” envisages Akshay.
“Our initial targets are not quantity based but only based. We are here to establish a range which signifies quality and we plan to establish those standards to begin with. Rest targets will automatically follow,” he emphasises.
