Provin Technos officially launched Katsura India – a joint venture with Katsura Roller, Japan – on the sidelines of Printpack on 1 February 2025. The plant, became operational the same day. Industry leaders and stakeholders of the Indian print industry attended the event at Stellar Gymkhana in Greater Noida.
In an interaction with Indian Printer & Publisher, Akshay Kaushal, executive director – sales at Provin Technos, said Provin Technos, had been working to set up the Katsura India factory for the last one-and-a-half years. “The project was very close to every member of the Provin family because we received a lot of feedback from our service engineers regarding roller conditions, problems faced by customers in procuring good quality rollers in India and local substitutes not working well.
Kaushal said there was a huge gap in the Indian market as nobody was offering quality rollers at competitive prices in India. “At the higher end of the segment, the price point was very high but roller quality was good. At the lower end, the quality was not reliable at a lower cost. That is what gave us the idea of starting a Japanese roller plant in India .”
There is a tradition in Katsura that whenever someone starts a project, they should start it from scratch with each process thoroughly examined, understood and followed, Akshay Kaushal said, adding this ensures the accuracy and quality of the rollers through their entire life cycle. The company is 125 years old and is handled by the sixth generation. They were keen that when they come to India, the same process is followed, he said, adding “I underwent training in Japan for two months to gain insights into the manufacturing process of Katsura’s rubber rollers.”
The printing roller market in India is very unorganized, Vinay Kaushal, director, Provin Technos, said, adding there are more than 200 roller manufacturers but only one making quality products. “As more and more new machines come to India, the importance of quality rollers is very critical. The journey started with the IPP Group, who conducted a market survey for us and gave us big insights on the Indian market,” he added.
Kozo Uchiyama, overseas department assistant director at Katsura, said, “We have been making rollers for a long time and have many partners in other countries. Initially, we were not planning to invest in India. Everything changed once we met the Provin Technos team, who helped us get into the market.”
The company has experience in controlling rubber accuracy and making precise rollers, Uchiyama said, that all rubber compounds used in manufacturing Katsura’s rollers is their original formula.
Pradeep Nandagopal, director, Provin Technos, said, “RMGT machines use rollers manufactured by Katsura and so it was natural for us to collaborate with them to bring Japanese roller manufacturing to India.”
