Brother International to focus on brand building in India

PUNE: Five years after launching operations in India, printer maker Brother International is setting up experience zones to increase brand awareness. The company recently opened an experience and service center in Pune, its fourth, after Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru. "This is a dedicated, company owned showroom which will not be used for sales but only for customers to see our entire range of offerings,” said Toshiaki Isayama - Managing Director, Brother International (India). The company sells document scanners and printers, home sewing machines and label printers in India.

The company plans to set up exclusive service centers in 25 cities and add more experience centers in the major metros. Isayama said, “While demand is starting to plateau in the metros, we see it going up in the tier two and three towns. Government bodies and small and medium enterprises are big drivers of demand for us.”

The Nagoya, Japan headquartered company sells scanners and printers under its own brand and under OEM arrangements with other manufacturers worldwide. Five years after entering India, the company has seen an average sales growth of 30%. Isayama said that India was an important part of the company's global operations. “The printing market may slow down in the US, but Asia Pacific is growing and India is an important cog in the Brother wheel,” he said. In India, the total market for printers, both ink and laserjets, is pegged at about 3.4million units a year, of which Isayama says, Brother has a nine per cent market share.