tsemin@thestar.com.my
PUCHONG: Office supplies and stationery maker Pelikan International Corp Bhd is targeting about 60% growth in its revenue from Asia this year.
Vice-president and head of South East Asia business operation Kenny Kang said that in addition to growing the company's existing markets in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, the company also hoped to penetrate other regional markets, such as India.
“While the Asian region contributes less than 1% to the group's total revenue at the moment, Pelikan is targeting a 10% contribution from the region by 2010,” he told reporters at the launch of two new products yesterday.
At the moment Pelikan's largest market is Germany, followed by the rest of Europe, Switzerland and Latin America. Together they contribute more than 90% of Pelikan's revenue.
Pelikan International Corp executive chairman Loo Hooi Keat posing with models at the launch of the Power Pad printer cartridge refill
Spearheading the group's market drive in Malaysia and the region is the Power Pad printer cartridge refill system for Canon CLI-8 and PGI-5 as well as Hewlett Packard HP21 (Black) and HP27 (Black), which were launched yesterday. “Traditionally, the refill ink system is perceived as being a low-quality product.
“However, Pelikan spent more than a year in research and development in Switzerland to produce the Power Pad, which gives consumers the option of purchasing compatible printer ink which uses pigment that is of superior quality, and cheaper,” said Kang.
Pelikan was looking at selling one million pieces of the newly-launched products this year, he said.
The patented Power Pad cartridge refill system, mainly targeted at business print users, would give a cost savings of up to 50% of the original cartridge, he added.
Pelikan was also interested in the office supplies and stationery business in Nepal, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Indochina,” Kang said without elaborating.
At present, the local market contributes 50% of Pelikan's Asian business.
Pelikan Asia Sdn Bhd country manager David Chew said the company was changing its business model this year.
“We are appointing distributors for our products and will continuously open new channels, including outlets, not just to distribute products but for locational effect.
“We also have a corporate sales team to serve large corporate customers such as Alliance Bank and UOB Bank,” he said.
The new products will be manufactured at Pelikan's 4,000 sq m facility here.
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