Kent RO Systems Limited, a leading Indian water purifier company recently launched a range of water purifiers in Nepal. Surya Kumar Chatterjee, Export Manager of the company was here to launch the new Kent Mineral RO purifiers which will be distributed by CG Electronics. Sushil Pangeni of New Business Age caught up with him to talk about, among other things, Kent’s market in Nepal, future strategies and upcoming products. Excerpts:

What brings you to Nepal?
We have been in Nepal for the last eight years selling our water purifier products. Recently we have assigned CG Electronics as the distributor in the RO segment. I am here for the product launch through which we hope to further strengthen our market presence in the country. 

What’s business been like for Kent products in Nepal? 
Kent has been in Nepal since 2007. Kent is one of the well-known brands in the country and we have very good brand recall here. Over the years, Kent water purifiers have been providing clean and pure drinking water for Nepalis.  Our new models such as Kent Pristine and Kent Prime TC are doing very well across many markets. We hope CG Electronics with its big network will distribute these products very well and we are expecting a very good response from our Nepali customers.

How important is the Nepali market for your company?
Kent is an India-based company. So, from India, whenever we look for other markets, the nearest neighbour is Nepal.  We are the market leader in India and have a very keen interest in our next door neighbour. India and Nepal have lots of similarities in terms of culture, people, language, utility and lifestyle. We have received a warm response from Nepali customers. I would proudly say that we are the leading brand here in water purifier appliances. 

Who are your target customers in Nepal?
We have an extended product portfolio. We have reverse osmosis system and gravity system purifiers. The products vary in price. We have low cost models to start with to serve budget customers. As the quality and standard increases, so do the prices. We can serve the needs of the general public as well as corporate families. 

What are the unique selling propositions (USP) of Kent products?
We always value quality. Our products are well tested and certified. We have been able to sell Kent purifiers in more than 30 countries because of the quality of our products. We have been certified by the Water Quality Association, NSF of USA and ISI. Our machines are certified by all reputed water purification bodies in the world. Moreover, our company is also ISO certified. Similarly, the RO system has double purification by reverse osmosis, ultra filtration and ultra violet purification. We also have unique components such as the TDS controller in our purifiers which are not found in other purifiers. It is our best and patent technology that retains the essential natural minerals from tap and ground water that are essential for human growth and development. 

How many products are there in your portfolio?
In Kent RO, we have 10 products and in Gravity we have 7-8 products. So, we have a big portfolio. We also have air purifiers, vegetable and fruit purifiers and upcoming models like the vacuum cleaner and juicer. But we are focusing on the few models which are really useful and essential for Nepalis. 

There are various other water purifier brands in the market currently. How is the competition for Kent?
Though there are many water purifiers in the Nepali market, we have complete coverage of the market because of our patented products, quality, in-house testing, certifications, wide network and good sales partners like CG. 

How are you promoting Kent’s products in Nepal?
We have asked our business partner to give regular advertisements in newspapers for brand awareness and inform customers about the usage and utility of our products. Similarly, posters, banners and leaflets are distributed freely to tell customers about Kent products.

Why is Kent so focused on water purifiers even though it also manufactures other products?
Actually, water purifiers are our key product. We have seen many multinational companies fail to make their presence felt in the market because they have diversified. But, our company solely specialises in and works on water purification systems. Our in-house research and development team constantly develops, redesigns and improves our products so that it can provide clean and safe drinking water.

How do you expect the partnership with CG to develop over time?
We have big hopes from CG as they have a very wide network. I see similarities in Kent and CG. Kent is doing well in its products like water purifiers and CG has its own portfolio to serve the people in Nepal. We have joined hands to help each other in order to serve the Nepalis and make products available across the country. I think both companies will have a long standing partnership.

Can you tell us about your future plans?
I have asked our partner to participate in all the trade fairs held in Kathmandu and Nepal. We want to reach out to our customers, interact with them, and understand their reactions, queries and interests. Finally, we want to provide customers what they want.