Russia Starts Manufacturing Printers, Cartridges, and Toner

Moscow, Russia, September 23, 2016 --(PR.com)-- Political sanctions and economic problems forced Russia to review its attitude towards multiple problems including supplement of Russian businesses and organizations with printing devices. Earlier the Russian market had office printing products represented only by foreign manufacturers. Companies from US, Japan, Europe, and China actively competed on this segment of Russian IT-market, offering Russian consumers a wide range of products. Now numerous suppliers of printing devices and supplies must bunch up for newcomers. Russia starts to manufacture its printers, cartridges, and toners.

On 13th September 2016, during Import Substitution 2016 International Expo, the first Russian MFP called “Katyusha” was presented. This MFP can function as a printer, copier, scanner, and fax. It utilizes unique paginal printing technology based on stationary printing head and innovational pigment dyes. Katyusha MFP provides high-quality full-color printing at 50-75ppm speed range and 2400х2400 dpi resolution.

The Russian MFP is unit-compiled. Basic build includes printer with sensor LCD control display. Depending on the requirements of the user, printer might be compiled with a scanner, copier, or a fax. The MFP uses unique system of double-cartridges (page yield - 50000 pages). After the main dye container has been emptied, the system automatically switches to additional container. Each cartridge can be replaced while printing, the dyes in this case are supplied from the remaining one.

The MFP was developed by Service Systems in partnership with PromWAD (electronic engineering), Baikal Electronics (Russian processing units), XaaR (printing technologies), Alexinskiy Chemical Plant (chemical production). The project is supported by Industry Development Fund of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and by venture fund of CommIT Capital (Rostelecom).

The first key consumers planned for the new MFP are state businesses engaged in servicing citizens and having archive functions. Katyusha MFP will also be used on the markets of financial, medical, and cadastral services. The MFP will be available for sale in mid-2018. The planned amount of sales is 65000 MFPs a year.

Another Russian company Rostoner plans to start already in 2017 the production of one or two-component monochrome toner as well as cartridges for laser printers and copiers. During the first stage Rostoner plans to acquire from German company INTEGRAL GmbH a continuous type production line, the cartridges are planned to be custom-made. During the second stage, two years after beginning of the production Rostoner plans to completely switch to local raw materials and organize (at the production site) a competence center involving leading specialists in the field.

Rostoner cartridges and toners will be procured in the first place by state companies and state organizations. Russian products will cost less than imported analogs since there are no costs for international logistics and no customs fees. Also there are financial benefits of the special economic zone Alabuga in Tatarstan, where the production site will be placed. Also toner production won’t require large electricity fees, since electricity prices are low in Russia.

The complete budget of the project is already estimated at 619 million rubles. Industry Development Fund of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade already approved a 300 million rubles five-year loan for Rostoner at 5% interest per annum. Rostoner plans to acquire up to 7% of the Russian market by producing around 2.8 million cartridges and 350 tons of toner. The production site involving staff of 74 people is planned to start manufacturing during 2016Q4. It plans to reach full capacity by 2018Q1.

The production of the Russian-made printers, cartridges, and toners can change the situation on the Russian IT-market already by 2017-2018. You can learn more by visiting seminar hosted by Information Agency “Business-Inform” General Director, Mr. Malinskiy Stanislav "Changes in the Russian Market of Printing Supplies between 2015 - 2016: New Possibilities and Prospects," which will be held on 14th of October within the framework of international RemaxWorld Expo 2016.