Lexmark cartridges to cost 15 percent less

Lexmark International has decided to bring down the prices of its cartridges

by almost percent, in a bid to increase its brand share in the country. The new

pricing will be effective from mid-April 2002.

As a result of the new pricing, its 40 ml cartridge which costed Rs 1,900

will now cost Rs 1,550. In comparison, HP’s cartridge costs Rs 1,250 for 40

ml. Epson and Canon cartridges are available at Rs 1,300 for 20 ml and Rs 950

for 10 ml respectively.

Says Vivek Mehta, Channel Manager-India, Lexmark International, "Our

cartridge has a higher ink volume compared to other brands. This means that the

customer can print more pages at an economic pricing."

Lexmark hopes that the new pricing will help increase its supplies business

by at least 50 percent. Currently the company is selling only 18,000 cartridges

per month. Adds Vivek, "Right now our priority is to establish a good

distribution network and bring in all the models of printers, including the

all-in-ones."

With the slashing of supplies prices, some partners expects their Lexmark

business to go up by 25 percent. Says Sunil of Sound Systems, "Lexmark

products are technically superior, but the company was not very aggressive in

the market. By slashing prices, the company has shown that it is now ready to

get down to serious business in India." Presently Sunil sells 150 Lexmark

printers and 2,000 cartridge packs per month.

According to Sandeep Gupta, Country Manager, NCR Systems, which

re-manufactures Lexmark cartridges, the decision to bring down prices will help

Lexmark make inroads in the Indian market. "We have Lexmark’s cartridges

in our international product offering, but have not introduced it in India. Once

the installed base of Lexmark printers increase, we might consider selling these

cartridges in India," he adds.

VINITA SUVARNA-BHATIA



MUMBAI