Explaining the initiative, Sangam Khanna, deputy managing director, Komori India, said, “We, at Komori, noticed that a large number of pre-owned Komori machines come in India and most of them have issues related to performance. We have been getting calls to help our customers source quality pre-owned equipment. The customers have no choice but to trust the used-equipment dealers who may not understand the performance or the history of the machine. By using the Komori global network Komori India can facilitate the procurement of these machines and supply to our customers.”

Was this a result of the Covid-19 impact or the plan was always there? Khanna said the project was on cards for the last three years, but Covid-19 expedited the process as the demand-supply gap is big. “We, at Komori, commit the customer a running machine in his factory. It’s not easy to pick up any equipment for us. We need to live up to the Komori global standards,” he said.

The segment is driven by Surajit Kundu, AGM, sales, Komori India, with the support from the entire organisation.

Khanna explained, “The used-equipment business is a totally different ballgame. So, it’s important to add value and the trust of Komori over other used-equipment dealers. The used-machine dealers are good sales persons, but often they end up putting the project in trouble due to the lack of transparency. With Komori, it’s a straight business, where we are transparent of the performance of the machine. As part of the “perceived value proposition,” before the machine is shipped, we make it very clear to the customer as to what the entire machine can and cannot perform, along with the history of the machine as per our Komori data.”

While there are many dealers who work at different levels of the industry within the pre-owned machinery segment, Khanna said, Komori is the only one in its field. Thus, the company is expecting to sell 10 to 14 machines a year.  

“We understand that we can’t be selling to all the customers in India as many of the customers will buy the price of the machine over the performance in the used-machine category. At Komori, we are clear that we will do only value sales to the customers who acknowledge Komori trust, reliability, after-sales support and peace of mind,” he said.

Khanna argues that the initiative is not a diversification for Komori, but value-added sales to support its customers. “Yes, Komori India is a commercial organisation, but we do not expect to make too much money from this area. But supporting our customers and the Komori brand is important for us,” he added.

Listing of the pre-owned presses from Komori is available at its website.