• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

Tetenal to focus on mini lab sector

Our Bureau

CALCUTTA, Nov. 22

TETENAL India Ltd, a 51:49 joint venture between Germany's Tetenal Vertriebs GmbH & Co and Dugar group of companies, would focus on the growing mini-labs sector of the professional photography market.

The German company Tetenal, which was founded in 1857, is a leading global player in photography chemicals, medical, imaging and graphic-art chemicals. Apart from India, it has joint ventures in the UK, France, Spain and Poland. With products available i n 100 nations, its turnover in Germany is around DM200 million.

Mr Matthias Hubener, the German company's Managing Director, told newspersons here that the mini-lab market was fast growing in India replacing the tradition central-lab concept. Tetenal India would market and service analog and digital mini-labs made by Swiss company, Gretag Imaging AG.

``At present, there are about 3,500 mini-labs in India. The mini-labs are present in remote corners and it helps the consumers to gets his film developed and printed faster. Moreover, it gives him the opportunity to improvise on the picture and print it further for souvenirs like calendar or gift cards'', he said.

The joint venture company was floated in May this year with an authorised capital of Rs 5 crore, of which Rs 2.5 crore is paid-up. Tetenal India had set up its manufacturing facilities in Jaipur. Mr Ashok Dugar, Managing Director, said that in 2000-01, t he company hoped to sell Rs 12 crore of photo-chemicals and earn another Rs 11 crore from mini-labs.

The New Delhi-based Tetenal India has regional offices in Calcutta, Mumbai and Kochi and would also cater to the markets of Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. For digital photographs the company would market Spectra-branded inkjet printer s.