Katun’s Path to Success: Merging Tradition with Innovation in the Print Industry

In September 2024, Katun made waves in the industry by introducing its Arivia MFP line, marking its entry as a major player among channel manufacturers. However, unlike new entrants starting from scratch, Katun already enjoys a well-established reputation in the office technology industry, with a rich history of delivering quality parts and supplies. 

Founded in 1979, Katun entered the scene when monochrome xerographic copiers started to become commonplace in office environments, and color printing was a rare luxury. The company has since evolved alongside the industry, growing from a small operation in a garage with a limited offering of parts for office imaging equipment, to a small warehouse in Bloomington, Minn., to a global OEM of speedy color MFPs.

Deep Roots and a Commitment to Quality

Katun’s roots go back nearly five decades, when company founder Michael Clarke and his business partner, David Jorgensen, decided they wanted to sell an alternative brand product. It was, according to Matthew O’Connor, director of corporate marketing, “a typical startup story. They operated out of one of their garages.”

With a workforce of 15 and a limited product line, the company’s mission of quality, service, and value was established, and it paid off as dealers began to sign on. That mission continues to be rewarded with customer loyalty —13 of its original office equipment dealer partners are still loyal customers today. 

By 1982, Katun had emerged as the go-to alternative for customers seeking OEM-equivalent performance without the high price tag, driven by high-demand products like liquid toner copiers and key parts for Savin equipment. 

“From there it’s been a series of expansions,” O’Connor said. “Katun continued to move into new countries, opening new offices and warehouses.” In 1983 Katun made its first acquisition, Bedford International, a Europe-based distributor of parts and supplies, and expanded into the UK and France. 

In the late 1980s, a joint partnership enabled Katun to begin manufacturing fuser rollers with DuPont Teflon brand coatings, and the company established other key product development partnerships with companies such as Goodyear Tire & Rubber.

Despite rapid expansion, Katun has remained unwavering in its commitment to excellence. “Quality has always been our biggest selling point,” says O’Connor. “We wouldn’t have lasted this long with underperforming products.”
 

R&D: Innovation in Action

Research and development are conducted in an elaborate lab in Taiwan, where the company does the product testing for all its products. This nearly 107,000-square-foot facility features a high-efficiency smart building management system and advanced laboratory equipment, ensuring Katun’s OEM-equivalent supplies and parts are of the highest quality. Its proprietary testing methods were developed using decades of industry experience to ensure optimal product performance. “There’s a lot of testing that goes on to make sure the core products are working at 100%,” said Kay Fernandez, vice president of global marketing.

Katun works with suppliers for recommendations and reverse engineers products to make sure they are efficient and cost effective. This differentiates them from other aftermarket companies whose “lab is their customer base,” said O’Connor. “We try to do that before our customers get their hands on it. We don’t want the customers to have problems with our products. We don’t want them to have to experiment. We want them to have the confidence that it’s going to work the first time they buy it.”

Katun’s quality assurance process means that results from machine, engineering, and material property tests are all reviewed by teams of technicians, engineers, and product experts. Only after all these steps have been completed will a Katun product be released to its customers.

As Katun expanded, it made its name not only developing OEM-alternative products but finding solutions for dealers’ pain points. For example, in the 1990s the company launched a platinum alloy clad corona wire with a longer life span than a typical corona wire, as well as its first remanufactured drum unit/cartridge. This dedication to meeting customer needs, O’Connor said, was key to building important relationships. “We’re always asking, what can we do to help our customers be successful?” 

In 1992, Katun established itself as a world-class fuser roller manufacturer by opening its subsidiary, Minco Manufacturing Inc., in Colorado, and was still focused on customer success with products like the FIBRA fuser cleaning rollers that helped prolong the life of the fusing section on older copier equipment.
 

Global Growth

As facility expansions continued around the world, Katun opened a larger distribution center in the Netherlands and a new distribution center in Aguascalientes, Mexico. When Katun launched its corporate website in 1996, company information became available to all of its customers. Before the end of the decade, Katun opened new operating companies simultaneously in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, and launched the Katun online catalog, which made Katun products available via the internet.

The turn of the century saw Katun enter the digital age and expand its color, printer and production print markets. Today, Katun color products provide OEM-equivalent image quality, fusing performance and yields, and outstanding color reproduction at a lower cost than OEM color supplies.

In 2018, Katun was purchased by General Plastic Industrial Co. (GPI), an industry leader focused on the development, manufacture, filling and distribution of toner cartridges. GPI’s technical and manufacturing capabilities significantly enhanced Katun’s value proposition. This acquisition, O’Connor said, “really turned the corner for us. It was very exciting to know that we have a parent company that has a vested interest in our success.” 

The post-COVID era saw Katun move to a new headquarters building in Minneapolis, Minn., and build a new, more efficient European distribution center in the Netherlands. The Taiwan facility that includes the R&D lab opened in 2024. 

Becoming an OEM

With its background and expertise in both the office equipment industry and manufacturing, perhaps it was only a matter of time before Katun put both to use, found a partner, and launched its own line of MFPs. The initial launch features 11 A3 products — five monochrome and six color models. “When I started working at the company, color printing was economically prohibitive for most companies,” notes O’Connor. “So the technology of introducing aftermarket color into the industry was a challenge in itself.” The company’s experience with color is expected to pay off, as the quality of the machines’ color output is noted as a standout factor.
 

Alongside the launch of Arivia products, Katun has also updated its brand strategy, which includes a new tagline, “Success made simple.” 

“We needed to rebrand the company because we needed to incorporate our vision of becoming an OEM rather than simply an OEM equivalent supplies and parts provider,” said Fernandez. 

“So, we’re entering a whole new area of the market that’s very, very different for Katun. We had to establish the Arivia brand. We had to build a partner program. And then when we looked at the company it just seemed like a logical progression to do it all at once.”

Fernandez explained that Katun’s history will help fuel its successful transition into an OEM. “We’ve developed quality products that are very reliable,” she said. “Partners know they don’t have to worry about using our OEM compatibles because we’re known for reliability. We have a seasoned team of experts doing service and support. We’re a family-owned company — global, but still responsive and agile. This is a big differentiator for us when we compare ourselves against some of the larger OEMs, many of whom are large Japanese conglomerates.”

Katun is also introducing a new partner program, Katalyst, that will be a new central resource for partners. Like everything else Katun does, it will be customer focused. Often, partner programs are about difficult processes that include rebates and quotas. “We wanted none of that,” Fernandez said. Instead, Katun plans to be very upfront and transparent about its pricing, without any gimmicks, reinforcing the company’s mission to be a vital partner to its clients.

Part of Katun’s overall commitment to quality includes adhering to sustainable business practices. When it comes to the environment, Katun’s policy is to “do the right thing.” Its remanufactured, recycled or refilled imaging supplies and machines provide partners and distributor customers with high quality, cost-effective replacement parts. In 2008, Katun introduced the refilled OEM cartridge and has since pioneered several more versions for various applications, saving an abundance of plastic waste from landfill. Katun also makes every effort to offer eco-friendly options across services and programs to allow customers to make “green” choices.

As part of the Arivia launch, Katun participates in the “Print It, Plant It” reforestation program, in partnership with PrintReleaf in many regions around the world, which enables Katun customers, partners and end-users to contribute to the reforestation of global forests by offsetting their paper output and converting pages printed into trees.

“With the introduction of this new Arivia line of equipment, we are not going away from the aftermarket parts and supplies business,” O’Connor said. “We are continuing to support that as much as we ever have. This is just another opportunity to offer our partners an ability to increase their profitability.” 
 

The Road Ahead

Katun’s journey from a small startup in a garage to a global leader in office imaging solutions is a testament to its unwavering commitment to quality, innovation and customer success. As the company embarks on this exciting new chapter with the launch of the Arivia MFP line, it remains grounded in the principles that have fueled its growth for over four decades. By staying true to its mission of delivering exceptional value and support, while also embracing new opportunities in the market, Katun continues to redefine what it means to be a trusted partner in the ever-evolving office technology landscape. With a strong foundation, forward-thinking vision, and dedication to sustainability, Katun is poised to shape the future of the industry for years to come.