Our focus is more to make in India, sell in India and overseas: Hitesh Singla, KAI India

Did you know in Japan there are 110 different varieties of knives? And there are different nail clippers for toe and hands? Most of us did not. Which is why Japanese brand KAI India is keen to drive conversations around health and hygiene with its wide range of knives, nail clippers and razors.

A 114-year-old Japanese brand, KAI came to India in the year 2012 and set up its manufacturing plant in Neemrana, Rajasthan in 2016.

With razors, nail clippers and knives being the biggest verticals for the brand, KAI has a vast product portfolio spanning across houseware, personal care and beauty care.

In a conversation with Medianews4u.com, Hitesh Singla, Head of Marketing, KAI India, notes, “We are trying to create awareness about health and hygiene through our products. There are few things that we can learn from different countries who pioneer into their tradition and update themselves. For instance, in India, a majority of people use the same knife to peel fruits and vegetables and cut something like a wire due to which the sharpness of the knife goes away. We are trying to bring in that culture to choose your knife very carefully on the basis of what you want to cut.”

Available across general trade stores and marketplaces, KAI India is present across the globe. The brand is also building its Neemrana plant into a global production hub and exporting to various countries in the Middle East and Vietnam.

Having India’s largest range of women’s razors, the brand is also trying to bring in new conversations to the table.

“In India, there is a very small percentage of women who use razor and it is still a taboo in the country. We are trying to break the shackles and are getting into bringing new thoughts, processes and a new vibe of confidence which is there in the Western world and other parts of the world and trying to uplift the living standard and freedom for the women in India. There is a lot of value that these products create but there is a long way to go and we are trying to build up that awareness,” asserts Singla.

The brand’s campaign with Yami Gautam ‘Choice is Yours’ in 2021 was focused on empowering women. Another campaign that they did #HandsOn was focused on bringing the consumer closer to the product.

Choice is Yours (2021)

https://youtu.be/LbwFm3hUNjQ

“Unless and until you try and touch and feel the product, you will not know the difference between the product which you have been using and the new product of KAI that you have in your hand. So, we want consumers to touch and feel and try the product. Instead of calling them to us, we approached them and went to colleges, corporate offices, societies, malls, most of the places where we could touch the consumers. We did a lot of sampling. Our objective was to tell consumers that there is something which is available for your requirements that will solve the purpose at your comfort and delight. We are amplifying the campaign and very soon we will be coming up with its second phase,” adds Singla.

Talking about the future targets, Singla says, “We are going very fast on our portfolio. There are various new categories which are there in the pipeline and a lot of new innovations are also coming to India. Besides our business function, we are very sensitive about the way we are working for the environment and the society. There are a lot of things which KAI is trying to do for the society. We are not an organisation who is only into doing business but we are also working for the upliftment of the country and trying to make it strong and a self-sustainable. Most of our products are made in India. Our focus is more to make in India, sell in India and overseas.”

(Amended at 17.00 hrs on 12 July 2023. While Yami Gautam featured in a Kai campaign in 2021. the company has clarified that she was not signed on as ‘brand ambassador’.)