Katun Corporation Company

Katun wants you to exercise your options -- to not buy OEM parts. The company designs and makes alternative parts and supplies for copiers, printers, and fax machines. Other sales come from toner cartridges, drums, and rollers. Also included among Katun's more than 6,000 products are ink jet cartridges, thermal ribbons, ball bearings, and tools -- many for products made by companies such as Canon, IBM, and Ricoh. Katun (Mayan for "a period of 20 years") sells its wares to more than 18,000 office equipment dealers and distributors in about 150 countries. It also markets products through catalogs and the Internet. Founded in 1979, the company was acquired by equity firm Monomoy Capital Partners (MCP) in 2008. Since being purchased by MCP, Katun has expanded its selection for color copiers and multi-function devices. MCP also retained CEO Carlyle Singer and the rest of the Katun management team. MCP waited until the economy showed signs of a turnaround before expanding Katun's business through acquisitions. To this end, Katun in late 2010 purchased the toner cartridge business of Media Sciences International.  The acquisition allows Katun to boost its product development capabilities in the growing color printer category. As part of the deal, Katun became the exclusive master distributor of the Media Sciences ink stick line.