Al Gurg Stationery, leading suppliers of office stationery in the UAE, has partnered with Japan-based OHTO Company Limited, manufacturers of writing instruments and global pioneers of roller pens, to distribute a range of writing instruments in the UAE.
OHTO President Takayuki Uchida said: “The UAE is an important market for us and we decided to partner with Al Gurg Stationery because of its strong reputation and track record. We were also impressed with their network and penetration in the UAE and Oman markets and are confident about boosting our sales through their distribution system.”
Manufacturing a wide range of writing instruments for schools, offices, gift purposes and retail, the OHTO collection includes soft ink and ceramic roller pens, fountain pens, pencils, drafting and drawing mechanical pencils, stick gel and knock gel pens. In all, there are over 70 models to choose from.
Commenting on the alliance with OHTO, Ajay Khurana, Business Manager, Al Gurg Stationery, said: “We found in OHTO a supplier of world-class writing instruments. Japanese pens are known worldwide for their writing quality, reliability and functionality and OHTO is one of the top three pen makers in Japan.”
“We were looking at expanding our product portfolio through the addition of a range of writing instruments. Since OHTO was also looking for a reliable partner in the UAE, this arrangement was suitable to both parties,” he added.
Special features of the OHTO pen range include smooth writing, rust-free tips and comparatively longer writing life.
Uchida said that the alliance came at a critical time, especially when OHTO was looking at expanding its global presence. “Exports of OHTO writing instruments to the international market constitute 40 per cent of our total turnover, of which the Middle East is 10 per cent,” he added.
Each part of the pen including the ink, tips and refill are indigenously produced by OHTO in Japan which ensures quality control of all their writing instruments.
OHTO is the first manufacturer of ceramic roller pens which are priced at approximately AED60 each and feature among the high-end range.
Part of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg group, Al Gurg Stationery is a well-established player in the office supplies market. Their showrooms are located in Bur Dubai and Deira in the UAE.
OHTO Co. Ltd.
Founders of roller pens in 1963 and the gripper pen technology in 1977, Japan-based OHTO Company Ltd. deals in a range of writing instruments. The OHTO collection includes soft ink and ceramic roller pen series, fountain pens, mechanical pencil series, drafting/drawing mechanical pencils stick gel and knock gel pen series and multi-function soft ink roller pen series.
Al Gurg Stationery (AGS)
AGS is one of the leading stationery suppliers of goods from Europe, America, the Far East as well as India in the UAE market. Major brands distributed by AGS include: NCR and 3M from the USA, Durable and Elba from Germany, Rexel from the UK, Nightingale from India and OHTO from Japan.
Some of their key clients are reputed corporates such as DNATA, DEWA, Al Habtoor Enterprises, Khan Saheb, American Hospital, etc.
