Swiss knives may be made in India

The famous Swiss knives may soon be made in India with Sasana Enterprises, the Swiss knife-maker Victorinox's sole representative in the country, planning to put up a factory for kitchen knives.

"We are in talks with Victorinox to manufacture knives in the country. We might set up a joint venture to put up a factory to make these knives," managing director of Sasana Enterprises Anish Goel said after the launch of Khalsa series of kirpans to mark the 400th year celebrations of the Guru Granth Sahib.

The company sold 30,000 knives in the country last year and is targeting a growth of 20 per cent this fiscal.

To begin with, the proposed factory would make kitchen knives only, Goel said, adding the price would come down if these are made locally. At present, they are made at Victorinox's factory in Switzerland.

When asked whether the kirpans, available at a price tag of Rs 1,360-3,875, would be able to compete with the locally made ones, Goel said the company might also make a cheaper variant later.

The kirpans would be sold through gurudwaras and the company's outlets, Goel said, adding they have requested the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee for allowing it to make the kirpans available outside the gurudwaras.

However, Goel refused to set a sales target for the new series for the current fiscal but said the special series would not be limited to this year and would be continued.

The company would initially concentrate on bigger cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore besides Amritsar and Jalandhar in Punjab, he said.

A man holds the newly launched Khalsa series of kirpans by world famous Swiss knife makers Victorinox in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: Ranjan Basu/Saab Press