Kimura K.K.: Can This Customer Be Saved?

Pramtex, an Australian company, is one of the emerging star players in optical disk production equipment. Known for its high quality products, the company has had a solid presence in all key Asian markets. So far, Pramtex has stayed ahead of its competi tors by concentrating on production line technology for emerging disc formats. How ever, the company is becoming increasingly vulnerable to competition as the industry matures. John Reef, Product Manager at Pramtex, has reason to be concerned when he learns that one of the company's major Japanese customers, Kimura K.K., has decided against purchasing three machines for a new factory in Taiwan from Pramtex. This is the second Japanese customer Pramtex lost in a single week.