02 June 2021, JOHANNESBURG — Autoboys is proud to announce that it’s helping to bring Anest Iwata’s highly respected Katana Spray Gun to South Africa’s automotive market.

The Katana Spray Gun — which has been developed by the Anest Iwata Factory in Asia — is used by the automotive industry across the globe for high quality primer and base coat paint applications for motor vehicles.

Katana means ‘sword’ in Japanese and key features of the Spray Gun include a standard 1.3mm nozzle, 600ml gravity cup, a fan pattern (15cm - 23 cm according to OEM specifications) and a gun weight of 420g.

Anest Iwata — which is headquartered in Japan and which has been operating in South Africa since 2012 — has imported 300 units of this device into the local market and these will be available at 11 Autoboys outlets across the country. Highly skilled teams from Kanye Vimba will also be available for customers seeking technical assistance with the product.

Both Autoboys and Anest Iwata believe that this product will cater to workshops and aftermarket providers who are looking for quality products at more competitive prices.

Filum Ho, CEO of Autoboys, says: “Amid recent economic downturns as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, every workshop in the country is looking for value for money. That’s why we believe the time is right now to launch this particular product into the market and we’re looking forward to providing our customers across the country with this additional choice.”

Ayumi Nishiyama, Managing Director of Anest Iwata South Africa, says: “For almost a century, Anest Iwata has built a reputation of delivering high quality products into Asia, Europe, North America and, more recently, the African continent. We are excited to bring the Katana Spray Gun into market in South Africa together with our strategic partner, enabling the local industry to experience the Anest Iwata difference.”

Rich history

Anest Iwata was founded in 1926 in Japan, and from day one the company pledged to be a true, world-class company with a ‘customers first’ principle. Anest Iwata is a leader when it comes to manufacturing painting equipment, turnkey coating systems, air compressors and high-end dry vacuum pumps.

The company has come to dominate the market in Japan while becoming a major player in Europe and North America.

One of Anest Iwata’s core principles is that of ‘Makotono Kokoro’. In Japanese, this means ‘Trustworthy and Sincere’. In Japanese ‘Anest’ also contains the sentiment of ‘actively pursuing the newest technology’.

Since 2012, Anest Iwata has been operating in South Africa via its Johannesburg head office. In a short period of time, the company has struck key relationships with over 25 distributors in the country, and it has built a reputation for fast and reliable delivery of its “cutting-edge” products.

To find out more about the Anest Iwata Katana Spray Gun and how it works with the Impact Controller 2 Air Pressure Regulator as well as the HCA12.0 cleaning applicator., you can watch a video about it here: https://youtu.be/cfH50IGucqs.

About Autoboys

Autoboys - which is 51% owned by African Rainbow Capital and level 1 B-BBEE certified - is a leading auto glass, paint and parts specialist in South Africa. Autoboys is known for its innovative ideas, excellent service, professionalism, high-quality parts and perfection in glass-fitting. The company has 80 outlets across South Africa, 290 insurance partners and over 169 fitment vehicles.

*For interview requests, please get in touch with Gareth van Zyl of Fox Street Communications at 078 312 9864 or gareth@foxstreetcomms.co.za