American Speedy Chain to Open in India : Joint venture: Kaiser International of Anaheim and an Indian firm will launch 150 quick-copy shops. Earlier deals involved Japan and Europe.

Kaiser International Inc., the master franchiser of American Speedy Printing Centers in California, said Monday that it has tentatively agreed to enter into a joint venture that will open a chain of about 150 quick-print copy shops in India.

William Culp, Kaiser’s president, said the company has signed a letter of intent with Technova Ltd., an Indian company, to form the joint venture. The Bombay-based venture represents Kaiser’s latest expansion abroad.

“The deal is as good as done,” Culp said. “The 150 printing shops will be run by the joint venture company, and we intend to have about four pilot stores in place by March next year.”

The Indian partner, Technova Ltd., will own 74% of the new company, while Kaiser will have 26%. Technova is a holding company whose operations include the manufacture and distribution of films and chemicals used by the local printing industry.

Technova, which operates Print Well, a commercial printing subsidiary in India, has annual sales of about $260 million. Technova President Minoo Saher said the company will supply the management and personnel to the joint venture and Kaiser the technology and the franchise license.

The joint venture plans to locate the Speedy printing service stores in major manufacturing areas throughout India, Culp said.

“We’re now deciding on the locations of the pilot in Bombay, on the production line and the type of machinery that will be installed in the pilot stores,” he added.

Culp said Kaiser, which has annual sales of $20 million, is also facilitating a licensing agreement between a Japanese printing press manufacturer and an Indian equipment manufacturing firm. The agreement will allow the Indian company to make the printing machines and equipment for use by Speedy franchises in India, he said.

“One of the biggest hurdles that we would face going to India was lack of high-quality printing equipment,” Culp said. “We had to find a local source, and facilitating a licensing agreement between a Japanese company and a local Indian company will solve that problem.”

P.J. Raval, Kaiser’s director of Indian operations, will oversee Kaiser’s new venture and represent the company in India. He will be based in Anaheim.

American Speedy will be competing against a growing industry in India. The latest Ministry of Industry survey on India’s printing industry shows that the number of general commercial presses in 1986 was 71,150. The ministry projects a growth of 6% annually for the industry, with about 94,000 commercial presses in operation by next year.

Four months ago, Kaiser signed a similar joint venture pact with two major Japanese concerns--Canon Sales Inc. and Maruzen Co. Ltd. Last month, it bought the marketing rights from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based American Speedy Printing Centers Inc. to sell American Speedy franchises in Europe.

Kaiser holds the master franchiser rights for American Speedy in Asia, Europe, California, Hawaii and Nevada.