Bengaluru firms boost output after move to new premises

The commercial printer Vishwakala, a PrintWeek India Award winner in 2011, moved into a one-acre plot in the first week of April.

11 Apr 2013 | By Samir Lukka

H C Vishwanath Babu, managing partner at Vishwakala said that, the move was necessary, to bring “all operations under one roof; also three locations were difficult to monitor”. Babu expects production to increase by 15 per cent as a result. For this purpose, Vishwakala has made investments in post-press kit, in addition to implementing GMG ColorServer.

“It saves time, adds productivity in terms of colour consistency and eliminating colour variation,” said Babu.
 
As the inner city is getting congested, Bengaluru is seeing a spate of plant expansions. In 2012, we reported about Geetanjali Graphics, Ramya Reprographics and Ravi Graphics. This year, one can add Abhimaani, EssCee, Jwalamukhi and Tholasi. This year has seen three new presses being installed in the IT-city: two Komoris, one each at PentaPlus and Bengaluru Offset, and a Heidelberg CD 102 at Tholasi Prints.
 
G Nagsundar of Geetanjali Graphics, who is also president of Karnakata Offset Printer’s Association said, “Printers in Bengaluru are decommissioning their older kit and opting for new ones.”
 
Geetanjali is a case in point; having shifted into a brand-new 40,000 sq/ft premises. Nagsundar is planning to add a heatset press to the existing arsenal of a Komori heatset 635, a Kolbus 21-clamp perfect binder plus a 30-form gathering online trimmer and two coldset presses from Orient.
 
Nagsundar said: “In spite of credit issues and hike in paper prices, we find Bengaluru print firms delivering the best quality. The investments match the requirements of our market segments and build on the Bengaluru print industry’s ability to respond flexibly to a very dynamic market.”
In spite of a sluggish period, he expects the top print firms to notch solid revenues. His own firm hopes to up the ante from Rs 20-cr to a healthy Rs 32-cr by the end of the financial year.