TP Jain: Embrace the change and success will be yours

Rahul Kumar chats up with TP Jain, the owner of the Chennai-based company, Monotech Systems and charts its mercurial growth in the last two decades

16 Aug 2019 | By PrintWeek India

TP Jain, owner of Monotech System

Q. Two decades of Monotech Systems. How does it feel?
It seems like yesterday — exciting, eventful and wonderful. We have almost everything as part of Monotech Systems operations as any organisation possibly can have manufacturing, services, distribution, system integration, and R&D.

Q. What was the biggest challenge in last twenty years?
Scaling up while reinventing every three to four years has been the biggest challenge.

Q. Who installed the first Monotech kit?
The ICG Vertical Drum Scanner was our first major and milestone installation. It was installed at Kasturi & Sons, Chennai, in 1999.

Q. The best tip you can share about one of your principals like Scodix?
Selling value by differentiation made Scodix a phenomenon in the global market in a very short period of time. It’s amazing to see the growth of print enhancement in
graphic arts industry.

TP JAIN – AT A GLANCE

Birth: Bhilwara, 1961

Education: BSc, CA, ICWA, CS

Entry into the business: Setting up a business was always a career objective. I took the plunge in 1999 when, I saw an opportunity.

Why graphic art industry: Being the CEO of Monotype India for nearly two years was a good learning experience about the graphic arts industry, particularly in the area of pre-press. Witnessed rapid changes in technology which were disruptive on the one hand, and opened new opportunities for business on the other, and that coupled with size of the industry and domain experience were decisive factors to choose the graphic arts industry.


Q. Best print firms you have visited?
Hira Prints in Mumbai is one of the best print factories I have seen in India. It is one of our flagship Scodix Ultra customers.

Q. Your advice to customers opting for a Monotech product in 2019?
Evaluate Monotech Systems’ products in the context of your business vision, and if you find it to be a right fit and compelling value proposition, go for it.

Q. Any lessons from your wealth of knowledge in commercial book print which the packaging/ labels/ wide-format division could plug in straightway?
I have seen disruptive changes in the pre-press area, but also seen a huge success for people who changed with time, understood, adopted, and leveraged new
technology. The key to success is to build a learning organisation which can adapt to new situations quickly as every segment of graphic arts industry is very dynamic and
faced with rapid changes.

Q. One innovation mantra you heard from a customer that impressed you?
In most print exhibitions we participate, a standard question that I hear from most of our customers is “Kya naya leke aaye ho, Jain sahib” (What new equipment or
technology have you got, Jain sahib)? Customers love innovation and this drives us to do something new, always.

Q. Your focus for the next five years?
Inkjet technology will be the core focus of Monotech Systems in the next five years. We shall surprise the market with a number of new products built with this technology under our brands Jetsci, Pixeljet and PixelGlow.

Q. One insider tip about Monotech Systems that no one knows?
Our culture of driving change.

Q. What is the first thing you notice when a customer approaches Monotech?
Understanding the customer’s needs and pain points is fundamental before any serious business engagement. This helps to get into the solution mode straightaway
and that is what a customer wants.

After hours with TP Jain

Food: Simple, vegetarian.
Drinks: Teetotaller.
Reads: Books on management, spirituality and fitness.
Plays: Table tennis.
Social activities: FCP member of JITO; trustee of Jain Terapanth Welfare Trust, Chennai.


Q. Monotech offers products for multiple segments of the graphic art industry. Which, according to you, is the toughest technology?
Print enhancement for commercial and packaging market is tough as all digital technologies come with built-in limitations while there are a lot of variables which need to be handled for the desired result.

Q. How do you cope with quality expectations and constant delivery pressures from your clients?
Constantly trying to build systems and use technology tools like CRM, ERP, HRMS, etc besides enabling and empowering teams help meet quality and delivery expectations of our customers.

Q. What sort of systems does Monotech have in place to improve combination of all technologies?
We have different business verticals with specialised teams having relevant domain knowledge and experience to handle different range of products. The core of our R&D efforts is inkjet technology and we build products using this core technology.

Q. What is the best part of Monotech in the present scenario?
It is our international presence. It is a matter of pride for Monotech Systems that we could spread our wings in about 20 countries around the world with Made in
India Jetsci/ Pixeljet range of products.

Q. What is the impact of Monotech’s own manufacturing on the entire business since your ops sees a combination of dealerships and manufacturing?
Manufacturing allows us to work with a longer term perspective and a product pipeline. We can choose our markets, set priorities and deliver innovations.

Q. What does green mean for Monotech?
We are moving from solvent ink-based solutions to eco-solvent or UV ink-based solutions for many applications. This is a significant movement towards green technologies.
 

MONOTECH IN 60 SECONDS

Established: On 14 July 1999.

Business verticals: PPS (printing and packaging products and solutions), DPS (digital products and solutions), IPS (inkjet products and solutions), WFG (wide-format graphics), ESD (engineering services division) and 3D products and solutions.

Product offerings: Conventional CTP systems; thermal CTP systems; violet CTP systems; sheetfed offset press, offset plate processors; gravure cylinder engraving; paper-cutting systems; intermittent offset press; CI letter press; process metallic colour system; digital product press; digital print finishing systems; digital enhancement press; digital solvent printers; eco-solvent printers; UV flatbed printers; UV LED RTR printers; UV hybrid printers; large- format 3D printer; sublimation and textile printers; laser-cutting and engraving systems; inkjet imprinting systems; digital colour label press; inkjet web press; inkjet MICR printing; 3D printers; 3D printing services; overhead scanners, large-format laser and inkjet printing systems, large-format laser multifunction systems, software, etc.