Kolkata’s Libako invests in Gallus

Balai Adhikary, director at Libako Packaging, said, “We prefer to invest in proven technology along with innovation, brand value, and versatility. We examined all the presses and their configurations, where the Gallus flexo press stood out as the leader for us. We were awestruck by the print quality, registration with minimal wastage, and the support from Heidelberg India’s service team.

Adhikary also added that process flexibility and ease of use were among the other highlights of Gallus ECS 340, which helped to seal the decision.

During Drupa 2012 visit, Balai Adhikary had a keen interest in labels and convertible packaging solutions, then in 2016, team Libako Packaging revisited Drupa and found that there is immense potential with flexo printing and labelling. Finally, the company decided on the flexographic press during the pandemic of 2020 and signed for the Gallus ECS 340 flexo press. The equipment was installed and inaugurated at the plant in the presence of family members and well-wishers.

“We are happy with the full journey of Gallus ECS 340 discussion, along with service provided by Heidelberg India. Amid the pandemic and lockdown, they did a fantastic job of installing the new press in a record time of just six days upon receipt of the equipment at our site. The whole Gallus and Heidelberg team were cooperative and supportive. We are impressed with the excellent print quality which was as per our expectations and it has set benchmark during ongoing print trials.” Adhikary added.

The Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) of the press is defined by various factors, including available time, quality, machine production speed as it is the mantra towards the success of label converter. “The equipment automation in Gallus ECS 340 ensures highest level of OEE to us, the dedicated service and print application support from Heidelberg and Gallus team helped us to reduce material waste and time loss in production and job changeovers, resulting in high productivity. These are some of the driving factors to be with Heidelberg and Gallus,” Adhikary said.

Libako Packaging was established in 1981 with a vision to provide quality print solutions. The company saw a great opportunity and potential in the print and packaging industry with printing labels for footwear and cotton garment manufacturers in Kolkata, by using screen-printing. Within few years, Libako Packaging diversified its portfolio to include offset, commercial printing, packaging, POS, wood, metal, and plastic fabrication.

Narendra Kulkarni, regional product manager, Asia – Gallus and sales responsible for India, added, “We are happy to be part of Libako’s success story of Gallus ECS 340, and we welcome the whole Libako team at the and Gallus family."

The Gallus ECS 340 press comes with a technical core granite base which eliminates the vibration during printing operation. The modular design and low carbon footprint ensure minimal space requirement. The shortest web path reduces the production waste. The quick process change over on the primary level of the press ensures maximum available time in production and OEE levels. The automation feature includes easy job setup, pre-register job data storage and recall, format length correction, easy and special design of chamber doctor blades and it’s change over.

The large diameter of chill impression cylinder keeps the material physical properties constant through the print process, for accurate print reproduction even on repeat job orders. Integrated direct servo drive shaftless and gearless press ensures high substrate flexibility with the Gallus ECS 340.

Process flexibility and modular structure are key drivers in today’s world, and the Gallus ECS 340 can be extended with add-on processes as required on any point of time. The Gallus 340 comes with specially designed light-weight aluminium printing cylinder sleeves ensure high printing quality with consistent reproducibility and maximum ageing stability throughout their entire service life.

“Along with the Gallus ECS 340, we have added a high-speed slitter and inspection, offline hot foiling, and flatbed die punching machine with a conveyor. We also have offline screen-printing machine and coaters,” added Adhikary.

The company has one factory in Matheswartala road which is spread across 45,000-sqft dedicated to offset, digital, and large format printing, pre-press, and post-press along with other fabrication machinery, while the second newly constructed 9,000-sqft eco-space at Jalpath, Kolkata is a one-stop solution provider for premium quality products output.

Ankan Adhikary, the next-gen entrepreneur who joined his father’s business, is involved in day-to-day operations. He added, “We want to diversify into a complete packaging solution provider with wide service offerings, we are more concerned over the environment, and hence, we have set up our new factory adhering to all eco-friendly norms at Jalpath. We want to grow as an environmentally responsible company with versatility, quality, and innovation.

On the awards and accolades, Libako Packaging and The Ad-O-Graphy (sister concern of Libako) had achieved a perfect 100 on L’Oreal Paris’s social audit in 2018.

Today, the company is in process of obtaining the SEDEX SMETA 6.1 (4 Pillar), GMP, and FSC certifications. The company is associated with well-known FMCG, white goods, cosmetic brands, garment, and paint industry clients.