Addressing delegates at the PrintWeek Leaders & Legends 2026 event in Mumbai, Reddy said the industry’s future depended on moving beyond transactional relationships and building stronger collaboration across the print and packaging value chain.
Speaking to an audience that included printers, suppliers, brand owners and print buyers, Reddy said the presence of both buyers and suppliers in the same room reflected the industry’s need for closer cooperation. He said successful brands require successful printers, while successful printers depend on successful brands, adding that neither side benefits when commercial relationships become adversarial.
Reddy highlighted the scale of the sector represented by AIFMP, which brings together more than 80 associations and over 2,50,000 printing and packaging units across India. He said the federation represented commercial printers, packaging converters, label printers, publishers, book printers and security printers, many of them operating as MSMEs across the country.
Reddy struck an optimistic note about India’s prospects, arguing that growth in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, food processing, retail, exports and eCommerce would continue to drive demand for print and packaging. “Whenever India grows, printing grows. Whenever manufacturing grows, packaging grows,” Reddy said, adding that the country was steadily positioning itself as a future global hub for printing and packaging.
A central theme of his speech was AIFMP’s campaign for industry status for printing and packaging. Reddy argued that the sector continues to suffer from outdated perceptions despite operating highly automated facilities equipped with advanced colour management systems, robotics, inspection technologies and sophisticated quality controls. He said industry status would improve visibility, strengthen access to finance, support technology upgrades and help policymakers recognise the industry’s strategic contribution to manufacturing.
“Industry status is not merely about recognition. It is about visibility. It is about credibility. It is about access,” Reddy said.
The AIFMP president also revealed that the federation has intensified its engagement with government departments, including the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and other policymakers. He said AIFMP had recently held discussions with Harsh Malhotra, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Corporate Affairs, who comes from a printing background and understands the sector’s challenges.
Reddy said one of the federation’s priorities was to build a stronger evidence base for the industry. He noted that the sector’s contribution to employment, exports, education, manufacturing and tax revenues remains poorly documented. Without credible data, he warned, others would define the industry’s importance on its behalf.
He also announced a collaboration between AIFMP and the Central Pulp & Paper Research Institute (CPPRI), which will focus on areas such as packaging performance, paper optimisation, sustainability, recyclability, printability and material innovation. According to Reddy, the partnership could help drive research-led innovation across the value chain.
Addressing brand owners and print buyers directly, Reddy urged companies to involve printers earlier in the product development process. He said packaging discussions should not focus solely on procurement and cost reduction but also on areas such as sales growth, sustainability, consumer trust, anti-counterfeiting measures and operational efficiency.
“Take us to your marketing teams. Take us to your innovation teams. Take us to your sustainability teams. Allow printers and converters to showcase capabilities before there is a purchase order,” he said.
Reddy identified skills as the industry’s biggest long-term challenge. He warned that rising investment in packaging and manufacturing, both in India and overseas markets, would intensify competition for skilled workers. Simply recruiting employees from competitors, he said, amounted to “manpower recycling” rather than genuine capability building.
He called on companies to undertake formal skill audits and invest systematically in training across operations, sales, maintenance, quality and leadership functions. Training, he said, should be viewed as a productivity and profitability multiplier rather than a cost.
Reddy also cautioned that global print and packaging companies are increasingly looking at India as an attractive manufacturing destination. While this presents opportunities for partnerships and investment, he said local companies must improve their competitiveness to avoid being outpaced by international players.
To address the talent challenge, he highlighted plans for AIFMP’s Skill Development Centre at Manesar, which he described as a future training hub for operators, technicians, supervisors and industry leaders. He appealed to machine manufacturers, paper mills, ink suppliers, software companies and brand owners to support workforce development initiatives.
Concluding his address, Reddy said the industry’s future would not be determined by machinery alone but by capabilities, partnerships, research, skills and leadership. He urged stakeholders to communicate the sector’s contribution to the wider economy more effectively and present a stronger case for recognition and support.
“For decades, Indian printing, publishing and packaging has quietly helped every other industry tell its story. Perhaps the time has come for Indian printing to tell its own story,” Reddy said.