Koenig & Bauer CEO Dr Stephen Kimmich prioritises India in first overseas visit
Having completed his first 100 days as CEO, Dr Kimmich expressed his comfort within the company and his strong belief in the Indian market.
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Remembrance of things past: In search of lost time
Ramu Ramanathan is editor at PrintWeek and WhatPackaging?
Print & Beyond: Find market solutions to prosper in these tough times
The Kerala Master Printers Association’s (KMPA) Print & Beyond Conference in Kochi on 22 February 2025 brought together industry leaders to discuss the evolving landscape of print and packaging. The session, moderated by Ramu Ramanathan, editor of PrintWeek/WhatPackaging?, featured insights from Amit Khurana, CEO of TechNova; Ashok Narayan, chief of sales and marketing at Pidilite Industries; and Murali Krishnan, business head, South Asia sheets business at Avery Dennison.
2025: May thousand types of print bloom
From the world’s oldest surviving handwritten newspaper in Chennai to futuristic predictions about space-age printing, the landscape of print continues to evolve.
The A to Z of the year that was 2024
A comprehensive recap of 2024: the key trends, milestones, and innovations that shaped the print and packaging industry this year.
Harshad Lohana — Rest In Peace
HK Lohana was popularly known as the Raja of the print industry. His company, Alert Packaging, had a raft of Heidelbergs that produced labels and cartons for cosmetics and premium print jobs. Besides managing Alert, Lohana was crucial in promoting fellowship within the Bombay Master Printer's Association. 25 years ago he had spoken to me about the key issues, which besiege the print industry. Do read...
Nine industry trends that stand out in The Power 100
The Power 100 list showcased thought leaders in the best possible manner and showcased the industry’s clout. The following are the top trends.
There's plenty of Farzi things for which print has a solution
PrintWeek's friend (and a master printer) watched a web series Farzi; and he was angry. He said, "It is supposed to be a show focussed on counterfeiting ... but the print technology showcased in the web series should put all print technologists to shame." He added, "I suppose Bollywood knows more about graphic arts than all the gurus of our industry put together. Two sets of 45-gsm paper sandwiched to make a Rs 500 note!"
The Drupa countdown: Spotlight on Bindwel
The Bindwel stand at Drupa has been themed as Spectrum of Innovation: Creating the future of bookbinding. While speaking to PrintWeek, Kai Buentemeyer, the director of the Bindwel-Stelda group said, "We will introduce three pathbreaking concepts: One for ultimate flexibility in the one book model, another for streamlined efficiency with a standardised book formats and the third, the freedom to choose a mix of flexibility and efficiency as you need it. These machines embody the future of bookbinding.
With Somerset as investor, Printmann aims to double revenue
Printmann who bagged the Packaging Company of the Year - Folding Cartons (Boutique) at the PrintWeek Awards 2023, announced the induction of Somerset Indus Capital Partners as a minority investor as well as a subsidiary Pakcellence. The announcement was made in the presence of Printmann’s employees, customers and packaging partners on 13 February. The aim: To be the world’s most preferred packaging partner.
Small investors to power inkjet press installation in 2024; all eyes on Drupa
As India is poised to install many more inkjet presses, the participants at the inkjet digital publishing roundtable participated with lots of interest. Most of the responses which were fielded by Ajay Agarwal, CEO and MD of Insight Print Communications addressed the firepower of single-pass inkjet presses and Capex versus Opex.
12 lessons about anti-counterfeiting
Vinsak was in fine form at Pamex 2024. During the show, Ranesh Bajaj of Vinsak spoke about anti-counterfeit solutions at the Innovation Pavilion. Bajaj's presentation centred on combining physical and digital technologies, which he highlighted can be used to create smart packaging. Speaking to PrintWeek's Ramu Ramanathan, Bajaj explains how these innovative solutions will provide consumers and brands with new tools and strategies for detecting counterfeit products
Pamex footfalls soar and signs indicate a solid 2024
Good buzz at Pamex. A senior industry leader called it a print mela. One thing I heard is, capacity utilisation of the print converters is much higher than in the past two years. This is especially true for commercial printers (and book print firms) as compared with packaging converters. Sanjay Patel of Param Packaging shared with me during a business conference at the Marriott Fairfield on 5 February in Mumbai. He said, “The upcoming election season, with the Lok Sabha Elections, the first half of 2024 shall see a rise in demand for printed products—from flyers, posters, outdoor advertising,
Pamex 2024: Poly Master showcases knife re-grinding
Today more than a thousand commercial, book printers, notebook manufacturers and board converters are investing in a Poly Master which is manufactured in Amritsar. This includes some of the largest players in each segment. “Previously, the clients grinded the jobs from us, but if we compare our last 15-year datasheet, 70% of our clients are end-users instead of job work users,” said Gaurav Mahajan.
Sumant Bhargavan's masterclass on how to understand the consumer; and create a wow product
ITC's executive director Sumant Bhargavan, the man known for setting-up 'Bingo!', the snack food category at ITC spoke at length about three business ops - and how to keep abreast with the changes the consumer requires, and how ITC in India has responded.
Faheem Agboatwala: Five reasons to attend BMPA summit on 18 January
On 18 January 2024, all eyes will be on BMPA's Print Summit 2024 (PS24). The reason: An impressive line-up of speakers who will discuss all things print and packaging. Faheem Agboatwala, chairman of PS24 shares five highlights.
Obituary: Sanat Shah of Manugraph (1932-2023)
Sanat Shah, chairman emeritus of Manugraph sparked a revolution in how the Indian newspaper industry performed. He helmed Manugraph and served the industry for seven decades. A tribute by Ramu Ramanathan
O Venugopal: Remembering Josettan
We would have healthy debates on several topics far related from printing that would go on for hours, says O Venugopal of Kochi-based Anaswara which is a multi-award winning printing house
Ashok Nerker, the prince of pre-press passes away
This morning, I received the news that Ashok Nerker is no more. He passed away on 11 March in Mumbai.
Digambar Vasudev Joshi, Shree J Printers' founder is no more
PrintWeek remembers Digambar Vasudev Joshi, founder of Shree J Printers, and the senior-most member of the Poona Press Owners Association.
Spotlight on Nimesh Vora as he reboots Srinivas’ strategy
“We can deliver within 24 hours. This includes small, tiny, and medium-sized factories. Some converters buy one tonne from us a month and someone would purchase ten tonnes a day or the bigger converters require 300 tonnes per month. Our USP is that we provide customised sizes, quantities and on-time service due to our sheeting and slitting capabilities at all our locations,” says Nimesh Vora of Srinivas Papers.
The new-gen flexo press and the art of automation
Narendra Kulkarni spoke at the Respack conference in Mumbai about the tweaks in the power grid and reduction of contract demand. At LabelExpo, PrintWeek caught up with the Gallus gentleman in order to understand how automation can bring reduction in contract demand and power.
From Delhi to Lucknow to Delhi to Manesar
MK Bhargava, a doyen of the Indian printing industry and the founder of Kumar Printers passed away on 28 July 2023. PrintWeek pays homage to the stalwart with this interview with Bhargava originally published in 10 June 2016 issue
Face to face with Biju Jose
Biju Jose was born in October 1970, three years before the birth of Printers Castle. He talks about the history of the press plus the legacy of Jose Joseph
Jose Joseph: The industry’s guardian angel
Jose Joseph is one of the pillars of KMPA. The association was always a dynamic one and devoted to doing a lot of work under the leadership of R Suresh. Later on, Jose Sir added another dimension to it. His designation at KMPA was ‘co-ordinator’ but what he did was way beyond that. A tribute by Raju Kutty