Dibyajyoti Sarma (DS): You’ve remained a strong supporter of the PrintWeek Awards, one that celebrates excellence in print.
Pallippuram Sajith (PS): PrintWeek Awards celebrates print in India and acts as an inspiring platform for participants to raise the bar. This Award show is probably one of the unique ones as the quality of the work is judged by print buyers. 

DS: What are the positive impacts of this association?
PS: We enjoy the run up to the Awards – including encouraging good printers to participate in the competition - as it brings us closer to our customers. In the end, we get to see the best across various award categories in one room. 

DS: Why is it important to recognise the best work by the way of PW Awards?
PS: It is important that any printer doing serious work, in any category, should send in their best works to be judged. Whether you get shortlisted or win is not the most important factor. When selecting your work for the awards, judge them yourself to see if they are the best. While doing so, contemplate on some of the small issues, what you could have done to better the results, and what you could have done more to delight your customers more. The Award is already won by the printer when she/he  selects the best of their work and sends it to the PW jury committee.

DS: The past 12 months have been difficult. What have been the most significant changes that you have seen? 
PS: During the last 12 months, we have seen new opportunities come up. After the lull of almost two years, there is a resurgence in the requirement of products and services across different fields. There have been issues related to challenging supply chains and this has impacted costs and margins. In book printing, domestic educational publishing is booming. Additionally, more global publishers are looking at India as a viable alternative for outsourcing. 

DS: How was business?
PS: The year 2022 has been one of the best ever for us. During the last three years, despite challenges in demand due to the pandemic, we invested heavily into research and development. Due to this, we are now seeing the results.

DS: Which have been your key products, and why are they popular?
PS: Book binding machines - be it a single clamp for the digital segment or the complete binding line for the integrated book printers - Bindwel has all the solutions. The demand for both is very good. We see upgrades across the book printing industry, and the need to have shorter turn arounds with low costs and waste is top priority. Our machines have the smallest footprints and power consumptions in their categories. They provide management information systems, are easy to maintain with built-in preventive systems and backed up by one of the best after sales support in the industry.   

DS: Have you launched any new product or service recently?
PS: The Freedom 2K Short run binder is one such product. It can scan the QR code on a cover or book block and set the complete job in under a minute. Our BindLine inline solutions are fast catching up as the defacto solution for any medium to large production environment. 

DS: What is your outlook of the print industry segment you cater to?
PS: Book printing is here to stay stable. The domestic demands for books have never been as good. There is a huge opportunity for Indian book printers to scale up and look at exports with renewed interest. We need to create capacities, market ourselves well, and deliver quality goods within the committed time period.  

DS: What, according to you, is the biggest risk for an Indian printer or converter today?
PS: There are no real external challenges or threats that will play a spoiler to their plans. The Indian printer needs to believe in the trade that they are in and have confidence to scale up. Remaining sustainable in their business processes is very important as the times ahead will test us on the impact that we create on the environment.     

DS: What does it take for an Indian printer or converter to succeed? 
PS: Always think from the customer’s point of view and see how we can make their products better; life easier. Continue investing in people and technology that will help you stay differentiated. Partner with suppliers who help you in enhancing your knowledge and who will invest in incremental innovations that will help you win a customer.