Jammu’s Solar Printers opts for Bobst Ambition 76 A1

On choosing Bobst, Manoj Wadhera, managing director, Solar Printers, said, “We are based in a remote location and thus, after-sale service was a big concern for us. Bobst has a vast and quick after-sale service network compared to all the available options in the market. The machine is very robust and technically sound. Another important reason to select Bobst was the great experience of its process engineers to provide life-time process support to run complicated and especially designed cartons with a lot of ease on the machine, which no other manufacturer in the market can offer.”

Wadhera added, “The brand value of Bobst will also help us to convince our customers.”

Solar Printers was established in 1989 by Rakesh Wadhera with a treadle printing press. In 2001, the company installed its first mini offset printing press, in 2014, its first four-colour Akiyama, and in 2016, another two-colour press was installed.

In 2017, the Wadhera family diversified into packaging printing along with existing commercial print production facility. In 2013, the junior Wadhera completed his study from Delhi and settled back in Jammu.

Manoj Wadhera is a management gold medallist from Jammu University. He completed his MBA in 2015. The government of Jammu allotted him 27,000-sqft of industrial land because of his academic performance but the plot is still stuck in red tape. However, the 28-year-old didn’t stop and acquired 12,500-sqft land in December 2019 and started development in March 2020.

“Our anticipation for packaging was completely right and we were on the right track, but the lockdown took place and our plans were delayed, Wadhera said. “We could start the machines and production only in October 2020.”

The company has invested around Rs 10-crore in the last two years. This includes greenfield expansions and machinery, including a six-colour Heidelberg SM 74 printing press with online coater, die-cutter from Bobst, automatic cutting machine from Polar and a new Bobst Ambition 76 A1 folder-gluer.

“Right now, we are operating two units – one dedicated to commercial and another for packaging,” he added. “Our geography has enough potential. The government of Jammu & Kashmir provides relaxation on freight as well. We are serving our clients in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and other neighbouring states.”

In the packaging unit, the company converts around 500-tonnes of board per month. The capacity is around 700-tonnes. For future expansion, the company has also acquired another 30,000-sqft land. A team of 70 people works in an 8 to 12-hour shift per day.