Manroland Sheetfed bets big on India’s growth story

Manroland Sheetfed has signalled fresh intent for the Indian market. The Germany-headquartered press manufacturer, which became part of Langley Holdings in 2012, says it is preparing for a stronger presence in the country through investments in service, training, and customer engagement.

Global CEO Mirko Kern, who assumed leadership of the company in 2024, identified India as one of the organisation’s key strategic markets. 'While it may currently be smaller than China or the US, India represents the most exciting long-term growth opportunity for us,' he said. The packaging segment, in particular, is evolving fast. What is happening in India today is what we saw in China 20 years ago.” He added that while the US and European markets have seen digital technologies make inroads into short-run publishing, offset remains dominant in packaging — a pattern that will continue in India. “The demand for offset is not going away. In fact, we believe the demand for high-quality, automated offset presses is only going to increase.”

Manroland Sheetfed’s global CEO Mirko Kern, and India managing director Deepak Walia 

For India director Deepak Walia, building credibility through service has been critical. “Our spare parts hub in Dwarka ensures customers don’t wait weeks for critical components. Our service engineers are trained at Offenbach, and we are building capability for 24/7 support.” A machine is only as good as the support behind it and that is where Manroland India has put its energy.”

Kern and Walia also pointed to manpower development as a priority. “India has no shortage of entrepreneurial printers, but skilled manpower is a challenge,” said Kern. To address this, the company is working on training programmes to help operators run presses more efficiently. “A trained operator can extract 20% more productivity from the same machine. That is a huge competitive advantage.”

On the technology side, the company is positioning its R700 Evolution and R900 XXL presses for the Indian market. Both machines feature automation such as inline colour control and automatic plate-changing, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity. These add to the upfront cost, but Kern believes they make commercial sense in India. “If you look at ROI, automation pays back very quickly in India’s environment, where job runs are getting shorter, and makeready waste can kill margins. The printers who invest in automation today will be tomorrow’s leaders.” Walia added that packaging customers in India are asking more detailed questions about running costs and productivity. “They are calculating cost per sheet, not just the machine price. That shift in mindset is good news for us.”

India continues to be a global centre for book production, especially exports, but Kern expects packaging to drive demand in the next decade. “Every FMCG company, every e-commerce shipment, every pharma product needs quality packaging. That is where India will leapfrog.” At the same time, Walia noted that the company’s long-perfectors remain a strong choice for educational and export book printers.

Team Manroland Sheetfed

Competition remains tough in India, where refurbished machines from remarketed markets and lower-cost presses from China attract many buyers. Kern said Manroland would not compete on price. “We don’t compete on being the cheapest. We compete on being the most reliable and productive. Our job is to show Indian printers that when they calculate lifetime cost, our presses are unbeatable.” Walia added that larger Indian packaging firms are increasingly buying new equipment because they cannot risk downtime while serving multinational clients.

“India is not a one-year plan for us. It is a 20-year plan,” Kern said. “We will invest, we will stay patient, and we will grow with the market. We have seen how China transformed from a small buyer to the world’s largest market in two decades. India has the same potential.” For Walia, optimism comes from the ground. “Every week I meet entrepreneurs who are hungry to grow, hungry to invest, and hungry to learn. That spirit is what will make India a powerhouse for print. We want Manroland to be part of this journey.”