Mehul Desai urges printers to specialise, collaborate

Mehul Desai, managing director at MOS and secretary of the All India Federation of Master Printers, has urged printers to prioritise skill-building, specialisation and collaboration over reactive investment, cautioning against being “overawed” by technological change.

Speaking at the Print & Beyond 2026 seminar in Kochi, Desai reflected on his 28-year journey in the printing business, describing a trajectory that began “with nothing” and evolved through cycles of growth and setback.

“We’ve seen highs, and we’ve seen lows,” he says, adding that while success is gratifying, “it’s the lows which have taught us lessons.”

One of his earliest learnings, he notes, was that constraint can stimulate innovation. “When your ambition is more than the resources that you have, creativity thrives,” he says. Limited resources force entrepreneurs to think differently and find smarter solutions, a mindset that helped him grow MOS from a one-man operation into an established commercial printing company.

Desai described how the company evolved “in reverse order,” entering digital printing first before integrating offset and pre-press capabilities. That unconventional path reinforced his belief that skill sets, rather than business cycles, determine long-term resilience.

“Business cycles will keep changing,” he says. “But if your skill sets are intact, you will be able to ride out the low phases.”

Upskilling as a strategy

Desai devoted a significant portion of his address to the importance of continuous learning. He cited the example of his son, who joined the business in 2013 and now runs the company, formally taking charge in 2017-18.

Coming from an engineering background with an MBA but limited hands-on business experience, his son identified gaps in finance and management knowledge. He completed a rigorous 14-month finance course to understand cash flows and capital expenditure planning, followed by a management process programme to strengthen operational leadership.

In 2019, anticipating the rise of artificial intelligence, he enrolled in a nine-month course to understand AI fundamentals and its business implications. Desai says AI has since been integrated into company processes, even if not yet fully deployed in manufacturing.

“Up your skill sets,” Desai told delegates, extending the advice beyond owners to employees. “Equip your people with training and capability that can make them do their job in a better way.”

He stressed that structured learning provides a competitive edge beyond experiential knowledge alone.

AI without panic

Addressing the pace of technological change, Desai cautioned printers against reactive investment driven by industry hype.

“Don’t get overawed by what is happening in the outside world,” he says.

He recalled the early digital printing wave nearly three decades ago, when many invested heavily in digital presses without fully understanding their applications or customer fit. In several cases, machines failed to deliver expected returns.

Today, digital and offset technologies coexist and complement each other, he notes. The lesson, he argues, is to understand technology before committing capital.

The same principle applies to AI. Printers should learn what it can do, how it fits into business processes and where it simplifies routine tasks, rather than treating it as an immediate production substitute.

Specialise and collaborate

Desai also urged printers to define niches rather than chase trends. MOS has built its identity around variable data printing and data management, a focus it has maintained for nearly three decades.

“As a commercial printer today, we are thriving,” he says, attributing stability to specialisation rather than diversification.

He cautioned against abrupt shifts into packaging following the post-pandemic surge in demand. Instead of investing in packaging equipment, MOS has built partnerships with trusted industry peers, generating approximately Rs 2.5 crore annually in the packaging business through collaboration.

“I have no packaging equipment or manufacturing facility in my company, but I still do packaging business,” he says.

Through trusted relationships, Desai’s company sources production from partners who maintain quality standards and respect client boundaries. This model allows MOS to participate in new segments without diluting focus or committing significant capital.

He encouraged printers to use industry forums to strengthen such partnerships. “Collaborate with your industry friends,” he says, adding that shared learning and mutual trust can enable collective growth.

Concluding his remarks, Desai reiterated that ambition should fuel creativity, skill-building should underpin resilience, and collaboration should replace impulsive investment.