Mudrika to install India’s first Rotatek Universal 850

Vinsak Group has announced that Mudrika Group will install India’s first Rotatek Universal 850 press, marking the world’s first installation of the Universal 850 configured for packaging applications. The nine-colour press has seven offset and two flexo units; and an offline finishing kit - IRS 850XXL die-cutting line.

The announcement was made during a Rotatek open house hosted from 12 to 16 January 2025 in the company’s Barcelona plant, where the press was demonstrated to converters and brand stakeholders from around the world. Converters from 15 countries attended the open house.

The installation positions Mudrika, India’s largest label specialist, as the global reference site for the Universal 850 platform and signals a renewed push by Rotatek and Vinsak Group into high-value packaging, shrink films,IML and flexible production. At 850-mm web width, the press is the widest in the Universal range and is designed to handle substrates from 12-micron films through to carton grades, with inline offset, flexo, foiling, lamination and inspection.

The Mudrika installation will take place in the company’s plant in Vasai, and is expected to become fully operational after commissioning and application validation by April 2026.

The deal brings together three long-standing industry players. Rotatek, the Spanish press manufacturer, operates under the Vinsak Group, led by director Ranesh Bajaj. Mudrika Group, headed by Manish Desai, has built its reputation on early adoption of advanced printing technologies and operates a large fleet of flexo and offset presses serving global brands.

“This is not a press bought for one application,” said Desai. “We are buying a platform that allows us to enter markets we are not currently serving and to do so globally, not just in India.”

Bajaj added, “This press is sold to a customer purely on design and trust. Mudrika believed in the concept even before the machine was built, and that says a lot about the partnership we have developed.”

For Mudrika, the decision reflects a long-term strategy of optimising capability before chasing volume. The company reinvests 30–40% of its revenue into technology and views early adoption as a competitive advantage. “The first one who adopts a technology masters it,” said Desai. “We took this decision before the market demands it.”

Bajaj explained that the Universal 850 is application-led rather than speed-driven, targeting the 100kg to 2,000kg run length sweet spot that sits between digital and flexo/gravure. “We are not chasing top speed,” he said. “We are chasing stability, lower waste, lower energy per impression and higher margins.”

Energy efficiency is central to the design, with Bajaj stating that the press operates with up to 60% lower connected load compared to conventional systems, driven by LED curing, Adphos NIR drying and individual motor control.

Automation also plays a critical role. Auto colour correction, inline spectrophotometry and AI-driven ink control are designed to reduce operator dependency and improve repeatability. “This is about making printing more of a science than an art,” said Bajaj.

With Mudrika set to become the first global reference customer, the Universal 850 installation is likely to be closely watched by converters evaluating alternatives to flexo and gravure for premium packaging and IML production.