PrintWeekIndia - Latest Articles

Women in print: Rashmi Ravinarayan

PrintWeek India — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 11:03:00

What would be your dream job?
My dream job would be to venture into a design studio.

Your view on sustainability and going green.
There should be a regular and serious effort which should set an example to others.

What is your favourite film or song?
My favourite film is The Intern and the song is Iktara from movie Wake Up Sid.

One teacher you remember and why?
My school teacher Mrs Kalyani. She is very encouraging, positive and I have always been the closest to her.

One key tip for good health
To eat on time.

One most valuable work lesson?
To believe in yourself and do your best but not to overdo anything.

Most useful app?
Google Maps.

Your tip to resolve conflicts…
To stay calm, think over and then settle the situation wisely.

How would you describe yourself?
I am a visualiser, artistic and love to travel.

What motivates you to start your day?
Excitement to face the new day’s challenges with more creative inputs.

How do you spend your spare time?
Watching movies.

Desired vacation spot?
There are too many but surely Ladakh is once again in the list.

Life is ...
Full of surprises.

Rapid-fire with Anuj Bhargava of Kumar Labels

Rahul Kumar — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 10:27:00

Rahul Kumar of PrintWeek India and WhatPackaging? spent a full day at the factory in Greater Noida, and culminated it with a rapid-fire Q&A.

How did you get into alco-bev labels?
Quite simple. It is high value-add + high volume = Alco-Bev.

What is your dream bit of kit?
A 40-inch combinational press in-line with my label stock coater with on-the-fly change over.

What is your favourite film?
I don’t watch films.

Who or what do you hate the most?
Not giving one’s best.

What is your favourite saying?
No pain, no gain.

What is the strangest job you’ve ever done?
From order to delivery of 283 variants of a label in 10 hours!

Which international airport would you like to be stuck on – and why?
Moscow – to see the most innovative alco-bev packaging.

One thing about the alco-bev industry in India no one knows anything about?
That there are some incredible companies with super honest people where business can be done in absolutely clean ways.

What’s your worst fashion disaster?
I am a total fashion disaster wearing kurta and jeans even to customer meetings.

What is the worst kind of print?
Bad design with a lot of value addition.

A good label is…?
Well designed and minimalistic.

Women in print: Vijayalakshmi Murali

PrintWeek India — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 00:44:29

What would be your dream job?

To start something new in my training segment – and bring them to the top of the list.

What is the one significant factor in organising an event?

Corporate identity.

Any sport that you follow.

Cricket - sometimes.

What is your favourite film or song?

I am a fan of Rajnikanth. All his Tamil movies are my favourite films.

One teacher you remember and why?

My class teacher in 12 standard, Vinita Dawzan. Her encouraging words really impressed me to achieve good marks.

One most valuable work lesson?

I believe that hard work and confidence are two important vehicles to reach your final destination.

One key tip for good health.

Drink more water, have adequate sleep and don’t be lazy about walking.

Most useful app?

WhatsApp and Facebook.

Desired vacation spot?

Switzerland.

A really nice OOH campaign while travelling?

Rally for rivers.

Your tip to resolve conflicts…

Get into the problem in-depth and find out from where the problem arises. Then start trouble-shooting, one by one.

Life is…?

Life has got a short span of time. So let us live life to the fullest of joys, memories and help others. Let us accept people with all their mistakes.

Women in print: Radha Ramesh

PrintWeek India — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 00:43:01

What would be your dream job?

I am in my dream job right now. It’s a job that involves a lot of challenges with critical thinking.

Qualities that you look for while hiring?

Skills can be obtained , work can be taught but it’s the right attitude and passion that matters the most.

Any sport that you follow.

I am into tennis and football.

What is your favourite film or song?

Favourite films are How Green Was My Valley, Ben-Hur and Casablanca.

One teacher you remember and why?

My history teacher. Her teachings were vivid and full of imagery that never made me bored of the subject.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

A workaholic with a passion to create change.

Your role mode is

Chanakya, Napoleon and Indira Gandhi.

One key tip for good health

Drink water regularly and sleep on time.

One most valuable work lesson?

There is always a solution to everything. Nothing is impossible.

Most useful app?

WhatsApp.

Desired vacation spot?

Ladakh, Gulmarg in India.

Your tip to resolve conflicts…

Get to the root cause and communicate. This resolves everything.

Life is…?

To enjoy every moment, every day.

Digital print hums a new song in the small cities

Noel D'Cunha — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 08:19:00

Noel D'Cunha (ND): How has the print industry evolved in the last five years, and more particularnly what are the changes you have seen in the year 2017?

Puneet Datta (PD): The print industry is rapidly shifting from conventional to digital printing and with the onset of the fourth industrial revolution, the line between digital printing and its usage for new applications that did not exist five years ago is beginning to take shape. Therefore, it is paving the way for new domains where printing can play a significant role in our lives.

ND: For example?

PD: Digital printing or 3D Printing is being used to make communication more personalised and relevant. Research is already ongoing to have digitally printed human organs. In 2017, if we focus on India then it’s safe to state that digital printing has become a mainstream business in many of the verticals. The various trends in consumerism are also hinting towards choice, individualisation of content consumption, personalised communications, and on-demand consumption. These are all terms that would also influence the printing industry in India.

ND: What is it that makes a digital press popular?

PD: Canon is the world’s leading imaging technology company. The proof lies in the number of technology patents that we have garnered over the last two decades and the recent acquisitions of world-leading organisations like Oce and Toshiba Medical Business. This holistic approach together with our high investment in R&D ensures that the product that bears our brand name has industry-leading features and advantages that transform into business continuity and competitive edge for our customers.

We have proven this since 2007 when we installed our first ImagePress series product in India. Our direct service approach ensures that we are closest to our customers in their time of need.

ND: Which is your most popular model?

PD: The ImagePress series inclusive of the C650 series and C10000VP series are the most popular models in India.

ND: What’s your installation numbers for 2017?

PD: We are very proud to share with you that in 2017 we have increased our market share in colour digital press category. This is due to the positive response we have received for our ImagePress C650 Series in general from both metro and non-metro Locations. As we are expanding our service network to smaller towns, the printers are reciprocating with their trust in our solutions. Even our mid-end ImagePress series C10000VP/C8000VP have seen a lot of buoyancy in 2017.

ND: Can you name some of the key customers?

PD: Some of the key customers that have already been covered by PrintWeek India include Avantika Printers in New Delhi, Classic Printers in Allahabad Digital House in Trivandrum, Jayaram Cards in Calicut and DD Enterprises in Lucknow.

ND: Why have they invested in your machine?

PD: Canon presses have always been known for higher uptime, consistent colour reproduction, and productivity. This ensures that the customer has faith in meeting their end customer print applications need in a predictable and stipulated time with desired quality when they choose to invest in a Canon press.

ND: Zero-error, zero downtime, zero wastage (quality and consistency) have become the focus of print production…

PD: With technologies rapidly evolving and cost pressures squeezing every last penny from margins, today’s print technology needs to work harder than ever to pull its weight. The price of downtime, errors, and wastage are greater than ever. Boosting productivity in printing isn’t only about upgrading technologies but also addressing the challenge of prolonged downtimes, errors and excessive wastage. It is our constant endeavour to achieve the holy grail of printing and deliver zero-error, zero downtime, and zero wastage solutions to our customers.

ND: One sees a number of low-cost kit among the expensive ones on offer, and these are primarily targeting small companies. Is it fair to say that small companies are now becoming important, and why? Honestly, would these machines help them break the barrier and get a notch higher?

PD: India witnessed the phenomenon of decentralisation of digital printing from 2009. Since then the number of small digital printers have increased manifolds both in large and small cities.

The intent of every manufacturer of digital presses has been and will be to target this decentralisation approach with the launch of faster and smaller digital presses. Now smaller companies, especially those in non-metro cities have been witnessing a high growth in adoption of technologies. This trend is also seen in the printing industry, which now wants to embrace the latest and best technologies available in the marketplace.

In the larger Indian cities, we see a lot of mid-end or high-end digital presses being installed which have naturally lower run cost. The smaller companies with low-end presses might need to find a niche in which to operate in order to be successful. However, in smaller towns, these presses offer a unique opportunity for growth to smaller companies.

ND: What has been the impact of demonetisation and GST on your business?

PD: The print industry is one of the most resilient industries that exist. It has weathered many challenges and policy changes over the last many decades. Demonetization and GST did impact the overall GDP of the nation for last three quarters. But the date of the latest quarter shows the economy is recovering, and the government has forecast a higher GDP growth for the future. In line with a macro-economic scenario, digital print also witnessed a slowdown. However, business seems to be back to normal after the festival season time.

Though there are still many issues that the print industry needs clarity on the right representatives from across Indian print industry are making valiant efforts towards a rightful resolution of the same.

ND: What’s the change in machine buying trends among Indian customers?

PD: The machine purchase trends in India are quite diversified. Some printers are investing in their core business offerings and strengthening/building capacity while others are diversifying their business to cater to new customers / changing customer demands. Both have their own merits, and thus, on the one hand, we see that placements of offset machines have increased over past couple of years, on the other, digital presses have also an increasing sales demand.

Post-press equipment for adding value to the printed product, finishing the products have also got traction.

However, since fag end of last year to maybe this time, we have seen a dip in investments for large CAPEX deployments. As the economy starts to increase its growth rate we could potentially see initial investments into newer technologies/niche segments picking up over the next few year.

ND: What trends are you seeing in smaller centres of India?

PD: We have a different distribution and market share penetration strategies for our different segments. We are witnessing an unprecedented growth in demand from smaller centres in India. Owing to growing demand from regional centres, we are present in over 60 cities and intend to expand to over 100 cities in the next three to four years in the commercial print segment. In the wide-format printing, our core strategy is channel penetration. We are already present in the tier-1 and tier-2 cities. We are also working towards a deeper regional and segment based penetration with an expanded outreach in tier-3 and tier-4 cities.

ND: The Canon Research?

PD: I was coming to that. The recent Canon Research of 552 print service providers (PSP) and print and media buyers across 25 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, reveals that awareness of digital print applications among print buyers has increased in the last two years. It has revealed that 20% of PSPs offer cross-media or multi-channel campaign coordination, 84% PSPs see cost rising faster than revenue, 55% print buyers ask buyers for advice on multi-channel communications. 80% PSPs say they can no longer do things as they always have, and 48% of commercial printers only have a formal marketing or business development plan.

It is evident that the markets are in the process of transitioning from print-first to digital-first. Hence, the future of paper and print will be determined by how the industry reinvents itself in the digital-first universe.

ND: What’s been your proudest achievement in the past few months?

PD: The installation of ImagePress C10000VP/C8000VP series at new customer sites has been a feather in our cap, coming in the second half of 2017. We have successfully upgraded customers to this series which has led to these customers having at times two-three fold growth in their print volumes. This is generating a positive word of mouth for this highly successful series for Canon worldwide.

Also, the rapid expansion of our imageProGraf series both in CAD/CAM and graphic arts market has led to Canon India gaining more than 10% extra market share in 2017 as compared to 2016.

ND: What is the one element that you would want our readers to take away from this interaction, and what future advancement is your company looking towards?

PD: Driven by changes in technologies and with the onset of Industry 4.0, a profound digital transformation is underway within the printing industry as well. Printing companies are enhancing their capabilities with newer technologies and are investing in seamless workflows as a preliminary capability to drive innovation and make significant improvements in efficiency.

The advent of fourth industrial revolution has ushered in a new era for the professional printing industry, with the introduction of a myriad of new technologies that are taking printing and finishing technology to the next level. It is safe to say that the industry is witnessing new growth frontiers like no other.

I would like to sign off with the vision that 4.0 is no longer a future trend. With technology accelerating and transforming at a neck breaking speed, the need of the hour is to hop onto this ‘smart’ wagon of technological integration and future-proof print.

“Labels in local languages are emotionally appealing to consumers” – Anjana Ghosh

Payal Khandelwal — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 13:39:00

Anjana Ghosh of Bisleri

What were the main motives behind your recent move of creating Bisleri packaging in different regional languages?
India being a multilingual country, people prefer communication in their local language too. We intend to leverage this and connect with them in their mother-tongue by launching labels in several local languages across the country and across our different SKUs. Labels in local languages are emotionally appealing to consumers as it helps them read and understand the language they are most comfortable with.

Also, consumers will be able to recognise the genuine Bisleri bottle and avoid buying counterfeit products or products which spell (the brand name) differently but look the same. A large number of consumers in our country are not comfortable with English, and therefore, Bisleri bottles will carry the brand name in both English and local language to ensure that the end consumer gets Bisleri when he asks for it and does not mistake any other brand for Bisleri.

How are you planning to roll this out?
It’s a huge task to roll this out for all the SKUs across India. The first phase of the rollout is in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, parts of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. We will be launching labels in various local languages including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Oriya, Urdu and Assamese across the country and all our SKUs in the next two to three months.

One of the implications for this move would be one big label printing order being broken down to multiple smaller orders. How would this affect your label procurement and supply chain management?
We have 120 bottling plants in India and all of them have their individual labels with their respective manufacturing addresses. So changing to regional language doesn’t impact the label procurement process. Yes, there is a huge effort in making this one-time change but the brand is ready to do so.

Are there any other practical challenges involved in this move?
There are really no challenges. The implementation just needs detailed planning and execution.

Counterfeiting has been a huge problem for your brand/category. Apart from this new move, what are some of the other steps you have taken to deal with this?
Since Bisleri as a brand has become synonymous with the category, so even when a person asks for mineral water, he or she says “Ek Bisleri dena?” However, even after saying ‘Bisleri’, if the shopkeeper hands over any XYZ brand, then the customer happily accepts it ignoring the fact that it is not really a Bisleri but a local brand or a lookalike. With regional labels, we are sure that our customers across India will be able to spot the original brand from the fake ones.

Moreover, we actively educate our customers through social media and also through offline channels on how to spot the difference between an original Bisleri and the fakes/lookalikes. Our customer care across India also resolves all counterfeit products queries raised by consumers.

Bisleri bottle in Telugu language

This initiative is also an attempt at hyper-localisation. What are some of the other recent marketing initiatives by the brand in this direction?
We’ve done our in-depth study on the latest trends in the mineral water industry via qualitative research to understand the category. While regional labels will help bridge the language barriers and help connect us with the common man in rural and urban areas, we are also planning to do an advertising campaign soon.

Last year we saw the launch of Bisleri 'Rockstar' bottle that aimed to carve a niche for itself through the specific shape and style of the bottle. What other packaging innovations like these can we expect to see from Bisleri in the near future?
We are very happy with the positive feedback we got for Rockstar. We definitely plan more innovations in packaging for upcoming festive season. Refreshing the look of our bottle is also in the pipeline.

Also, using an alternate packaging format like pouches to lower the price points was something that players in this segment have tried in the past. Was it successful? Are you looking at any other alternative packaging formats to extend your reach in the smaller towns and villages?
Water pouches are the most unhygienic packaging and hence are widely replaced by PET bottles because they offer better convenience. Also, PET bottles are not only 100% safe but also recyclable. The identity of a good brand depends on the quality and sustainability of the product and package respectively. While we are putting efforts in innovative packaging as mentioned, we are also experimenting with customised SKUs for different regions. For example, Bisleri 15 litre Homepack is only available in few parts of Gujarat on the basis of the demand in that region. Similarly, 300 ml Rockstar was especially launched to enhance the hospitality of serving water during occasions and gatherings.

What are the initiatives you are taking regarding the sustainability of the packaging?
All our bottles are made of PET (Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate), and the most unique feature of which is that it is totally recyclable.

PET's exceptional capacity-to-weight ratio is key to its energy efficiency, putting more product in less packaging, utilising less weight and less fuel for transporting. Therefore, for our category which is high on weight but low on selling price, PET becomes the most cost efficient and energy efficient choice. The strength, versatility, and recyclability make it excellent from a sustainability profile point.

Apart from our mission to ensure access to safe drinking water for every Indian, we also make a conscious effort to keep our environment safe and healthy. As part of our social responsibility, we undertake several initiatives such as - PET Recycling, Rain Water Harvesting and Ozone treatments. Our initiatives contribute to create a positive impact on the environment and ensure that they are sustainable. Being the leader in the mineral water category in the country, we make the conscious effort towards correct disposal and recycling of PET bottles. In fact, we believe in going beyond the realms of our brand and accept plastic from all the brands in the market.

Our approach to PET recycling is three-pronged. First and foremost is the education since most people don’t know that PET is completely recyclable and can be used to make not just industrial items but also regular use items like T-shirts, caps, bags and fabrics. Secondly, we believe in engagement through our PET recycling drives in schools and corporate offices. We have enabled thousands of people to not only learn but also take the first step towards recycling which is segregation and collection. Thirdly, our association with various NGOs have ensured that we are able to send the collected bottles for recycling and the economic benefit from recycling is eventually used for the welfare of the underprivileged.

Lintec announces ultra-low migration labelstock

Rushikesh Aravkar — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 19:29:00

Highlighting the pharma trend of plastics replacing glass, Lintec president Hiroyuki Nishio said it becomes pertinent to look at migration properties of labelstock and adhesive used when using plastic bottles for pharma packaging.

"The adhesives used in regular labelstocks have a high amount of low molecular weight components that can migrate through the wall of the plastic container."

The new 38-micron polyester labelstock is available in white and clear grades. Highlighting the gas chromatography test results, Lintec claimed that the new product has a significantly smaller amount of low molecular weight components than conventional labelstock.

Sumio Morimoto(l), president, Lintec Asia Pacific and Ankit Gupta, section manager, adhesive products group of Lintec India

Tatsuya Tsukida general manager R&D, Lintec said, "The new product conforms to the regulations established by both European and Japanese pharmacopoeia."

"Secondly, as a result of the test based on the food regulation, this new product easily meets with the regulation and the overall migration is within the threshold of 10mg/dm2 for food packaging applications."

Besides the ultra-low migration labelstock, Lintec introduced three more products – super-strength adhesive labelstock for textured and low-energy surfaces, labelstocks for complex curved surfaces and laser markable label products.

Sumio Morimoto, president, Lintec for Asia Pacific region said that the ultra-low migration labelstock will soon be available for the Indian market.

With India headquarters in New Delhi, Lintec employs 15 people. Its major customer base is in the screen printed vehicle graphic segment.

Vimal Mehra retires from the industry

Noel D'Cunha — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 11:23:00

Mehra also stepped down from the presidentship of All India Printing Ink Manufacturers’ Association (AIPIMA), a role he had assumed a year ago.

Mehra joined the printing ink industry in 1970 after completing his post-graduate studies. “I told my fellow batchmates that I had joined the ink industry, they asked me – what is ink?,” said Mehra.” He added, “I decided that I will work for six months, earn some monies than look for a better opportunity. Those six months never ended, it just continued.”

Does he regret joining the printing ink industry? “Not for a second,” Mehra said, speaking to PrintWeek India on the sidelines of the AIPIMA’s annual general meeting event on 11 August 2017. “It’s been a most satisfying journey and during the course, I have only met friends and made friends.”

But he is critical of one trait, which he thinks the printing industry, or for that matter, the printing industry will be better off without, and that is unhealthy competition. “There’s very little appetite for profitability. People don’t have confidence in themselves, and they think only price will help them sail through. They probably do business, but at the end of the day, they don’t make money.”

Mehra, however, advised the adoption of technology, which he said was restricted to a few print companies. “Those who have invested in the right technology are growing, and there are those who are sitting with obsolete technology and they have no jobs. There’s a lack of understanding of what will help them grow.”

Mehra said he will be spending rest of his time honing his singing talent. “If I wasn’t in this industry, I would have been a singer. Before I joined the ink industry I used to sing, and I even do it now, but not on a professional level. I have shortlisted a guruji under whom I will train.”

He concluded on a lighter note, saying, “Sona toh hai, usko chamkaneki zaarurat hai.”

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Ma Prints produces world’s largest Bhagavad Gita

Sriraam Selvam — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 12:46:00

Created for Sri Ganapathy Sachidananda Ashrama, the project is the brainchild of Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji of Avadhoota Datta Peetam. The book is seven feet tall and five feet wide, with one-foot thickness and weighs a whopping 800kgs. It consists of the scripture in 18 languages.

Total 636 eco-friendly technology machine-printing hours, 30,560 sq/ft of poster media and 14 dedicated people were involved in the publication effort.

Speaking exclusively to PrintWeek India, Guruprasad Talwar of Ma Prints shared the journey of the book – from its concept to production, and the unveiling of the world’s largest ‘Hindu Smriti’.

Congratulations on this fantastic achievement. Can you describe the process that you put in place?
As one of the most intriguing and appealing scriptures of the Hindu, it certainly was a process backed by a pure passion to deliver and bring this Bhagavad Gita to life. The vision of creating this print was a herculean task that began with the explanations and approvals from Sri Datta Vijayanada Teertha Swamiji, junior pontiff of Avadhoota Datta Peetam-Mysore, our team leader.

Which were the press and other equipment used to execute the job?
To kickstart the job, we chose to print digitally using the inkjet process. We used a range of print and supporting machines and media - starting with the likes of HP Latex, Oorja Inkjet, Zund, 3M poster paper, vinyl, 3M matte film and so on.

Can you elaborate a little more on the pre-press, press and post-press process?
While numerous hours of planning took place, it was the decision of the final size and specifications that acted as the flag bearer to the print process. The publishing team and the proofreading professionals then put their plans together and laid the pages in a defined template that constituted of 18 languages of the Bhagvad Gita. The final printable version of the file was released with a deadline of 20 days, starting from print to publication.

Was it an in-house job?
It is worth noting that the team at Ma Prints, wanted to ensure that the entire book is created in-house using their years of experience and field expertise. Without any reliance on online research or resources showcasing how to create mammoth size books, the team believed in their own ideas and backed themselves with grit and determination based on their decades of experience in the industry.

To produce a book of this size, you’d have produced a prototype?
The best way forward was to create a prototype, ensuring that we do not have any errors or inaccuracies once we did the final. In order to achieve that, we did a sample print of the actual size on poster paper and at the same time did a 10:1 reduced size prototype, clearing ground for all.

Can your share with the timeline of the job. I mean from conception to delivery. How long did it take? Which process took the longest time?
With less than three weeks to the launch, and with absolutely no previous know-how of creating something as large and complex as this, the team at Ma Prints was aptly led and guided by my father Kailash Talwar, The job was meticulously planned by my friend and colleague Sukesh and the entire Ma team. Quite clearly, we were venturing into something we had never done before but were highly motivated with the vision of creating an almost unreal dream when we consider the timelines.

Which was the most time-consuming process?
The printing and sandwiching phase of the book was the longest of all the processes.

Were the two printers running simultaneously? How did you ensure that it ran without any interruption?
We had to prepare the two machines, having them thoroughly serviced as a preventive maintenance just before starting the process. Since it was digital, we were able to run both the machines together round-the-clock, which helped print 742 pages in two weeks. During this process, we had also created a prototype and finalised the binding option of riveting the book with steel pins. The proof-reading team also worked with us, during the assembly of the pages and its binding. The last leg of the process was one that kept the entire team on its toes, not just because of the excitement but also because each day we would realise newer challenges erupted as we brought it all together.

What were the challenges you faced during the production?
Well, at each stage we must acknowledge the challenges were multi-fold. In fact, we are sure some challenges and their resolution must have gone unnoticed, as the team worked simultaneously on various aspects of the job, with the greatest challenge of turning it around in flat 20 days.

From the print perspective what were the challenges?
The first of many challenges was to synchronise the print and sandwich the front and back pages.

The second was to align the front and back inner pages accurately, chapter wise. Considering the size of each page, it was formidable and laborious as we strived to ensure the pages were in right order.

While we did manage to do that, we then faced the uphill task of placing them in the ascending order, such that, after cutting and before binding we could place them back in the descending series.

Binding a book of this size would be a challenge, any day?
Yes, it was. Considering the volume and size of the book, we had to ensure the binding could hold the pages as well as the weight of the book. And yes, it wasn't easy at all as the conventional style of binding wouldn't work.

The print done, binding done, it would have been celebration time?
Yes, but the challenge was far from over as we knew we had to confront the greatest challenge of moving the book. At over 800kgs, the book had to be packed and shipped from the same position off the ground. And, as the book got loaded to be transported, the enthusiastic team broke in applause and cheer, for having achieved a near-impossible feat of delivering the largest Hindu Smriti in the world.

Kumar Labels: The industrial engineer who was destined to be a label printer

PrintWeek India — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 12:11:48

While still in school Anuj Bhargava had a good ear for music and the quality of sound stirred him. He wished to reproduce sound in a better way. He was in class six of New Delhi’s prominent Delhi Public School, when he developed an amplifier and sold it to a friend. Encouraged by the deal he went on to manufacture 50 such amplifiers and sold them to friends and relatives at that young age. This interest in electronics lead him to join YCCE college of engineering and pursue further studies leading to BE (Bachelor of Engineering) in electronics.

Thereafter Bhargava went to the USA to study Masters of Science in electronics. As luck would have it, after the first semester he had a change of heart and he switched to study industrial engineering. He worked to support his education while studying in America. On completing his masters in industrial engineering, Bhargava took up employment in the central engineering department of a glass manufacturing company called Corning for display technology. His job required him to coordinate with all Corning plants in various countries like Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

In 2002 he got posted to their Japan plant. As luck would have it, before he arrived there the company’s packaging development engineer had quit his job and Bhargava was asked to replace him. Bhargava’s family was in printing and packaging business and had advised him to avoid printing as a career option but that is kismet! (destiny). Fate had destined for him to be elsewhere. One day he wished to be in electronics, another day he wanted to be in the furniture business but had to give up due to the huge investment that was required, and finally he landed up with a job in the packaging department of a global company for large-sized glassware.

Anuj Bhargava attends Ipex
In 2006 Bhargava resigned from his job and returned home. His father S K Bhargava was planning to visit the Ipex print exhibition in Birmingham. Bhargava decided to accompany him to visit the premier show in printing and packaging. While in college he was greatly influenced by a professor who was an expert and consultant on lean management in aerospace industry. This was the subject that Bhargava felt would be an asset in manufacturing and which he would eventually specialise in. Digital printing appealed to him and implementation of lean manufacturing principles in the process seemed to be in synergy with that appeal. Moreover digital printing appealed to him because of creativity and possibilities that it offered.

During the Ipex show he kept studying about digital printing but yet again fate had other plans for him. By end of Ipex he realised that pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) labels were “the talk of the town”. The growth that it was offering and the possibility of success made him decide to seriously contemplate labels as his field of business. Strange as it is, destiny drove him to labels.

A mentor in M K Bhargava
Bhargava belongs to the second generation of the Bhargava family who scaled immense success in the printing industry in North. His uncle M K Bhargava who has been a mentor to Bhargava, is the eldest of the three brothers, who initiated his career in printing as a freelancer. He would seek orders from customers and outsource printing from companies like Delhi Press and Zodiac Printers.

In 1964 M K Bhargava started his maiden venture Kumar Printers with a rented single-colour Dominant press from a 200-300 sq/ft factory at Doriwalan in Karol Bagh, New Delhi. The second brother N C Bhargava and Bhargava’s father S K Bhargava who was the youngest of the siblings and who was pursuing his studies at Allahabad Print College, joined Kumar Printers soon after. In 1970 all three brothers joined Kumar Printers to take the business forward. M K Bhargava had gained knowledge from having worked with established printers during his stint as a freelance printer and it helped them establish and grow their maiden venture. With a profound commitment to human values, quality, integrity and hard work, the family grew its business. Their mantra, which they passed on to the next generation was that each one had to work his way up in life and nothing would come to them served on a platter. They encouraged their second generation to set up their own ventures.

M K Bhargava’s son Sandeep Bhargava is an alumni of IIT Chennai and Sanjeev Bhargava son of N C Bhargava is an MBA graduate while Bhargava has been aptly described in the opening paragraph of this article. Sandeep inherited the reigns of Kumar Printers while his father continues to work at the ripe old age of 83 years while Sanjeev set up his own venture called Premier Paper Packaging and S K Bhargava‘s only son Bhargava set up his maiden venture Kumar Labels. It is interesting to note that the first generation Bhargava brothers continue to be together as directors at Kumar Printers while their second generation, have set up new businesses separately.

All three ventures are successful and continue to grow. The family businesses do not compete with each other.

A feasibility study in labels
When destiny appeared to have led him to labels, Bhargava on his return from the Ipex trip in 2006 decided to evaluate a life in labels. In the process he did a feasibility study, met prospective customers and wrote a business plan. He spoke to many label printers and was surprised that most people suggested that he invest in a Mark Andy rotary flexo press which was a very popular brand those days. Bhargava was not impulsively indulgent and as he researched, he came to the conclusion that major customers had now started to demand short-runs on a regular basis. He saw the gap in that segment and decided to opt for an intermittent letterpress label machine instead of a rotary press that was suited for larger volumes as he saw a demand for short-runs growing and the smaller run supplies from rotary flexo printers was being done hesitantly. Before investing in a press, he ordered a plate-making machine. With negatives and plates in his kitty he left for Korea and Taiwan.

Using the same plates he got samples printed on various presses like Iwasaki, Shiki, Bangsung, STR, Dolphin, Mida and Orthotec to arrive at a decision. While working at Corning he had learnt about Kepener-Tregoe problem solving and decision making tool. This tool is used by all aerospace companies. Since he had been trained to use this tool he used it to make comparisons and generate evaluations of the printed samples. On completion of analysis, Bangsung won with the highest numbers and the decision was made. The order was finally placed with Bangsung. As luck would have it Bhargava got a nod from Punjab National Bank (PNB) for machine loan based on which he placed an order. However at the very last moment PNB declined and within 15 days Bhargava obtained funding from SIDBI (Small Industries Bank of India).

The growth at Kumar Labels
It all started in 2007 with the arrival of his first label press, an intermittent Bangsung at a 1,740 sq/ft area of rented factory in Okhla Industrial Area, New Delhi. Two years later in 2009, Bhargava bought another identical Bangsung press and the shop-floor space in Okhla started falling short. In 2011 he shifted his factory to 18,000 sq/ft area of rented factory in Sector 83 Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi in Uttar Pradesh. He also added an inspection machine and screen printing equipment. With space at his disposal and his business growing, the outgoing entrepreneur in Bhargava became unstoppable. In 2012 he added two Multitec flexo rotary label presses. One was installed in January 2012 and another in June 2012. In the same year Bhargava started his own captive machine division to build semi-rotary intermittent registered die-cutting machine. He showcased this equipment initially at Labelexpo India 2012 and later at Labelexpo Europe in Brussels in 2013 and 2015. Till date he has sold 16 machines and all seem to be functioning well. He is proud to say that repeat orders came from export markets of Poland and Korea. In 2013 Bhargava decided to go for backward integration and started to produce silicon release papers and self adhesive label stocks for his captive consumption.

By this time in 2013 not only was the space in the factory getting crowded but the lease was expiring and the landlord also was not willing to renew. Bhargava, took the bold step of buying a plot of land measuring 1,750 sq/mts in Greater Noida. In 2014 he started construction, finished it in a record time of 48 days and moved into the new 25,000 sq/ft factory in September 2014. Once operational in the new factory, Bhargava bought another screen printing machine, a Gallus label press along with many ancillary equipment. For his label stock manufacturing he added equipment to produce label materials with special effects and textures. In the same year he filed two patents. A year later in 2015, Bhargava Bhargava bought the adjacent 1,800 sq/mts of land for further expansion.

Kumar Labels is Bhargava’s sole proprietorship company. He reminisces about his earlier days when he started printing labels. Bhargava mentions his first customer that was his big break– Bausch & Laumb. It gave him the sample of “a complicated label with a very tight registration to print”. Even after inumerous trial they were not able to get it right. That night he himself operated the machine and kept on trying and finally got it right at 3.00 am in the morning. He took the materials in his car and supplied to the customer 80 kms away.

The method at Kumar Labels
Kumar Labels, is presently operational with nine label presses, 105 employees and a shopfloor of 25,000 sq/ft in size. It has additional land next door for expansion. Bhargava believes in continuously training employees so that the production is not left stranded when an employee quits. He proudly states that he has trained over 300 personnel in label conversion but is not comfortable with the fact that in this industry skilled employee retention is a problem. Especially at a time when competition is getting intense and reverse auctions are making life uneasy. He plans to begin a special technical training program under the aegis of Government of India Skill Development Program.

Bhargava has active support from his wife Somya, a Bengaluru girl he married after his first year in labels. They have two children a six year old daughter and a four year old son. Somya is an engineer with MBA degree and looks after the finance, procurement and human resources (HR) at firm. She comes to work from Monday to Friday.

A future in innovations
Vis-a-vis the future, Bhargava wishes to concentrate on the art of print and create innovations in labels. He wishes his enterprise to be a frontrunner in decoration of labels for leading brands where quality and innovation will matter and not just volumes. He is committed to make his business grow at 15% per annum not just in top-line but in the bottom-line as well so that with added profitability he can invest more in creativity. Digital printing does catch his interest and the indulgence may happen soon when his plans and ideas for it fall into place.

Bhargava is in the process of developing a process to reduce waste in self adhesive labels by almost 50%. When prodded about the technology, he says, “I will divulge later when it’s ready”.

Harveer Sahni is the managing director at Weldon Celloplast.

Meet the new boss of LMAI Conference 2017 - The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 01:25:19

PrintWeek India (PWI): Your journey in the label business from a 14-year-old boy to the present one-lakh sq/ft factory is one from a fairy tale. How would you describe these 39 years?
Kuldip Goel (KG): To begin with, I needed the graphic art industry to fulfil my monetary requirements. It slowly turned into a passion, which has made Any Graphics what it is today.

PWI: That’s a short one. But everybody needs a job or is not skilled business to hang on to...
KG: I lived in Chotta Chambarwada, located in Delhi’s Tilak Baazar. The approach to the street to my home was so narrow that it would be difficult for a bicycle to pass by.

My home was a one room tenement on the third floor that was covered with wood and cement sheets. There was no wall. We were five people there – my parents, two sisters, and I. So you see, for me, a job was the need of the hour, not a dream. There were too many needs, so I never dreamed about anything. I did every kind of job to meet my meagre financial needs. I was good at designing, and that was my passion too.

PWI: How did things turn around for you?
KG: That one room was everything for me. We used to live, cook and bath in the same room. It also became my first production site with a screen printing machine which I developed. I call it – the wooden adda. It was a small wooden square on which was fitted a steel clamp to hold the screen.

In 1976, with the help of my mother, I invested Rs 500 in the business. It was our hard earned savings. Interestingly, it was not a printing job, but gluing a few printed sheets. I was only 14 then and studying in class 11.

PWI: Which was your first print job and what was the price of the label then?
KG: My first job was Rajkamal Agarbatti stickers. The cost of the label was two paisa per label. My first order was for 50,000 labels at Rs 1,000.

PWI: Was it easy going after your first job?
KG: In Old Delhi then, whoever wanted to enter the label market, Kashmiri Gate was the hub. It was a market for spare parts. It also became my second market after stickers.

The minimum order amount was Rs 200 at that time and I started taking orders from there. Since I was very good in sketching and designing, it was very easy for me to get jobs. Hand designing was very much in demand. I used to charge Rs 10,000 for a design even when the market price was Rs. 100 only. Besides, I could command a delivery period of two months.

Step by step I got deeper into the business, moved and added some more screen printing machines in Azadpur, Delhi with the help of a partner. I was doing just screen printed labels. Except outsourcing the negative and positive, I did everything by myself including designing of labels, bromide, colour separation, printing, and cutting. In those days, we used to cut labels manually using a steel blade. Sometimes it used to crack.

PWI: You did your graduation while doing label business?
KG: Yes, I used to find time to study, and in 1992 I completed my B.Com (H) from PG DAV College. I was awarded the best student of the year in class 12th by Kedarnath Sahni (Education Minister at that time) in the year 1989.

PWI: You moved to Noida in 1983...
KG: That was a partnership move. Here was a partner who was financially strong and needed a person like me to run the business. That partnership continued for five years, from 1983 to 1988. I bought a two wheeler in that duration. My average ride was around 150 kilometres per day. I used to travel more than 60,000 km annually in those years and used to replace scooter every year. I travelled to Ludhiana, Panipat, Sonipat and rest Punjab, and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh by scooter.

PWI: But your turning point came in 1988, isn’t it?
KG: Between the year 1983 to 1988, I gained the reputation of being an expert in screen printing and designing. In March 1988, I established Stick Line Enterprises.

And the turning point came when Escorts-Yamaha approached me and showed a sticker printed in Japan. The sticker was called ‘classic quality girl’. The two-wheeler giant asked me if I could print a similar label, and at what price. It was a set of three piece stickers in one pack. The quantity of that order was 100,000 labels.

PWI: It must have been a big deal?
KG: Yes, it was. I printed few samples and mixed them with the originals. The executives of Escorts-Yamaha could not identify the original stickers in the lot.

PWI: At what price did you print it? Was there a negotiation?
KG: The price of the Japanese label shown to me was Rs 20, but I quoted Rs 7.50 for a label. I was asked to rethink. I reduced it to Rs 5.50. The company immediately placed the order for 1-lakh labels.

PWI: How did you fulfil the assignment?
KG: I did not have the infrastructure to deliver such a big order, for which I Manpower four months time.

I asked for an advance, which was denied initially. But I knew I had a deal on hand, because of the quality of the samples I printed. I assured the company of consistency in quality and delivery, but I told them that I needed the advance. For the first time in the history of Escorts-Yamaha, the company released an advance of Rs 2.75-lakhs to a label printer.

PWI: Were there any hurdles?
KG: Yes, there were. I outsourced die-cutting, engaging three companies. I requested them to charge me on an hourly basis. I wanted the die-cut to be very slow, not at full speed. As a result, the labels got a perfect cut with perfect registration.

In the first 45 days, I hardly went home, maybe five times at the most. I was just moving around the three die-cutting companies, which was with a 2km radius. On that night (before delivery), I travelled 140 kms, running from one company to the other.

There was more stress in store. When we were packing the labels in polythene bags with the use of an electric heater, one phase of the power snapped and the place was plunged into darkness. There was no power generator hence we continued packing the labels, illuminating the room by lighting candles. To add to our woes, our small factory was hit by a storm, and we had to close the doors and work in rooms which were gradually filling up with smoke, which was both unbearable and harmful too.

PWI: Finally, you did manage to close the first lot of the order?
KG: Yes, on the day of the delivery, we loaded all the materials in the truck, I got into it, and headed to deliver the lot.

I told my mother, if we are successful then we will buy a car or else we may have to sell our house. I bought a car. It was the Maruti Suzuki AC Deluxe 800, the best car model at the time. I still remember the plate number – 0437.

It’s my journey but my mother (Bimla Devi Goel) and family sacrificed a lot during the entire journey. My mother always inspires me. She always tells me to do my best and leave the rest to the Almighty. She is the biggest inspiration of my life and her lessons include honesty, commitment and hard work.

PWI: You have been a member of the last LMAI conferences held in Goa and Jaipur, but the ensuing edition in Agra will be your first as a chairman. Please tell us how is the conference shaping up?
KG: ‘Innovation Simplified’ is the theme of the conference. The idea is to educate the label converters to simplify the process and make labels easier to produce. Every small converter should benefit from the conference.

PWI: What is your goal for this fourth edition of the conference?
KG: There must be a bonding between printers, printers and Indian and global suppliers. Before LMAI (Label Manufacturers Association of India) came into existence, this aspect was missing.

At the conference, we expect this bonding, people meeting each other, again and again in the same premises for few days. You can talk to anyone because everyone is there - label printers, suppliers, machine manufacturers, substrate manufacturers, ink and consumable manufacturers and others.

You are at the helm of Any Graphics, a man with a mission, who wants to turn the science of label printing into fine art, with innovative use of substrate, ink and processes. Will that passion reflect in the preparation and the substance of the conference?
The theme of the conference is different from the previous edition so the agenda will be different and implementation will be different. In the 2017 edition, a speaker can speak about his or her product/solution/services for 25% of his allocated time. Thus label printers will come to know that which company is offering what.

I think, at Any Graphics we produce labels which can be felt by vision or touch. Brands want to see something different and they want to feel it too. Advise the customers what is the best for him and deliver that.

Label printing is not just about extraordinary print work, but extraordinary finishing on top of normal printing

We will try to reflect this sense of purpose at the conference.

PWI: What are some specific areas that you believe would be especially helpful for label printers who are looking either to strengthen their foothold in the label business or those who are struggling to maintain profitability?
KG: I think it is the training of your workforce.

Avery Dennison runs a program for skill development at its knowledge centre in Pune, Maharashtra. LMAI is a partner in that initiative and the cost of the course is shared by both.

We provide regular training at Any Graphics to our employees. We always give opportunities to grow, like from helper to an operator. Top management involvement is must along with HR team. We push our employees to dream big so that they can walk the talk.

PWI: What about skill development of people?
KG: The biggest thing is not skill-development, it is to maintain and upgrade the skills learned.

Sandeep Zaveri, LMAI president has organised a skill development programme for 20 underprivileged children at Avery Dennison Knowledge Centre and those children will be present at the conference.

We are in communication with a school in Uttar Pradesh, where they give vocational training to students after intermediate. We will choose some girls students according to their skills and will send them to knowledge centre in Pune. Later we will check their skills and accordingly deploy them. We will also expand the scope of its implementation.

PWI: You had said both Labelexpo India and Labelexpo Europe, both are important events. Labelexpo Europe is poised to become even bigger. You were one of the two Indian print companies to pick up an Omet press. What do you expect to happen at Labelexpo 2017?
KG: Labelexpo Europe 2017 will be dominated by digital technology. Next generation is easy with the digital technology because it requires fewer skills, compared to conventional and flexo printing.

Our next generation is software and IT enabled and oriented.

Digital also gives flexibility in operation. Investment is okay but per running metRe cost should be reduced. Manpower in India is economical. If I want to print 10,000 running metre then it would make sense to print on digital instead of flexo. In India, we have runs of 10,000 running metre, but a digital manufacturer has to provide a technology at an affordable cost that will make printing 10,000 running meter on digital a viable solution.

When the cost of printing ink will come down, the production cost will go down. Domino Printech has started printing ink manufacturing in India.

PWI: Your take on GST?
KG: Implementation of GST will be good for the country but initially, it will be very difficult for the very small converter, manufacturer and supplier to adapt. The converter will have to spend his profits on a full-time accountant, a part-time IT person, computer, internet connection, USPs for backup and others.

PWI: Final comment...
KG: One generation has to sacrifice for the growth of coming generations. I told my mother, why can’t it be I? When we participate in any award, we always win it, whether it is PrintWeek India Awards, Global Awards, FESPA Awards, LMAI Awards and others.

Any Graphics winning the PrintWeek India Awards 2016

There’s always that extra mile, I’d like to go, that last effort, in every job.

Bright Digital - A digital bright spot in Delhi

Rahul Kumar — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 12:44:00

Q: How did you get into the print business?
Sukesh Bhatia (SB): It was 2012, when Bright entered into the print business with the installation of HP Indigo 5500. We specialised in photobook. In those days, we produced 200 albums per day.

Q: And now?
SB: Today we are one of the Delhi-NCR’s leading photo and commercial printers. Bright is associated with some of India’s most respected photographers, studios, companies, multinationals and advertising agencies.

Q: It was a huge step when you decided to deploy the HP Indigo 10000?
SB: In November 2016, Bright installed the HP Indigo 10000. Along with the photobook, our focus has been on garnering business in the graphic art high-end commercial print market. These include posters on different media, catalogues, leaflets, wedding boxes, gift boxes.

Q: And your first major job happened to be a personalisation one?
SB: Yes, it was. And as luck would have it, we secured a print job that required personalisation. We had to print a personalised newspaper for a birthday event. The Indigo 10000 was of tremendous help. It enabled us to deliver the personalised newspaper in quick time.

Q: You already had the HP Indigo 5500, why did you opt for the 10000?
SB: The HP Indigo 5500 is dedicated to photobook, but the Indigo 10000 takes care of our commercial printing business too. The 10000’s B2 size allows us the flexibility to use the press not only for the photobook but graphic commercial print too.

Q: You have continued to invest, getting one notch higher with the two investments so far. Why was the investment necessary, and how has it shaped your company’s progress?
SB: It is imperative for every organisation to envision expansion, once they have achieved a stable spot. Keeping that in mind, these investments became our priority. Installation of HP Indigo 10000 has started reaping good results and we hope that “Bright” has a bright future ahead.

Q: You are also moving into packaging?
SB: Today’s times call for unique and presentable packaging services and we, at Bright, aim to give that extra bit to our clients. We are using light carton board, personalised papers and stationeries.

Q: How do you describe your success?
SB: Statistically, our commercial growth rate has increased by about 20%. However, we are working on introducing new work in the “personalised “ section of our products. We aspire to deliver more than what just meets the eye.

Q: You showcased a range of photo and GCP applications at the HP stand during PrintPack 2017. How was the experience?
SB: It is always an elevated experience to showcase your work. We did a display and demo of our newest collections. The feedback was solid. We got appreciation in the form of potential orders and queries. This demonstrates that the new-gen digitalisation techniques will change the face of the print media.

Q: One print vertical (other than one in which you operate) about which you are bullish?
SB: Photobooks have given us stability and the Indigo 10000 has given us hope. Our exclusivity lies in the fact that we are the sole proprietors of the HP Indigo 10000 in North India. Our competitive edge is the size that the machine prints in, which is unavailable to any other neighbouring media agency.

Q: Your outlook about digital print...
SB: Digital printing is leading towards a greater and better tomorrow. There would be no looking back with the emerging technologies and perspectives in the field.

Q: Now that you are playing the big game where do you see your business in the next few years?
SB: We are aware that we have raised the bar; and increased our scale of operations. We are making a conscious attempt to adapt to the change in a tough marketplace. We expect to deal with a wider clientele and become a household name.

Print-Tech Offset: 17,000 calendars in two days on a CS 92 Heidelberg press

Priya Raju — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 11:56:20

Q: Print-Tech Offset recently completed two-decades in the print business, how did it all start?
Brundaban Behera (BB): B R Nayak (BRN) and I are print engineers and we wanted to establish something of our own. It was in 1996, to cater to requirements of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and KIIT University that Print-Tech set shop in Bhubaneshwar. The press gained traction after we installed two Polly four-colour presses in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The printing press has grown from a small gala to a 12,000 sq/ft plant with an additional 2,000 sq/ft storage area.

Q: Which market segments do you cater to and what is the firm’s capacity?
BB: We predominantly cater to the commercial printing segment, magazines and publishing houses. We currently employ 71 people working in two shifts of eight hours. We have an installed capacity of two-lakh impressions per day on the web and four-lakh impressions per day on sheetfed.

Q: You were one of the first printers to invest in a new four-colour press, what prompted you to do so?
BRN: Yes, we felt the need to improve when one of our clients, the publisher of the leading Odia language magazine Kadambini hinted at improving the quality. That’s when we seriously considered buying a new kit. We invested in a new Heidelberg press in 2008, and we could immediately see the difference. In 2010, we became the first printer in Orissa to install a new press and a CTP kit – a Heidelberg SM 74 and a Suprasetter A-75.

Q: Why did you decide in on Heidelberg machines?
BB: Heidelberg is a renowned brand with proven technology. When we first invested in the Heidelberg press in 2008, we could see the difference in quality.

Q: You have invested in a new Heidelberg CS 92 press...
BB: We invested in the press owing to a growing market demand. Features like complete automation, ease of operation, sturdiness and the considerable reduction in wastage is why we opted for Heidelberg CS 92. The print requirements, which were earlier outsourced to Hyderabad or Kolkata, are now catered by us.

Q: How has the machine’s performance been?
BRN: For the past year the machine has been running smoothly with timely support from the Heidelberg team. This has equipped us to handle high volume jobs on short notice. For example, we recently got an order to print 1,70,000 calendars in two days. Due to this machine, we could cater to this in a jiffy.

Q: How has demonetisation impacted the print sector in your area?
BB: Post-demonetisation, the market was sluggish and there was definitely a slowdown in business. But the market has picked up since then.

Q: Currently, what are the printing trends that you observe in Odisha and Bhubaneshwar?
BB: The past three to four months have been a difficult time since Ballarpur paper mill has shut down. It has become very difficult to find the required paper and this has resulted in a tremendous loss for us.

Q: And there has been an abrupt hike in paper prices too…
BB: Yes, it has resulted in direct losses for us. As we cater to the government organisations wherein jobs are tender based and prices are fixed for a year. For example, initially we had quoted Rs 65 as the cost for paper, but now the rates are above Rs 75. While importing paper is always an option, the delivery time is often sporadic.

Q: What are your plans for Print-Tech in the coming years?
BRN: For our shopfloor, the target is to run the production with 80% utilisation. There has been an increasing demand for quality prints but to extract the appropriate rates has been an issue. There is a huge scope for growth and to achieve that, the in general, laidback attitude of the industry has to change.

Print-Tech fact file

Established: 1996 in Bhubaneshwar

Area: 12,000 sq/ft plus 2,000sq/ft for storage
Employee strength: 71 employees working in two shifts of eight hours

Printing machines: Heidelberg Suprasetter A-75 CTP for pre-press, four web-offset presses along with two Heidelberg SM 74 presses, Heidelberg SX 52, Heidelberg CS 92 and Polly 466 sheetfed press

Press capacities:
Two lakh impressions per day on the web
Four lakh impressions per day on sheetfed

Post-press: Heidelberg Stahl folding, Welbound colt and six-clamp perfect binding machine, sewing machine, case making with cold and thermal lamination, and foiling

Video: Siva Prints: Maximise benefits from HyperRIP and other unique Fiery features

PrintWeek India — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 11:17:00

Digital beginnings with Fiery
The company which had humble beginnings kick started its journey in 1996 as a digital copier shop in Tamil Nadu, founded by Sivakumar and his brother. The venture then took digital roots after shifting base to Chennai in 2005.

“Our first digital press after our move to Chennai was the Xerox 5000 which came with the Fiery server and there was no looking back ever since,” says Sivakumar.

“I can emphatically tell you that my team and I are big fans of Fiery. Right from our early days in 1996, we have the need to handle a lot of variable data jobs and thus began our search to find the right solution for this problem. We eventually found Fiery digital front ends which could not only handle variable data very well but till date has solved all the challenges that we have thrown at it with ease,” he adds.

The company which has adopted a brand agnostic approach to its press investment with one press each from several leading manufacturers (Xerox, Canon, Ricoh and Konica Minolta) have on the contrary emphasised on Fiery being the digital front end server irrespective of the press brand.

The HyperRIP advantage
The company were also one of the first in the city to adopt Fiery’s HyperRIP technology and it has been critical in their success.

“HyperRIP has been of tremendous importance to our improving performance. I think since its launch in 2016, we are able to rip almost 75% faster than the older version,” says Sivakumar.

He explains, “There are multiple factors that work to our advantage after implementing HyperRIP. Firstly, our turnaround times between jobs have decreased by 50% and we are also able to ensure that the press utilisation is almost 100%.” The company which operates out of two locations in the heart of Chennai (Royapettah and Ashok Nagar) service on an average of 300 customers per day.

Ease of switching jobs between presses and colour correctness
The ability to switch jobs between his presses is something that Sivakumar feels is a boon to his kind of operations. “Fiery Command WorkStation® gives us this unique file transfer option between the presses in our facility which is crucial to our business in terms of press management and on-time delivery,” says Sivakumar.

“If a particular machine has broken down in the middle of a job, we don’t panic at all. Using the very easy to use transfer function we move the file to another machine. I can’t stress more on the importance of this option and no other brand offers this controller tool,” he adds.

He believes the benefits of Fiery ImageViewer and the role of Fiery tools in colour correctness has enhanced their reputation as quality service providers in the market. “It is a well-known fact that colour production is also a tricky proposition especially in jobs for brands. Fiery Color Profiler Suite and related tools have ensured us producing almost 100% accurate colours for our clients.

The imposition benefits
According to Sivakumar, Fiery Impose is another tool which has been of immense use in his business environment especially for book printing jobs.

“Suppose a customer walks in with basic knowledge of different kinds of bookmaking like section stitching, saddle or perfect binding, keeps his option open till the last minute. In such cases we let Fiery’s imposition software take over and it gets the job done with minimum fuss.” explains Sivakumar. Fiery Impose comes with the option of customising imposition to common layouts is said to also integrate with job submission automation tools like Hot Folders, Fiery JobFlow, etc.

The company currently has over 5000 clientele in their books from various backgrounds including print brokers, ad agencies, offset printers and walk-ins.

Growing with Fiery
The company currently has 30 staff members with almost all proficient in using Fiery. “Our staff swear by Fiery as much as we do. Moreover, over time they have gained good knowledge about Fiery and its possibilities apart from becoming experts in its operation. So we prefer to grow the Fiery way,” he explains.

Sharing his recipe for success and the plan for future, he says, “In spite of the cost of Fiery DFE which many see as prohibitive, I think the difference in cost pays for itself in a matter of mere months. Timely service, high quality results and efficient productivity is our mantra for success and Fiery is a perfect fit.”

Desai: Our strategy for next five years is to focus on export of specialty labels

PrintWeek India — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 12:20:59

Q: Mudrika Labels under the tutelage of you and your brothers showcases how a small family-founded business can be taken to the next level…
Manish Desai (MD): Sandip, Vipul and I, began our labels business way back in 1976 with a screen printing facility.Besides Mudrika Labels, which we established in 1996 in Mumbai, we own and operate an offset-based corrugation unit in Daman and Bhillad; a packaging plant in Vasai; a label-stock material plant; and a joint venture with a South Korean partner for manufacturing heat transfer films, decals, and in-mould labels. In 2015, we started the process of consolidating our scattered units of narrow-web and gravure printing under one roof. With the newly inaugurated plant, it has brought all our label businesses under one roof.

Q: What is the installed capacity of the new plant?
MD: Mudrika’s plant in Vasai, has an installed capacity of 50,000 sq/mts per day, a combined space of over one-lakh sq/ft and an employee strength of over 350.

Q: It’s one thing to expand, and another to make success in the face of rising competition. How does Mudrika manage that?
MD: There are two kinds of competition we are facing today. One is the price war; the second comes from multi-location plants. We manage price by buying bulk of raw materials where we get good discounts on every material we buy and also utilising the label stock we manufacture.

Q: You won the PrintWeek India Special Jury Award in the Label Printer of the Year 2016 category. What keeps you ahead of your competitors?
MD: We believe that through investment in infrastructure and machinery, Mudrika brings advanced printing technology to the playing field by which it can offer an on-time delivery and services that our customers require. And by taking the route of honing our services through differentiation, we have put ourself in a position of gaining compelling yield. For example, take the development of Fresnel lens label on pre-registered holographic film; it has been a prestigious project for us and achieved success after almost a year of tests.

Q: You recently invested in Vinsak’s slitter and rewinder and an EyeC inspection machine…
MD: Yes, the machines were booked during the Labelexpo 2016 and were aimed at boosting production and ensuring that the labels that get printed are of the highest quality standard. The machines offer high speed and better accuracy. It enables 100% quality check and helps us to upgrade ourselves and provide quality labels to our customer.

Q: How has the performance been?
MD: The machine’s performance has been good, though there were initial hiccups. The EyeC inspection system has proven to be an advance detection system and we are happy with its overall performance.

Q: Do you intend to invest or expand in the near future?
MD: Yes. This year we are planning to invest on three fronts. We have already booked an eleven-colour gravure machine and a metalising plant. In addition, this year we are planning to invest in narrow-web flexo with necessary finishing equipment. And finally, we plan to invest in finishing equipment for our offset printing division. Our strategy over the next five years will be to focus more on exports with specialty labels and to take Mudrika Labels to the next level and be a corporate firm.

Q: What are the trends you observe in labels for FMCG/pharma?
MD: One clear trend that we have observed is that the FMCG is shifting from cut labels and shrink sleeves to the self-adhesive and in-mould labels.

Q: When do you expect an overall revival in the economy and what would drive growth?
MD: The initial two months post demonetisation were difficult, however, there has been a growth since January. The economy seems to be on a path of growth and we are optimistic about it under the current government. Also, we have high hopes with GST as we do not have multiple locations.

Q: One thing our industry can do to cater to the new opportunities and the new market sectors?
MD: One should focus on strengthening infrastructure with machines from time to time. Experimentations and innovations play a key role too. Innovative jobs help our customers grow and with them we grow too.

Q: What’s keeping you busy at Mudrika Labels these days?
MD: Various foreign companies are importing special kind of labels. We at Mudrika Labels are constantly focusing on developing these products in India, in order to provide cost benefits to our customers and eventually exporting them too.

Navigating the print procurement business in India - The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 09:04:00

PrintWeek India (PWI): The international print management firm HH Global, USD 200m group, says it will more than double its spend in the Australian print industry. What are the HH Global numbers for India?
Andrew Price (AP): The Indian market for us is the fastest growing market in APAC and we believe it will continue to be so. This is because we are growing our market share with many new clients coming on board and utilising our range of services. In addition, the Indian print market is growing organically at around 9.3% approximately and we are enjoying this growth in our print business.

By the end of this year, we expect our Indian business to reach around USD$50 million with growth expectations beyond USD$100 million in the next few years.

PWI: HH Global has a significant presence in India with over 150+ suppliers. What is your best practice methodology to manage such a vast network?
AP: We run the HHUB proprietary software that is a vital platform to manage such a vast network of suppliers. This is coupled with our industry experts running the client services and strategic sourcing partnerships. The evolution of our supply partners is ongoing as our clients' demands increase in scope.

Later this year, we plan to release our SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) system for suppliers in the Indian market to enhance and build upon their business relationship with us and our clients. This system will allow our suppliers to trade with us within a 'world's best practice' environment, ensuring the highest level of corporate governance across the supply chain.

PWI: In the past few years, HH Global has single points of contact, and vendors present in 15 Indian states which cater to 23 Indian telecommunications geographical circles. How has this template worked for the India market?
AP: Our largest pan India client requires face-to-face account service in each circle with the marketing stakeholders. This is combined with the central HHUB system which controls procurement activities enabling us to deliver local circle service supported by the central system. The template works well, albeit with the constant evolution of the model to adapt to the local and national requirements.

PWI: What sort of overseas client wins and contract extensions has the Indian market seen?
AP: We are bound by confidentiality and can’t really talk about our global clients. Having said this, few of our largest global contracts in India are with four FMCG clients, a banking client and three technology companies.

We see opportunities in the ‘life sciences’ sector where we believe our high level of corporate governance will be a differentiator.

PWI: You view on brand expenditure on print in the Indian market? Especially, the price wars?
AP: The Indian market is no different to any other market in the world. The marketing budgets are becoming tighter each year, the businesses require increased ROI on any budget and more accountability of spend.

The HH Global Model understands this very well which is why our underlying business model is to deliver exactly that – increased efficiency in the marketing procurement process, reduced costs, less wastage, proper brand control, faster time to market, consolidation of spend, innovation, and creativity, store compliance. And all of this without compromising on risk and quality.

PWI: What has been your learning curve in India?
AP: When we first opened in India, I was told that the biggest challenge to us was the sheer geographic scale necessary to offer a sophisticated marketing execution platform to our clients. It took a lot of time to put together our network of suppliers and it remains one of our key management tasks to ensure we have the best supplier base available to our clients.

PWI: Has reinventing the business model (for outsourced procurement and creative production solutions) meant a lot of trial and error - and mistakes?
AP: Of course. In any new business model there is always trial and error and with the diverse range of clients having different requirements, we have learned that there is never a single solution as there may have been years ago. We have learned to adapt to our client’s needs quickly, scalable solutions to be fluid and flexible as clients dictate. Each time we move into a different market segment, be it, FMCG, finance, tech, telco, our services must adapt to the market needs. We have made some wrong calls in the past but have learned quickly. We aim to be innovative with our services and sometimes this carries risk, but a risk we are prepared to make to be the forefront of our sector. At the end of the day, we are all about our clients and ensuring we meet their needs.

PWI: Significant client wins in India - and the type of work the Indian ops is handling for 2017-18?
AP: We can’t discuss new contract wins; however, we have a lot more wins coming this year.

PWI: What kind of cost savings have you been able to pass on to the large multi-nationals while managing the challenges of their complex supply chains for printed marketing materials, packaging, and creative production?
AP: Cost savings can be measured in two ways - hard and soft. Depending on how a client prefers to measure savings will depend on the resulting figure. In some markets and clients, the cost down approach is the only approach (hard savings). In others, cost saving is not the only consideration as they require reduction of risk, stronger compliance, environmental standards improved, high creativity, process efficiencies, reduction of headcount (soft savings). It all depends on the commercial and operating model under client direction.

PWI: You operate in Hong Kong and oversee operations for the entire APAC region over and above India. What are the print/packaging trends from these territories?
AP: The trends that we see across APAC are generally similar to the global trends that our industry is going through. However, in the case of Singapore and Hong Kong, the pace at which they are digitising is the fastest, anywhere in the world. This I believe is because they are small countries with excellent broadband and virtually ‘drop out free’ 4G. This enables companies to utilise digital services far more efficiently. Working in those countries gives you a glimpse into the future of our industry and a clear idea of where to invest. It is because we understand these trends that we are now growing our CPS business bringing disruptive consolidation to a previously cottage type industry.

PWI: Print management has moved on in the past ten years, it's not the same industry. How so?
AP: Print management is an old term and does not clearly define our services; in fact, print management makes up only for 25% of our overall scope. This is why we now refer to our business as “marketing execution solutions”. Our services consist of helping our clients across all sectors within the marketing landscape.

As the industry evolves we are evolving with it hence we have been able to grow at such a rapid rate.

Rukson Packaging: Reliance Jio job was a game-changer

Priya Raju — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 11:08:05

Q: What is the update on investments done last year?
Gobind Panjabi (GP): Last year we invested in our pre-press unit with Esko’s Kongsberg XE10 sample maker and Esko’s pre-press workflow. In addition, we also invested in anew Bobst Expertfold folding and gluing machine, a Bobst Novacut die-cutter, a Heiber Schröder window patching and liner machine and Zhongke lamination machine to strengthen our post-press.

Q: What was the strategy behind these investments?
GP: All these investments are a step in the direction to become a full-fledged packaging specialist. We currently specialise in met-pet folding cartons and our product mix includes a large share of cartons for the pharmaceutical segment. Over a period, our client base has expanded in the pharmaceutical and FMCG segments. The adoption of Esko hardware and software solutions and post-press is an attempt to enhance our efficiency in order to drive our growth with the evolving demands of the consumer product companies.

Q: What were your expectations with these machines?
GP: During the last one year, we have pumped in almost Rs 20-crore in a raft of machinery. These include Esko’s Kongsberg XE10 sample maker and Esko’s pre-press workflow, Komori Lithrone LS 32 six-colour plus coater press and a platesetter by Cron. We are expecting almost 50% growth in our revenue for the next financial year.

Q: How has the performance been?
GP: All these machines have proved to be an enabler and have helped us raise our ante. Bagging the Reliance Jio job was a game changer for us. Today, we supply two-lakh Jio sim card kits per day. With Bobst machines, we are able to cater to this quality job effectively and on a timely basis. These investments have helped us to reach out to a wider client base, and enable us to acquire larger volumes of printing and converting.

Galaxy Offset: Looking to consolidate its packaging success with a Heidelberg CD 102

Rahul Kumar — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 11:35:00

Q: Your recent biggest investment was the Heidelberg CD 102 LX seven-colour coater with extended delivery...
Aman Gulati: Yes. We are waiting to install the machine in our Manesar plant by June-July 2017. The Heidelberg will enable us to print anything that can be printed through offset technology. We will be able to print extended colour gamut CMYK along with special colours like orange, violet and green.

On the seven-colour machine, we can achieve white on MetPET films, special colour and textured UV. The Heidelberg will help double our conversion of boards from 600 tonnes to 1,200 tonnes per month.

Q: This will be your third Heidelberg in ten years...
Aman Gulati: We have a total of six machines from the German manufacturer. Heidelberg is a trusted partner. Its engineers have always rescued us whenever we were in a fix, so it was predetermined to go with Heidelberg. The machines provide us with best printing quality and quick delivery because of fast turnaround time.

We have also invested in highly specialised software along with this press. These include multicolour separation for better, bigger colour gamut, and the dry star advance software, which will help us restore drying settings of earlier printed jobs thus reducing power consumption.

Q: What about expansion?
Amit Gulati: As per our expansion plan, we have invested into the construction of a new building spanning 50,000 sq/ft and latest top of the line printing and finishing equipment. We also see potential in the corrugated market and hence we are focussing on corrugated cartons for which we have acquired a 50,000 sq/ft separate rented premise.

Q: The Manesar plant houses your packaging facility...
Vikas Gulati: Our packaging arm has around 50 customers, out of which 40 are regulars. We do not cater to customers below 5,000 sheets. If we segregate our customers based on print run, then 30% fit in the range of 5,000 to 10,000 prints; 40% fit in the range of 10,000 to 20,000. The rest are more than 25,000 prints. Our target is to tap top print buyers along with existing mid-range customers.

Q: Which user segments do your customers operate in?
Vikas Gulati: We cater to liquor, cosmetics, perfumes, spices, ghee and FMCG segments. We are also expanding our portfolio by adding new segments such as pharmaceuticals.

Q: Tell us about your corrugation business...
Vikas Gulati: Corrugation was started to fulfil our internal need of brown boxes. Idle time was used to convert small quantity three-ply boxes for our existing customers. Because of our quality, we started getting orders for bigger quantities and we also felt that it was good integration with our existing business.

Q: Which are the flute profiles that you can produce?
Vikas Gulati: We have added F, G and N flutes to our existing corrugation facility where we used to manufacture B and E fluted cartons. The corrugation unit is equipped with Indian and Chinese equipment. We see a great potential in this avenue and would be exploring new segments for it.

Q: You have also invested heavily on finishing equipment...
Amit Gulati: We have ordered Heiber and Schroder window-patching machine, VisionFold 110 folder-gluer equipped with four-and six-corner attachment and other features, single colour gravure printing press supplied by SLKGC, fully dry automatic lamination machine from Yii Lee and two cutting machines from Polar.

Q: When will these equipment be commissioned?
Amit Gulati: All the finishing equipment will be installed by the first week of July at our Manesar plant. With these and the Heidelberg press, we are expecting 100% growth.

Q: Are these investments necessary?
Amit Gulati: Innovation is the key. Our customers expect and look forward to new printing techniques / treatments from us, and we want to give them what they expect from us. We also don’t leave any stone unturned to dress up their brands and make them a superstar. In our pursuit to give our best to our customers we keep on investing in new technologies.

Q: How do you mean?
Amit Gulati: For instance, gravure would be used as great print enhancement tool. The VisionFold 110 would be used to derive new structures for cartons.

Q: What next?
Aman Gulati: Our first priority is to shift part of the commercial unit from rented premises in Naraina to our own newly built facility in Manesar, as a result of which most of our production would be under one roof, thus enabling better control resulting in less wastage. We also have plans to set up a structural design studio for our customers.

The packaging plan

Our packaging arm has around 50 customers, out of which 40 are regulars. We do not cater to customers below 5,000 sheets. If we segregate our customers based on print run, then 30% fit in the range of 5,000 to 10,000 prints; 40% fit in the range of 10,000 to 20,000. The rest are more than 25,000 prints.

Making a national footprint with a two-lakh sq/ft factory

Priya Raju — Mon, 29 May 2017 11:11:00

Q: Vijayshri launched a sprawling new factory last year. What has been the update since?
Ayush Jain (AJ): Since the inauguration of the factory, we have been focusing on getting the various certifications required for a packaging plant. At Vijayshri our focus is on hygiene, standardisation and attention to detail and to develop a greener eco-system. In addition, a lot of our focus has been on hiring and training our existing staff.

Q: Has the new factory opened up new avenues?
AJ: When we inaugurated the two-lakh sq/ft facility, the idea was to offer total packaging and corrugation solution under one roof and ensure the availability of all kinds of surface finishing techniques that includes foiling, UV varnish, drip-off effect and film lamination. Our idea was to cater to pan-India requirements of our clients.

Today, we are compliant to cater to the primary (direct food contact) and secondary food packaging as well as pharmaceutical packaging which we were not catering to earlier. We have already been audited by two pharmaceutical companies and things are moving in the right direction.

Vijayshri’s new plant ia all set to cater to the pan-India needs in packaging and corrugation segment

Q: You invested in a raft of machines for your new facility…
AJ: When we thought of expanding, we were clear on investing in new machinery. We invested to the tune of Rs 55-crore and today we are capable of converting 2,000 tonnes of paper per month. The expansion has allowed the company to realise our ambitious plans to grow and develop as part of a business with a national footprint and a broader range of capabilities.

Q: How have the performances of the machines been?
AJ: Since the machinery is new, the performance has been according to our expectations. The machines are giving consistent output without significant wastages.

Q: Do you intend to invest or expand in future?
AJ: In future, we intend to enter the rigid-box making line as there is a lot of demand for good quality rigid-boxes in the market. Our aim is to grow with our customers and become a specialist in food and pharmaceutical packaging. Our target is to achieve at least 10% revenue from exports and in the next five years, we aim to double our top-line with 20% year-on-year growth.

Q: Packaging is a tough market, and also price sensitive. Any strategy in place?
AJ: We focus on continuous improvement and redesigning of the existing products, and suggest changes to our customers. This can be about the design of the carton , substitution of boards used and reduction in grammages (gsm) of paperboard. We basically challenge age-old theories and work with our customers. Customers are open to changes in packaging as long as the cost component is reduced. Acquiring new business is quite difficult, plus the existing price and supply patterns are very unfavourable. Hence, we focus on building our existing business based on strong customer relationships.

Q: Your views on GST
AJ: The implementation of GST would open up new avenues of business and we will be in a better position to cater to them since we are centrally located. Also, if we have a uniform tax system, the cost of raw material may go down, since it will nullify the cascading effect of tax.

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Anantshree Chaturvedi: “We can supply films to any part of the world within two weeks”

Rushikesh Aravkar — Mon, 22 May 2017 12:00:00

Rushikesh Aravkar (RA): Tell us about your role and your goals in the company...
Anantshree Chaturvedi (AC): I'm the vice chairman and CEO of Flex Films International (the global film manufacturing arm of Uflex). The best way to define my role in the company is that I'm the cultural ambassador of Uflex. I'm working very hard that this company, which was started by my father 30 years ago now emerges in a global way and we create the systems and protocols that that form the bedrock of Uflex’s culture. My goal is to ensure survival and profitability of Uflex.

RA: What are the trends that you are trying to present at Interpack?
AC: We are showcasing our high barrier nylon replacement films. Nylon as a substrate has had a very high price volatility in the past two years. It is going through a cyclical shift in the marketplace where nylon barriers were used just for the sake of being used. What we are doing is presenting alternates to that and showing people that you should buy and use the optimum barrier you want so that you don’t over-engineer or under-engineer a packaging product just for the sake of a specification. Some of our barrier films provide that opportunity.

Another thing that I’m seeing a big trend towards is our EDP film, the HP digital print film. Digital as a concept has been moving fast but I haven’t seen it pick up as yet, especially in the Asian countries. I think it’s because the print quality demand is quite high and you typically get larger run orders. There has been an interest in the Western world and the developed economies. But now I see a shift in the trend, the countries that are supplying products in close proximity to large western markets are shifting towards digital printing. The biggest of them are Mexico, Peru, and Turkey in Europe. These are the countries where I’m seeing a shift towards digital and I feel it will hit economies of scale very soon where digital will have a significant share as against rotogravure and flexo printing.

Uflex stall at Interpack 2017

RA: What kind of product segments are you referring to?
AC: The companies producing high-end organic food or organic consumables which are typically startups or starting with very niche markets are the ones which seek digital printing. They need short-run packaging to test and verify the markets. I have seen the biggest push for digital printing from the organic pet food segment. That is because it’s a high-margin, high-value item. The end users care a lot about the health of their pets. Ironically, baby food follows suit. The prime targets of digital printing are the companies which are looking to foray into the consumer space but don’t yet have an identified target market, and obviously doesn’t want to go straight into retail. These companies will opt for digital printing for short-run packaging in order to test the waters via online stores or direct to consumer space. For example, the niche healthcare companies that produce protein bars or whey protein or anything from green juice to green powder.

RA: What are the problems that the film producers across the world are facing today?
AC: There is a huge oversupply in the market. Each film manufacturer is trying to carve out a certain niche. Everybody wants to become a speciality film producer nowadays and everybody will tell you that they have a high barrier film. But there’s is no market leader other than Toray that specialises in true high barrier technology. Going forward, everybody will figure out their niche and you will see a lot more segregation when it comes to product lines and films. Having said that, there will still be players making 12 microns corona and chemical-coated films but I think the focus on these products will suffer in medium to long run just because the way the market situation is today.

RA: Do you see consolidation in the space?
AC: There is hope for consolidation in the space for sure but I cannot say for sure if consolidation will happen. I will tell you why. A lot of new players in this market have other businesses that are cash rich that can support the film business. Right now the film market is the combination of old players who are expanding and new players who have entered in when the gold rush of 2010 attracted them. People are in pretty decent financial shape. I believe the market is headed for consolidation. But how is it going to happen and who will go first and whether it will be a realistic consolidation or companies will defer their shares to private equity, that I am not sure. However, at the same time, companies are still expanding. Of course, there is varied interest in the marketplace.

RA: Uflex has also been expanding by setting up plants in the USA and Mexico. How do you find the balance between making investments and gaining the return on investments?
AC: Anyone who is making a decision to juggle that is in a difficult spot. We make the investment where it is viable and where I see the market has a need for this investment. Of course, Uflex has expanded a lot in the recent past and I would say our investments are doing well other than the USA and Mexico which are still trying to find its bearings. But as Albert Einstein has said, in the midst of difficulty you find opportunity. And I think this is the struggle for all veteran film makers who are trying to figure out what their niche is going to be.

Chaturvedi of Flex Films International at the stall

RA: What are the factors that set Uflex apart from the competition?AC: The biggest factor is that we are a global local film supplier. That means we have a footprint unlike anyone else. We are today running a model where we can supply films to any part of the world in about two weeks from one of my locations. I have a seven day turnaround delivery time. We are market leaders in service and our dedication towards the customer. Uflex deploys the customer-first approach.

RA: Please elaborate.
AC: Most of the innovations that you see at our Interpack stall were the customer requirements that we worked on one-on-one. One of the key roles of my job is to ensure that this happens more and more effectively.

RA: What is the difference between the Indian market and the western markets?
AC: The biggest two differences are the standard of quality, fit and finish for end-products is much higher in the European and US market than the Indian market. Having said that, the Indian market is much more innovative because the western markets have a lot of old legacy systems and machinery, which prevents them from innovating as fast. The Asian markets are movinf fasat with their machinery and their market concepts and ideas.

RA: A lot of food start-ups are emerging in India which understand the importance of packaging and are willing to invest in packaging their product suitably. In that sense, what’s the potential for flexible packaging?
AC: There’s huge potential. Flexible packaging, on rupee-to-rupee basis, is the most viable packaging solution. Glass is much more expensive, paper is also expensive and harder to deal with and does not provide the barrier properties. So, flexible packaging is the ideal solution. However, in the start-up scenario, there’s a careful balance that needs to be played between their customers demand for sustainability packaging as opposed to opting for simple PET-poly pouch or PP-poly pouch. Having said that I believe a consumer in a niche start-up space needs to be educated significantly.

RA: When we talk about sustainable packaging there are two approaches: recyclable packaging and biodegradable packaging. The former approach needs building of infrastructure to recycle while the late is still in R&D stage. What’s Uflex’s approach to sustainability?
AC: Uflex goes by the 3R policy: Reduce, reuse, recycle. And also re-consume. But to be honest with you there isn’t a clear answer yet. We have done a lot of work in making plant-based polymer films. Our PCR (post-consumer recycle) film is in great demand and the product is doing very well. We are producing significant chunks of volumes of PCR film and I see a lot of market interest in that segment. Uflex is definitely focused on that. However, it’s something that the market always talks about but the realistic demand for these products has only started in the last 12 months or so.

RA: There’s lot of development on biodegradable films. The issue is that even though these films will be biodegraded ultimately, in the process they will form intermediate compounds which are not necessarily safe for the environment. Do you think biodegradable films will save the planet?
AC: I am very concerned about that aspect. Without revealing much, I would say that there are certain things that we are working on internally to provide a direct solution. It is something that keeps me up at night. Also, I have seen that the market does not want oxy-biodegradable film and I don’t see the market really going effectively into that because consumers are aware that it’s not the long-term solution.

RA: Finally, what are Uflex’s plans for the future?
AC: Right now we are in the middle of consolidating our assets. We are going to look towards the next phase of expansion. Most likely there will be a line in Poland and a line in the US and of course we are also looking at other countries. We are also looking very aggressively at M&A opportunities and are hoping that consolidation bubble bursts.

Anantshree Chaturvedi

Your background
I have worked in lots of countries and lots of companies before joining Uflex. I ran my own start-up venture capitalist firm. I was with Accenture for a long time before this.

Your strategy
Uflex has grown to the size it is right now by making very quick, fast and short-term paying decisions and that has been a very effective strategy. But now for the future, Uflex is transitioning into creating long-term sustainable strategy for growth and a clarity of vision that takes the company to heights of achievement. Here I am not necessarily talking about profit and revenue and those numbers. Of course those numbers are great for the investors. But I’m talking about creating unique products that will enable Uflex to stand proudly as an Indian company and create blockbuster products. So that’s the next phase. It’s too soon to say but that’s what I hope I bring to Uflex.

Your interests
My father is a huge fan of cricket but I don’t watch sports. I love watching cinema. It is one of my side interests. A couple of years ago while I was running the VC firm, a couple of people approached me saying they wanted to make a movie and I told them that I know nothing about making a movie. So, we did a deal that I will produce their movie if they teach me how to go about the process. So, we made a seven minute short-film Emit, which won about 15 different short-film festivals. It was a lot of fun doing it and it gave me a lot of insights into the film-making business. I don’t know whether Flex Films will ever have a film studio but there’s a couple of short-films that I am making right now as well. I am trying to figure out how I can spend some time on the side to get my first feature film off the ground.