PrintPack 2011 arrives at a time when there's a raging debate which says: Change is too expensive; but the status quo is unsustainable. This is a huge predicament for print firms. What is your view?
I fully agree. The changed business environment has made printing an extremely challenging industry. However, change involves cost and this has been huge in our industry.

Print company CEOs are saying, the cost of changing print production routines in India seems too high, but the cost of not changing is, in the long term, even higher.
Take the example of UV printing, this is an expensive procedure but provides a safeguard to the manufacturer against illegal copying brand. Cheap copiers are deterred from making a fast buck.
 
Today, trust in major manufacturers (Indian and international) has declined. How does one pick and choose who are the winners and the losers? After all, aligning strategically with the winners is key to success.
I would disagree with this statement. I believe that trust is not a general term but is person and then company specific.  If international companies show trust in Tata then the credit goes to Ratan Tata. However on the other side many companies are known for breaking trust. It’s not very difficult to pick and choose since in the open market you get to know the winners and trustworthy companies very quickly.
 

We think higher raw material costs and shortages will be the main issues in 2011. Under such circumstances, what should be a good strategy for a print firm in India?
Paper and ink are the main consumables. As per current date there may not be too much of swing in the paper prices, but petroleum and raw material to produce ink could have a direct bearing on all items. But I think this can be handled very carefully while bidding for print jobs contracts. A good and efficient inventory managed company will win the game.
 
Which best practices in India have impressed you? 
The ingenious ways of the Indian Entrepreneur has impressed me the most.

Please give specific examples that you've encountered so that we understand the print world in a way that can help others better their standards.
The jugaad to run things in spite of many odds always impresses me a lot.

Printing is a business, and many print companies are doing their best business by delivering their print buyers what they want. Is this how it should be?
I for one believe it is the price/performance ratio and not just price which will win the clients. A satisfied client is more important than anything else.

Or should we change the pricing incentives in order to make the print business more creative?  The printer knows more about printing than the customer. It is up to the printer to constantly evolve and show how his print can help the customer to project his product better.

Do print customers simply get the print application they deserve?
You cannot win just on price and even if you do, it is a short-term gain.
 
PrintPack 2011, with more than 450 exhibitors has everything up for grabs. What are the new technologies we should expect during PrintPack 2011? 
Surely, with over 400 exhibitors, new players like us will be there with new technology. During this PrintPack, we are showcasing our flagship product, Steinemann Lotus 102SF solvent-free lamination machine. The beauty of this machine is lowest glue and electrical consumption as compared with any other  lamination system in the world. Also the machine is the fastest lamination machine in the world with speed of over 80 mtr/min or 10,000 sheets/hour. This machine saves you Rs 50-lakh annually if you laminate more than 50,000 sheets a day. With over 12 machines order in hand we expect many good breakthrough orders in this exhibition.

Will the traditional players dominate; or will some new players do well too?
At PrintPack we are introducing online corona treatment which helps printers to avoid the painful exercise of coating varnish on metalised laminated sheet. This also will make plasma treatment needed at the folder-gluer stage redundant since corono treated film does not need plasma treatment.