The business and economy of Delhi has been boosted over the past few years. It is said that this is due to the investor-friendly policies as well as flexibility of the Delhi government. We are seeing bo

th the business and economy of Delhi escalate at skyrocketing speed. This, in turn, has had a ripple effect on a growing print industry.

There’s a clear pattern. Most print firms are growing, expanding or moving their business. Places like Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Kundli and Manesar are the new destinations.

Some of the plants we visited are: EIH (which has launched a rights issue at Rs 11,788-mn), Replika Press (Kundli EPIP Zone in Sonepat, Haryana), Sanat (Manesar), Swan (in Okhla shifting to Manesar), Kala Jyothi (Greater Noida), Nutech Packagings (shifting to Greater Noida), Magic Creations (Greater Noida). Of this, plants like Nutech are growing rapidly. Presently, the Noida unit, headed by Jatinder Shroff is engaged in printed cartons, packaging material and corrugated material. They have an offset unit complemented by a sheetfed gravure press. The company is on the verge of a huge expansion which includes a greenfield project in Greater Noida. 

Moving house is one of the life’s most stressful undertakings, so moving your business must be so much worse, right? Not necessarily.

Print firms, in Delhi are not known for being particularly nomadic. As Ashish Batra of Magic International, said: "The logistics of creating an entirely new operation is, complicated. Not only do you have to create the right building, but you have to time the move to cause the least disruption, ensure the lay-out is ideal and then invest in the right kit in a way that does not put your earning power on hold for weeks."
 
Gopsons expands


(l-r) Himanshu, Vasant Goel and Saloni Zutshi

Giant book printers, Gopsons Papers has added many factories in the past 10 years. In 1986, the company had its first unit in Noida and then a plant in Sri Lanka. Then, last summer, it planned a move to Sivakasi, adding 50,000 sq/ft to its floorspace. Gluttons for punishment, you may think. "Not at all," says director Vasant Goel, "it’s a case of needs must."

"We were at a point where growth would have been inhibited and efficiency compromised," he explains. "We were after more space, so we could lay everything out exactly as we wanted to maximise efficiency, while giving ourselves room for further expansion in the future."

Goel explained it quite plainly. "We improved efficiencies. We asked ourselves three questions. How do we price our services? How long does it take to get a book ready for printing? Where do we go from here and what’s the process?" The answers according to Goel ensured that Gopsons have declined work, which does not fit well in our framework simply because it reduces efficiency. Goel says: "We confined ourselves to six basic formats of book publishing. This controlled our production process and eliminated waste."

FSC and ISO 9001, 14001 and 18001 certified, Gopsons Papers is a specialist book manufacturing company. It has an installed capacity to produce 1,25,000 hardbound and 2,50,000 paperback books per day. Gopsons is expanding by opening its printing facility in Sivakasi and will double its printing and binding capacity. Goel feels the plant fits the book bill perfectly and that the proximity to Tuticorin port would mean minimum upheaval for books.

Magic International: Stationery giant


(l-r) Ashish and Rajeev Batra Directors at Magic International

Magic International, the stationery and book printing firm  in Greater Noida has expanded to its new facility in a three-storey unit housed in a one lakh sq/ft area. Ashish Batra, who is a director, is the third generation printer in the family, and oversees the unit along with his father, Rajeev Batra.
Magic’s facility is fully equipped with pre-press, which includes a Kodak platesetter that provides plates for a battery of multicolour presses and ruling machines; along with notebook manufacturing machines from ECH Will and Line O Matic.

Magic was formed in 1991. Earlier the company was called Surya Print Process and based in Kirti Nagar, Delhi.

Batra says: "India and China are two of the biggest manufacturers of stationery but quality is a major concern. We have an equal ratio for book printing and stationery manufacture."
He added: "We export 40% of our total production and the remaining 60% is for domestic consumption. Exports is a competitive business, nowadays because the international market means international standards."

Magic’s annual growth is 15% to 20%.  Batra added: "We work for the private sector and produce around 20,000 perfect bound books per day. Diaries and educational books are seasonal. That’s why we’ve to keep re-inventing ourselves and create newer products."

Rave Scan


(l-r) Bhavnesh Kanwar, Rakesh and Charu of Rave India

Rave India has expanded to Udyog Vihar, Phase II in Gurgaon in its 40,000 sq/ft unit plant.
The move is likely to result in further investment at the 450-staff Rave India site in Naraina and Gurgaon, which has received a considerable boost in equipment says Bhavnesh Kumar, the director at Rave India. He says: "In 2012, we will be targeting packaging converting in a big way, for which the fine details have to be confirmed."

The educational and commercial print firm which plans to set up an IP in 3-4 years so that it can boost its turnover, has been investing in new kit like two Heidelbergs, a CD 102 with a coater and a CD 102 without a coater, an Agfa CTP platesetter, an Aster EL, Eurobind 1300 plus Polar cutter and pile turner.
Kumar says, "We opted for the coating alternative for flexibility for the packaging printing requirements for pharmaceutical clients and their jobs."

Rave’s clients are educational and commercial-based. Kumar says, in addition to the investment in machinery in all areas, including post-press, the new plant had better storage facilities for paper stock.
Kumar adds, "The work from publishers is growing. Volumes are doubling and even though margins are being suppressed, there is tremendous growth potential. It is crucial to improve efficiency, output and aid further growth and expansion."

The company’s investment plan is the result of growth "across the board", according to the managing director, Rakesh Bhatnagar.

Interestingly, the firm placed orders for their fifth and sixth new Heidelberg printing presses in a span of five years. There are few more orders up our sleeves, which will be announced in due course of time.

Bhatnagar said: "The kit also includes guillotines and folders.  And adds up to a fleet of 38 Heidelberg units across pre-press, press and post-press platforms, to deliver cutting edge print and value-added services for our customers."

With Heidelberg machines across the print shop workflow, Rave is gearing to integrate the operations with Prinect as the next level of automation. Bhatnagar points outs: "This investment has allowed us to grow our business and output. All the presses run 24/7, providing a huge capacity, high return and minimal downturn."
 
Replika Press : Efficiency boost


(l-r) Sanandan, Bhuvnesh and Vikaran of Replika Press

Replika has been consolidating; and a few months down the line, the move is looking to be a shrewd decision. The press has re-organised its post-press line. And freed up space. This means, as Bhuvnesh Seth of Replika, says: "The efficiencies gained from having a factory laid out to the most practical footprint – considering things like paper line-up, pallet moving and plate transport. These same efficiencies have led to some very impressive bottom-line figures.

"We have just finished our financial year, and our turnover per head has increased since the move," reveals Seth. "Our growth was up on the year before. This would have been impossible without the expansion – much of that growth was due to our performance in the second half of the year when we operated from the new site."

Even so, can it all be so rosy? Seth who spoke at the Romancing Print Conference in Delhi admits to a "healthy sense of uncertainty and not extracting proper prices from customers". A site expansion represents a substantial investment in the future and Seth believes next year will reap the benefits. Rather than a risk, however, Seth sees the move as a catalyst for driving the business forward; for avoiding complacency and ensuring the long-term future of the company. He points to the opportunities the new space brings and how he has the capacity now to put in a post-press line or even more sheetfed presses – "we are in a position to go in any direction we wish," he says.

Replika boasts of an impressive post-press line which includes: a book block line, a case-maker, a casing in-line, an off line trimmer – all from Kolbus. Plus there’s a 28 station gatherer, Sigloch book block feeder with inline smashing and nipping, 15-clamp City E 6000 perfect binder from Wohlenberg. Two off line Asters 200 cph and a 16-station gatherer connected in tandem with two Aster in-line thread sewing machines.

Today, Replika is an ISO 9001:2008 company. It prints and delivers close to 12.8 million books per annum.  Bhuvnesh Seth recounts how the company has a rich tradition in print production of more than six decades. He says: "Replika was launched as a hundred percent export oriented unit a decade ago with an area of 33,000 sq/ft. We added another 33,000 sq/ft in 2006 and completely integrated into one unit. In 2009, we acquired another 66,000 sq/ft area, which is dedicated to post-press operations." This ensures that Replika can deliver to publishers in UK, the USA, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden,
Czech Republic, New Zealand, Russia and Cameroon in Africa.

For now though, Seth is consolidating the new expansion with state-of-the-art machinery and is in the process of acquiring more space in the vicinity of the present premises.

Sai: Packaging leaders


(r-l) Vijayata, Arvind and Vijay of Sai Packaging

Delhi-based Sai Security Printers and its unit Sai Packaging Company with units in Faridabad and Bengaluru is one of the fastest growing packaging and label printing companies in the country. Sai has built a new plant of 1,50,000 sq/ft in Faridabad. This unit houses a Heidelberg CD 102 six-colour with a coater and an eight-colour Gallus EM 280 with die- punching and embossing. The company already had a multi-colour Heidelberg press, narrow web press from Aquaflex, automatic die-cutters from Sugano, Indian made foiling and manual die machines, folder gluer from Bobst, CTP from Cobalt, a plotter and proofing solutions at its Faridabad plant. The Bengaluru unit also houses similar production lines, including a granite-base Gallus ECS 340.

Vijay Raghavan, the managing director at Sai, says: "We are targeting the export market and planning for international certifications, including print process standardisation from UGRA. We are also implementing Kaizen across the new unit for better workflow." The Bengaluru unit of Sai has already implemented the first phase of Kaizen in the last three years. Both units have already completed TUV certification.

The company has aggressive plans under the next gen  Arvind Sekhar handling Bengaluru operations, and Priyata Raghavan handling Faridabad. They are targeting to scale the Rs 100-crore turnover milestone this year, and are planning to grow three times in the next four years. The company provides its services in labels, packaging printing,  corrugation, books and security printing like cheques and  government forms. The company has a manpower of 800 of which 400 operate in Faridabad and 400 at Bengaluru.  

Priyata, who did a stint with ITC as part of her training (in the FMCG division, in three different locations), has helped shape her world view about packaging. She says, she was frustrated with the "mediocrity" in the print industry, but that the new kit has been "absolutely fantastic" as it proved that "we understood that every hour the press wasn’t running equated to lost revenue". Priyata says that its because of the time and effort the team put into planning the relocation project of 1,50,000 sq/ft unit in Faridabad which overlooks the banks of the Yamuna that it all went extremely smoothly. "The scale of the job was huge and the timescale extremely tight, but the planning was meticulous, so we had no problems," she says With this in mind, the move is moving towards completion.

Work is in progress, still. "We are creating an office for administration, finance, design on the top floor along with a recreation centre," explains Priyata. This is in addition to bolstering the security unit on the first floor. She adds: "It is a massive logistical job and we should be fully ready in 2-3 months."
Vijay is quite clear:  We’re keen to build leadership in packaging, with a strong organisation, work culture and robust systems, that is sought out by customers and all other stakeholders. In size it means growing to Rs 300-crore in four years, by growing inorganically as well.

The projects that Sai Packaging will implement over the next three months are: Kaizen in the Faridabad following the success of its implementation at the Bengaluru units; certifications to target export markets; and a corrugation line.
 
Swan Press: Follow the leader


Malhotra: We’re clearly at a cross-road

Naraina-based Swan Press has  procured a brand-new four-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster CD-102. The family-run business is based out of Naraina and Okhla in Delhi. Interestingly, the firm has a new plant ( 88,000 sq ft) coming up in Manesar, Haryana. Bipon Malhotra, the managing partner at Swan Press, says, "There is a constraint of space in Delhi, plus industrial areas in Delhi are choc- a-bloc.

Today realty in Delhi has become very expensive. These factors are pushing printers to go for a bigger space outside Delhi in order to achieve cost efficiencies. Our focus is in production of books and allied products, for the domestic as well as foreign markets. We see a potential increase on our exports. Furthermore, we need better workflows and synergies to compete. It has compelled us to have a bigger plant at Manesar "   

Swan was started as a letterpress by Thakar Das Malhotra in the year 1952. The senior Malhotra was joined by his sons Satish Malhotra, Umesh Malhotra and Bipon Malhotra.  His two grandsons Anshul and Utsav are actively looking into the business after completing their print diploma from Germany and management studies. The commercial print house provides every kind of jobs, including diaries and calendars, promotional material, book printing, digital, stationery, notebooks and magazines. The three brothers divide their workload. And so, Satish looks into export, bank and finance; Bipon handles the Naraina facility and commercial printing, while Umesh oversees the diary division.

The company is equipped with a  CTP platesetter from Screen, which has a daily consumption of 150 to 250 plates, an Epson printer, Q++ software, especially for diaries. Besides the brand new Heidelberg CD-102, the firm has more than 30 offset units from Heidelberg, KBA, Adast, Mitsubishi and a bindery unit which has the capacity to produce stitched, perfect bound, wire bound, hard case binding books and other products.  

Bipon Malhotra, a bachelor in commerce with more than 25 years of experience in the industry says: "Print production in India is buoyant and am optimistic about its growth. Diaries are our ancestral bread and butter – but has seen a slight dip in growth. A diary in India,  merely remains to be a gift item and with the increase in the number of players producing it,  there is cut-throat competition." However, the print industry in India, Malhotra points out, is passing through a very exciting period, with the trend of brand new equipment coming in at a very fast pace along and digital technologies gaining momentum. "We’re clearly at a crossroad, and Swan is fully committed to being a revolution of change...."