RB Kashyap, unit head, Thomson Press

Born in Punjab in 1960, and a graduate from Institute of Printing Technology, JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, RB Kashyap has 31 years of experience in the printing industry. He started his career in 1984 with Comart, Mumbai, which was a leading pre-press unit at that time. “Pre-press was very popular at that time. There were only 2-3 drum scanners in the country and Comart was one of them having that.

The company was doing ad campaigns for well-known brands like Raymond, Vimal Sarees, Shyam Ahuja, etc and we were scanning 100-200 sets of campaigns every day. It was an analogue scanner and all corrections were done manually, which was a difficult task. There was no room for mistake. But, gradually I learned the tricks of the trade,” shares Kashyap. In 1987, Kashyap moved to Thomson Press, Delhi. “I stayed here for seven days and was on trial on scanner. My work was appreciated and I joined as the head of scanning department. I spent two years in scanning and systems. Gradually, I started taking care of planning, camera and layout sections as well.

Soon, I was heading the entire pre-press unit, with a staff of 200 people,” says Kashyap He was also instrumental in setting up an independent pre-press unit in Okhla, New Delhi. Today, Kashyap is the unit head of Thomson Press, Faridabad, taking care of the entire printing operations. Kashyap’s strengths include colours, pre-press, press and binding, in which he has thorough knowledge. “I can detect a problem by merely looking at the printed piece,” he says. He is a part of the investment policies of the management and has been actively involved in equipment structuring for the digital printing set-up of Thomson Press.

To keep himself abreast with the latest technology, Kashyap visits all major international fairs like Imprinta, drupa, IPEX, China Print, to name a few.

He is happily married since 1990 and has two kids. Kashyap’s family has supported him through his erratic work hours. But, he makes it a point to never discuss work pressures at home. Since his busy hours leave no time for hobbies, he is happy watching news channels and reading newspapers in his leisure time. Regular walks keep him fit.

“The best part of my profession is customer satisfaction, which gives me immense pleasure all the time,” concluds Kashyap.