Labels is an unsaturated market

K PL Chidambaram and Bharath KumarFlexography, an area not completely understood but with a lot of scope for growth, has become the paying market for a well known duo – Bharath & Chidambaram in Chennai – finds out D Ramalingam from P&P. Flexo has the scope for further growth due to undying market in labels. Labels are required right from small devices like mobile phone to heavy machineries. With FMCG, automobile, electronics, pharmaceuticals, oil companies, food industries around, labels have become a necessity. They are of different kinds – adhesive, non-adhesive, transparent etc. and are produced on different materials including metal. The market is enormous, most suited for flexo, told Chidambaram of Best Labels Enterprises.

Chidambaram and his partner Bharath Kumar are well known names in the offset prepress sector in South India; they were the pillars of UPSL, and were instrumental in developing their label division. Later, they started their own label printing press – Best Labels – in 2001. With their clientele base and acquired technological knowledge, the company grew systematically to become a private limited company with their own premises. Spread over an area of 10,000 sq ft with equipments like Takeyong flatbed, Bangsung flatbed, Autoprint-MIDA web, Mark Andy web, Gallus EM280, Pragati Slitting & Rewinding machine, the press is well equipped to cater to the larger quantity label sector too.

With Chidambaram’s hands-on expertise right from litho, then to offset to flexo and Bharath Kumar’s market sense, Best Labels Enterprises Pvt Ltd is now a second generation firm with Bharath’s son Vijayendra (Mechanical Engineer) joining the company.

Talking about the challenges faced, Chidambaram shared, “Flexo is the sector which requires a lot of investment in machinery, innumerable rollers, (both conventional and anilox) in different widths, and dedicated manpower. Flexo has grown into a specialized anilox rolls Genetic Transfer Technology (GTT). Apex GTT is a high-tech tool which gives the highest control around the ink transfer. Thus, it is a specialized sector requiring high amount of skill in prepress. Manpower has to be trained in house, standardization has to be maintained in prepress with given parameters. The plates and rollers have to be perfect.”

On asking about their future plans, Chidambaram informed that they have a potential to go further into retort packaging. That way, the road map is set and their hard work will bring in assured results.