‘The Perfect Match’ – Heidelberg and ‘Cock’ brand fireworks

– Sivakasi’s Kaliswari Group invests in Heidelberg Pro C 751 Digital Press and Polar N 115 Plus Cutter

AP Selvarajan, director of Kaliswari Group with Heidelberg Pro C 751 digital press.Sivakasi’s Kaliswari Group, a leading manufacturer and global exporter of fireworks, added sparkle to its in-house printing division, by recently investing in Heidelberg solutions.

Although Pyrotechnics is the primary business, the Kaliswari umbrella brings together other diverse business verticals, including educational institutions, transport and hotels. An in-house printing division caters to the labeling and packaging needs of the Group’s own fireworks business.

From humble beginnings as a ‘Match factory’ founded by Shanmuga Nadar in 1923, the 90-year old company exploded into prominence and growth after expanding into fireworks. The Kaliswari group manufactures and sells fireworks under the well-established and reputed “Cock” brand. Today, the group of companies has 30 plus factories, employing nearly 9,000 staff.

New Heidelberg installations…

In a latest move, the Kaliswari Group has installed the Heidelberg Pro C 751 digital press for its internal applications. Ideal for cost-effective production on very short runs, the digital press can print up to 75 A4 pages/minute with paper density or grammages of up to 300 GSM. The oil-free PxP toner ensures optimum image quality of up to 4800 dpi resolution, which is close to results achieved with offset printers. The digital press can handle paper sizes between 3.94 × 5.51 inches and 13.00 × 19.20 inches.

AP Selvarajan, the director of Kaliswari Group, is an ardent admirer of Heidelberg equipments. “We still have the original Heidelberg cylinder presses that were used during early days of operation. The equipments are in perfect working condition even today,” he beams. “The Heidelberg Pro C 751 is the latest jewel in our crown. Easy to use, it offers an exceptional range of functions and outstanding print quality”.

Manoharan, senior manager of the Group nods in affirmation, before adding, “We use the Heidelberg Pro C 751 mostly for test-printing and sampling specialty paper and boards for packaging purposes. The print matches offset quality. Also, it helps save considerable time and money that we would otherwise spend on outsourcing.”

Full-fledged printing set-up

Although it was started as an offshoot of the Fireworks division, the in-house printing unit at Kaliswari is well endowed with state-of-the-art equipments. Prepress facilities include CtP, multi-colour offset presses and flexo printing presses, while the Postpress portfolio features Polar cutters, die-cutters and folder gluers.

The cutting edge… literally!

In addition to the Pro C 751, the Kaliswari Group has also invested in a Heidelberg Polar N 115 plus cutting equipment. This programmable, high-speed cutter, which is used for cutting paper, cardstock, paper board, and plastic foils, comes with an 18.5 inches colour display and touch screen operations to avoid errors in programming. The Polar N 115 plus offers shortest make-ready times, thanks to intuitive cutting programmes.

The patented Direct Positioning System (DPS) of the Polar N 115 plus ensures mechanical positioning accuracy of 1/100 mm, thereby offering the greatest cutting accuracy. An added advantage is the nickelrefined, wider machine table that facilitates easy handling of sheets. The standard model has extensive features to boost productivity by up to 20 percent. Higher productivity can be achieved by additional, programmable functions. “Life is a lot easier with the Polar N 115 plus”, quips Manoharan. “The Polar cutter reduces the time usually spent on labeling and small-sized packaging jobs”.

On a concluding note…

Manoharan expects the Heidelberg equipments to play a crucial role during Diwali season. “Fireworks production usually peaks before Diwali, when its boom time for business. The printing unit operates in all shifts to match packaging with production. The print jobs involve specialized hot and cold-foil embossing, and die-cut designs to make the packaging of these Pyro products more attractive. Both the press and cutter will come in handy, especially at time,” he said.

The Kaliswari Group is a happy and plans to shop again at Heidelberg. “Heidelberg is a trusted brand worldwide and our experience with Heidelberg has been spectacular. With these equipment’s, the ROI is significant,” Selvarajan concludes on an excited note.