Replika Press evolving with sublime milieu for spectacular quality

‘Place and people’ makes backbone towards achieving success

The status of organizational structure and availability of space for operating various production processes at the facility of any printing company are major factors with capacity to influence the overall business performance. Obviously, to ensure consistent quality in outputs for effectively serving the valued customers, it becomes inevitable to seriously focus on these factors; but due to various cases, very few printers in India succeed to reach an appropriate level in this regard. An ISO 9001:2008 and FSC accelerated company Replika Press Pvt Ltd is one such printer where ‘place and people’ makes backbone for sure towards achieving success. SK Khurana, editor, Print & Publishing who recently visited their twin facilities located at Kundli Industrial Area (Haryana) briefs. Bhuvnesh Seth with an old time platen press, preserved proudly A one-stop printing service provider with state-of-the-art technologies, skilled and quality-conscious professionals to provide fresh solutions from typesetting and comprehensive design, pre-press, printing to post-press, Replika Press Pvt Ltd is one of the top integrated printing presses in India delivering close to 11.5 million books per year. Inherited a rich tradition in print production of more than six decades (established in 1948 by late Shori Lal Seth as Rajkamal Electric Press in old Delhi), the company has now become an established name and a symbol of trust with good track record in domestic and international publishing, and is constantly surging ahead with collective endeavours of Bhuvnesh Seth, managing director; Jagdish Seth, director (business promotion); Sanandan Seth, director (marketing); Vikaran Seth, director (Production).

“Being professionally managed and procuring cutting-edge equipments from the world’s renowned brands, we are effectively attracting internationally reputed publishers as our clients from the UK, the USA, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Russia and Cameroon in Africa,” stated Bhuvnesh Seth.

Spreading in an area of 132,000 sq ft, their facility is sophisticatedly equipped with efficient equipments in pre-press, in-press and postpress segments. With a staff strength of over 550 individuals, working in two shifts, they handle close to 300 jobs at a time in printing and around 160 jobs in binding/finishing. Cero-Scitex Scanner, two Dainippon Screen thermal plate setters PT8600S with online processor and plate baking, Dolev 800 V imagesetter with Preps imposition software, Epson Stylus Pro 7600 and 9800, HP 44 inches printer for proofing, etc make their pre-press division. In the year 2011, the company has also planed to install close-loop colour management software, while they already have several software including Pixel Stream with Spectra Dot CIP-4, Compose Express RIP software, Brisque workflow system, EFI colour management system, Trueflow management with archive manager, and Preps-4.1 imposition software.

The company’s director-business promotions, handling some of the overseas accounts, Jagdish Seth said, “Though I do not come from printing or publishing background but I do admire the organisational capabilities of Bhuvnesh, who is taking Replika to newer heights year by year.”

In the printing department, Replika has several sheet fed offset presses from single colour to five colour: two five colour presses including KBA Rapida 105 with auto plate changer and auto blanket wash with IR drier and Heidelberg SM 74-5+L with coater CPC 104-CP tonic IR drier, technotrans refrigeration unit, auto plate changer, auto blanket wash, preset feeder with CIP 4; apart from three four-colour, four two-colour and two single-colour presses. Also for the year 2011, their plan is to install a digital press (print on demand) and replace CPC 102 with new 4-colour with perfection sheetfed offset.

Their recent addition to postpress segment a few weeks ago include: Multiplex IN-Line System 24 gathering stations featuring 24 SignaLynx camera system, connected to two Astronic 180 sewing machines complemented by stackers. Other equally strong MBO Combi, Stahl and Brehmer folding machines; Aster, Muller Martini (Ventura & Inventa) and Astronic sewing machines; perfect binders (soft cover binding line from Wohlenberg and Muller Martini); online saddle stitcher; Kolbus hard case binding line; case maker; James Burn wiro binding; lamination, UV varnish and packing machines from renowned brands.

It was pleasing to see at their facility, every machines and products have been paced uniquely in such a way that nothing can be found scattering here and there despite executing abundant number of printing jobs. “We focus on evolving with sublime milieu for ensuring spectacular quality in our outputs. For the purpose, we not only procure top-of-the-line machinery but also give equal importance to handle them properly. As production process finished passing through several stages from pre-press to postpress, we require open space to provide free movement of the operating staff. However, we have effectively been utilising the space available at our facility to increase production efficiency, but we still face space restrictions in smooth workflow and movement, especially when handling several huge jobs at a time. To overcome this problem, we have approached the state government for allotment of a bigger plot of 5.5 acres to meet our requirements,” mentioned Bhuvnesh.

In the previous year with turnover of Rs 6850 lacs, Replika with an investment of over Rs 56 crore achieved the feat of printing 2533 titles (consuming over 550 metric tones of paper), ranging from scientific, technical, medical, cook books and coffee table books in mono and multicolour, soft cover and hard cover with high print runs in record time for reputed international publishers. “Our mission qualityis to provide the valued customers international quality at economic price without compromising the quality and maintaining strict delivery schedules, providing customized services, and adhering to highest business standards and ethics making us stand apart from our competitors. Our well-established organizational structure provides us adequate strengths for rising up to all possible levels of the business,” concluded Bhuvnesh.

What customers speak about ‘Replika’?

I have just seen the advance copies of the final volumes of Scott Brown. These look great. You have done an excellent job of producing these in what can only be described as an incredibly tight schedule.
-Alyssum Ross, business operations director, Hodder Education Group, London, UK

From my slightly detached perspective I have to say that they all look very handsome productions and very pleased with advance copies of GORILLA.
-Bradford Neil, production director, Random House, UK

The advance copies of Science of Getting Rich India Edition look quite nice and we are very pleased with your quality.
-Jesse Isaacson, print manager, Inner Traditions – Bear & Company, USA

Hi Sanandan, Bozzola looks great!
-Therese Connell, production director, Jones & Bartlett Publishing, USA

Common Phrases received this morning look very good.
-Patrick Dawson, editorial and operations director, Footprint Handbooks Ltd

The Reece and Bacha running sheets look good. In fact, you did an excellent job matching the colour in Bacha. Great job!
-Sutton Carrie, associate project manager, Blackwell Publishing Professional, US

I am pleased to be able to accept these running sheets – printing quality is very good and I found no mistakes. Well done!
-Chris Curtis, publishing/print production consultant