Sixty years of passion and going strong with Heidelberg

Bengaluru-based Jwalamukhi Mudranalaya installs the first Heidelberg Eurobind 600 in India

As the printing world gears up for the much awaited drupa 2012, Jwalamukhi Mudranalaya, a print-shop based in Karnataka, is making space for the product they intend to purchase at the event—the Heidelberg SX 74 press with a coater. When this purchase comes through, they will be the first print-shop in India to have placed the order for this power-horse from Heidelberg. As a company that steadfastly believes in continuous upgradation of technology and machinery for their state-of-the-art press, this purchase is another evidence of their passion for printing excellence. For CS Shivakumar, CEO, Jwalamukhi Mudranalaya, and his two brothers, CS Raviprasad and CS Shankar, excellence in business means partnering with the best. They applied the same thought to their printing business by partnering only with Heidelberg. And this is not limited to the press solutions from Heidelberg – Jwalamukhi has Heidelberg solutions for all its operations – right from pre press, post press to consumables.

CS Shivakumar with the Heidelberg Eurobind 600Jwalamukhi’s pre press section has a Suprasetter A 105 enabled with Prinect software. In the press division, Jwalamukhi has one MOV CPC Alcolor Heidelberg four-colour and one SORD AO size single-colour presses. In the post press section they have Stahlfolder 4KTL 28×40 format and two Polar paper cutting machines. The newest addition is the Heidelberg Eurobind 600 perfect binder with gate fold wrapper feeding attachment. Jwalamukhi has also been using Saphira inks and rollers for their presses.

“The first Heidelberg press was bought by us in 1991 was a single-colour model. By then we had developed a passion for Heidelberg technology,” says Shivakumar. The first Heidelberg four-color GTO V came in 1994, which was replaced by a Heidelberg MOV model in 2002. In December 2011, Jwalamukhi became the first print-shop in India to buy the Eurobind 600, Heidelberg’s speedy binder. On asking whether they have seen any improvements since the Eurobind came in. “Definitely. The Eurobind has increased our book production by 25 percent in terms of speed. Single clamp binding machines available in the market give 300 copies in an hour. With the Eurobind 600, we are sure of getting at least 500 copies in an hour,” says Shivakumar, adding, “It has also reduced our dependency on manpower. We used to have three people to manage the old binder but with the Eurobind we don’t need any special operator or as many people.” “The Eurobind uses a unique mechanism to apply a very thin film of glue for the spine of a book, and this saves us 10 percent of Hotmelt Glue with gate fold wrapper feeding attachment we can use big paper sizes as well,” he says further.

Excellence at any cost:

The steadfast focus on excellence has been the guide for the brothers at the helm of Jwalamukhi. And it’s not limited to printing. Their attention to detail stands out. They can reel off the exact places where each of their Heidelberg purchase orders were signed, and with whom. The brothers go to great lengths to procure the best technology for their press. They attend most international print exhibitions and pick new products and consumables at discounted prices. Shivakumar narrates the incident of having seen the newly launched Apple’s Power Mac G4 at an exhibition at the turn of the century. It was priced at around INR 3,00,000 back then. And since Jwalamukhi had to have that technology, Shivakumar sold off his brand new car to fund the purchase of the G4! They recount stories of learning printing techniques in Europe in freezing winters, catching subways to be at presses in the morning, staying there the entire day watching how print jobs were being done. Their thirst for learning and application continues, as their team is sent to the Print Media Academy in Chennai often for training. This passion for excellence puts them in a league of printing that is hard to come by, not just in Karnataka, but in India as well. The numerous state and national level awards and trophies fighting for space in their room are testimony to this. “We are driven by ethics, powered by excellence and fuelled by the passion for service,” says Shivakumar. “Some of our customers have been with us for over 45 years. And tough jobs are routinely given to us.” he adds.

So, no wonder the tagline on Shivakumar’s business card reads, ‘Fine printing with Heidelberg technology’. He has full of appreciation for the Heidelberg team. “We are grateful to Heidelberg for the unstinted support they have given us for over 20 years! Because of their support we have been able to develop our press that can be an eye-opener to fellow press owners,” he appreciated.

What’s Ahead:

Jwalamukhi offers complete solutions, from copywriting, photography, and editing to all print activities and seeing a healthy growth of 10 percent year on year. They largely cater to commercial printing. Much of their work comes from educational institutions, research journals, and large enterprises. About 10-12 percent of their revenue comes from exports. The next move is into packaging as well as exploring digital printing.