Printpack India 2017: a resounding success

New technology marvels, amazing product showcase, good footfalls, tremendous business opportunities, numerous deals signed – Printpack India 2017 had all the elements of a successful show. A report by Varsha Verma & Jyaneswar Laishram.

Printpack India 2017, the third largest international exhibition of graphic arts industry of India was inaugurated by Sanat Shah, chairman, Manugraph in the presence of all dignitaries of Graphic Arts Industry of India and overseas. While addressing the audience, he expressed his extreme happiness about enthusiastic participation in the show and added that we should be proud that our country is number two after China in the manufacturing of variety of machines in the graphic arts sector. The show was held from February 4–8, 2017, at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR.

While welcoming the dignitaries and participant guests HV Sheth, president of Indian Printing, Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (IPAMA) said, “We have large and enthusiastic participation in this show with domestic and international giants from graphic arts industry. It is a great mix of all the elements of printing, packaging, signage and digital software, equipments, machines and other allied products. It is a great mix of all the elements of printing, packaging, signage and digital software, equipments, machines and other allied products. I am sure that you will have good business and interactions with other country manufacturers for technology transfers and dealership etc.” He expressed his happiness by saying – “Printpack India 2017 is an amazing show – the marvels of Indian & International Technology and Equipment will be on display besides Indian innovations – which are cost effective….”

Printpack India witnessed participation of more than 429 domestic and overseas manufacturers – the majors from all sectors of pre-press, in-press, post press, finishing, packaging, converting and digital with an area of 17,000 sq m. The show attracted more than 86,900 visitors.

Here are the major highlights of the show:

Printing & packaging segment

Autoprint was present at the show but with no machine display. “We have so many models of the machines and when we showcase one machine, other models get ignored. So, we are here to discuss projects with our customers. We have customized detailed videos to showcase here,” shared Sanjiv Popli of Popli Graphics, distributors of Autoprint machines. “We also offer lot of post press products like blister coating machine, die-cutter, print inspection systems, etc,” he added.

Five Star Printing Machinery Co showcased fully-automatic paper cutting machine, fully-automatic creasing/perforating and half- cutting machine (new launch), double-head wire stitching machine (new launch) with saddle and side-stitching, wiro inserting, cutting and locking with skip binding machine, round corner making machine, hot foil stamping and platen punching machine. According to KS Khurana, the turnout at the show was very good and they sold two die-cutting machines, one creasing and perforating machine to Ambar Printing Press, Lucknow.

Zhongke India displayed its latest range of automatic rigid box making machines. Their newly launched model can produce a wide variety of boxes of different shapes, sizes and styles. Besides, the company also displayed dry lamination machines from the group company Zhongke Yongshun Machinery. According to Rohit Rajpal of Zhongke India, they got some serious buyers at the show and sold their rigid box-making machine to Patanjali.

Being in the printing and packaging industry for more than four decades, AS Print Aids Pvt Ltd/ Capital Graphic Supplies, the supplier of the world-class brands for print and packaging industry, showcased steel rulers form Martin Miller, besides machines for all pre and post print applications. The company also offered post press solutions and waste evacuation system from

Hunkeler AG. The company offers innovative print and packaging solutions from CITO SYSTEM, ECOSYSTEM, TRESU Group, RICHLY TOP, MOLL, DROHMANN, PRINT GUARD, CUTLINE PENTA, DELTA, TRSUK, Kirk- Rudy and Perivo. According to Arun Gandhi, it was a wonderful show for them.

Demonstrating its line of machines, RADO Packaging pulled attention of trade visitors during the expo. Some of the company’s highly demanded range of machines include Filterstar dampening solution filtration system, Extracstar spray powder extraction systems, REGISTAR TY-200 offset plate register puncher, among others.

“Since PRINTPACK India remains one of the best trade expos in the country, we are always delighted to be in the show where we meet our existing customers as well as potential ones,” said Puneet Soorma, marketing & sales manager, RADO Packaging Machines Pvt Ltd.

During the expo, RADO sold two of its machines—REGISTAR TY-200 and Dampening Filtration—to Arihant Books (Meerut). Both the machines are meant for Heidelberg presses installed at the book publisher’s production facility. REGISTAR TY-200 is designed to achieve plate-to-plate register before mounting the plates on machines, obtaining perfect print register in shortest time.

SRK Technologies displayed YOCO die-cutter which was sold to York Print, Kolkata. According to Rajesh Agarwal, director, SRK Technology Pvt Ltd, they also sold the MTM water-based lamination machine. They also showcased Euro Progetti rigid box-making machine EP-175 at the show.

Donald Ng of Shanghai Yoco Printing Machinery Co Ltd, who was also present at the show, shared that they are present in India since 2004 and have already installed 60 machines in India.”We wish to sell more machines in India with the help of our distributors SRK Technologies, who provide us good support,” he said. On asking about the training and service support, Donald mentioned that they train engineers at China and the after sales service is efficiently handled by SRK. “Our machines are at par with European standards but at half the price,” he added.

Giulio Saletti of Euro Progetti was also present at the show and he shared that they have collaborated with SRK Technologies for the Indian market as they found a vacuum in the rigid box-making machine segment. “India needs high-quality top of the line machines for high quality boxes and Euro Progetti offers that. I hope to sell our machine in India soon. We also provide spare parts, knowledge and training with the machine to help skill the customers in making best quality rigid boxes,” he shared.

Alpna Visual Packaging Aids at its stall showcased a range of UV curing and print coating systems. “What we are presenting here at the expo is a line of printing equipments, which include retrofit UV systems for sheetfed offset presses, shuttered UV solutions, EPS, Anilox coating modules and others,” mentioned Vijay K Aggarwal, MD & CEO, Alpna Visual Packaging Aids.

The company’s retrofit UV systems can be mounted on all popular presses viz. Heidelberg, KOMORI, Roland, KBA and others. The company also showcased its range of fully automatic cylinder screen presses at the expo.

­Joy D-zign showcased their full range of book binding machines at the show. As per NS Manku of Joy D-zign, “Our machines are attracting lot of eyeballs and we are here to share knowledge. It is a very good show and the brand has been built over 25 years. The crowd is phenomenal and they are focused.”

Muller Martini was also present at the show with an information booth. PR Lakshminarayanan, director, Muller Martini said, “With such a booth, we are able to meet our customers and renew our contacts with them, while also meeting new potential customers.”

Designed compatibly with any printing press, OM Sticker (Self Adhesive Label) Half Square Cutting Machine from Patel Enterprises operates to slit, half-square cut, micro and regular perforation, creasing book covers, wedding cards, etc. “This machine can perform most of these functions simultaneously,” said SN Patel form Patel Enterprises. He added that the OM machine is available in two widths—24 and 30 inches. All the cutters have micro adjustments to control precise depth of cut, by which the thinnest to the thickest release papers can be handled at ease.

SL Kulkarni Cyril Graphics Pvt Ltd offered Japanese fully-automatic Fuchu Shiko rigid box-making machine. According to Jaideep Kulkarni, director of SLKCG, they sold one semi-automatic rigid box-making machine, besides window patching and laminating machine from Grafik Machinery.

LineOmatic, a widely acclaimed exercise book making machine manufacturer, showcased a new system at the expo—upgraded NOVA Series.

The company in the last edition of PRINTPACK India announced the release of a NOVA machine with 250 m/min. The same series with upgraded speed (now 300 m/min) was shown this year. The machines consist of shaft-less reel unwinding stand, ruling and flexo printing tower, collating unit, waste removal system and many more. “We are elated to the footfalls as we receive a good number of serious trade visitors in every edition of the expo,” said Dilip Golani, sr manager-marketing (domestic), LineOmatic.

Condot Systems offered products and solutions for Marking & Batch Coding,Variable Data Printing, Transport Systems and Vision Systems.

Indo Poly Machines Corporation displayed their indigenously manufactured PolyMaster and knife-grinding machines.

Watthour Systems offered Plate Processor, CtP System, Dot Meters, Printing Softwares, and Workflows Softwares. According to Paramjit Singh, CEO, Watthour Systems, the major highlight for them was Amsky Aurora U800 CTcP system and they closed 4-5 deals at the show.

Kohima Machine Tools offered post press machines like paper folding machine, gumming machine, etc.

Memory Repro Systems Pvt Ltd offered new range of carton inspection systems from Sino-Inv Technologies, which was sold to Shiv Offset, Indore at the show. The company also showcased hard case binder, semi-automatic rigid box-making machine, fully-automatic thermal lamination machine, offset plate-loading machine, new Vision plate bender (for Ryobi, Heidelberg, Komori, Mitsubishi) and Savatech blankets. According to Sanjeev Chadha of Memory Repro, the show was good and they were able to meet relevant people at the show.

Digital printing segment

Anil AgenciesXerox India launched the enhanced version of its popular Xerox Color C70 Printer with the all new Fiery NX Pro at PrintPack 2017. For the first time, a High End RIP will be available in the entry production printing space along with substantial feature upgrades focused on the media handling capabilities. These capabilities make it easier to handle a wider range of substrates to include lightweight media (60 gsm) often used for dictionaries along with heavier, more challenging stocks (256 gsm two-sided/300 gsm one-sided) used for cards or invitations including textured media. Along with Xerox Color C70, the company also showcased the bestselling model in its segment Xerox Versant 80.

Speaking at the event, Balaji Rajagopalan, executive director, Technology, Channels & International Distributor Operations, Xerox India said, “PrintPack is a great opportunity for us to showcase our prowess in digital printing space and the range of production equipment that Xerox has to offer. We witnessed a tremendous success with multiple booked orders in the past four editions that Xerox participated in, along with a high number of footfalls.”

Talking about the marquee digital presses being showcased by Xerox at PrintPack, Balaji said, “With the updates made to the award-winning Xerox Color C70 Printer, we are trying to ensure that our customers are provided with features associated with our high-end production printers at the cost of an entry-level printer. The enhanced version allows small businesses and manufacturers to enhance and expand the applications they create with increased substrate flexibility and greater image quality accuracy. We are confident that the enhancements will raise the interest for the presses in SMBs & help us grow our share in the digital printing industry. Additionally, we showcased the Xerox Versant 80 with variety of applications done by our customers across India. It has already seen a great response in the market and we are looking forward to sustaining the momentum for this year as well.”

Hewlett Packard (HP), presenting a complete range of its production machines for both commercial and wide-format graphics, revealed fresh graphic innovations possible with the machines they showcased—HP Indigo 12000 and 7900 as well as HP PageWide XL 5000 Series, XL 5000 Series, HP DesignJet D5800 and HP DesignJet Z5600 PostScript Printer. “Our approach in showcasing a complete line of machines in the expo is to accelerate the graphic art industry towards a new pathway of innovations,” said A Appadurai, country manager-HP Indigo, Hewlett Packard India Sales Pvt Ltd.

“HP Indigo 12000 is a game changer for the print and packaging sector, which is now considerably the fastest growing domain. Packaging is a Rs 7000 cr market in India; unlike other countries, we have very offbeat demands in this sector, such as men’s fairness cream, which packaging firms tap taking their business to a new level,” said Appadurai. Demonstrating the HP Indigo 12000 and HP Indigo 7900 for the first time in India, the company pulled crowd to its colossal stall where both the machines churned dazzling graphic samples. “Technically HP Indigo 7900 is engineered with an all new binary ink developer, photo specialty inks,” explained Mahidi, commercial category manager-APJ, HP Indigo and PageWide Web Press Solutions.

Consumables

Bromide Chemicals showcased its wide range of consumables. According to Arun Bhatnagar, they have been participating in Printpack India since 1990s. Our distributors come to the show and it is a good opportunity to meet them at one place.

Anil Agencies offered consumables for all packaging and printing needs. “We are also machine suppliers for Enichi, Italy (rigid box making machine), Lamina, Sweden (lamination machines) and Saili China (grooving machines),’ told Mohit Jain.

On other side of the show floor, MRL Printing Rolls showcased a series of highly demanded heavy duty industrial rolls. “It has been our dedicated effort to improve off-the-shelf products as well as to add new line of products,” said VP Virmani, GM, MRL Printing Rolls Pvt Ltd.

Flaunting a full range of adhesives for graphic art, HB Fuller’s stall was filled with diverse performance hot melt, polyurethane reactive hot melt and water-based adhesives. “We are demonstrating our commitment to bring global adhesive innovation within reach of local manufacturer,” said Harsh Gupta, regional GM–India, Middle East & Egypt, HB Fuller. At the company’s India plant in Pune, products can be customised and adapted to meet the specific needs of the local market.

Wide-format zone

Shedding a spotlight on its popular FUJIFILM Acuity EY and Acuity LED 1600 II printers, FUJIFILM India pulled a huge crowd of trade visitors the applications the two versatile wide-format machines produced. SM Ramprasad, assistant vice president, Graphics Art Division, FUJIFILM India said the major highlight of signage applications at their stall is thermo-formed display solutions. “We are presenting the versatility of our Acuity Series, which are designed for a vast application range,” he added.

Joining hands with AGFA Graphics, New Delhi-based JN Arora Group has gained a new collaborative ground as the group has to distribute the former’s range of products in the Northern and Eastern Indian markets.

The tie-up was announced in a big way during the expo with JN Arora heralding their distributorship of a range of AGFA machines including ANNAPURNA as well as others like Jeti MIRA, TAURO & TITAN series with UV inkjet systems. Moreover, the portfolio also consists of AGFA’s ACORTA, an automatic cutting and finishing system. Above all, JN Arora also showcased Polyprint TexJet shorTee direct-to-garment printer at their stall.

Apsom Infotex at its stall presented a combo of innovative signage making solutions that consisted of a couple of groundbreaking Roland machines—VersaUV LEF-300 and VersaCAMM VS-300i. Ravi Agarwala, director, Apsom Infotex Ltd said the machines are designed to push the bar of innovations in signage and display graphics to a new level. “VersaUV LEF-300 is a productive digital customisation system, specially engineered for custom display panels, texture effects, embossing, personalised gifts, etc,” he added. According to him, another printer on display at their stall, VersaCAMM VS-300i is a print & cut system that features the new high-density ECO-SOL Max 2 ink for stable and consistent outputs.

Three innovative products from Mehta Cad Cam Systems were demonstrated at the company’s small and compact stall. The three machines on display were its ever demanded Erina 100 laser engraving machine, RJ 1016V UV LED curing flatbed printer and high-speed Erina 250 laser engraver.

Introduced at the stall of Vee Kay Enterprises was its Qi-Jet, a new industrial system. Alongside this newly announced printer were some versatile and highly precision engraving and cutting machines, namely IDS-1390, IDS-1610, IDS-1325 and IDS-1325. The IDS-1610 is an automatic feeding laser cutting machine; IDS-1390 is a computerised CNC system; IDS-1325 is a high-speed woodworking machine; and IDS-1325 is a metal and non-metal cutting laser engraver.

UV Printers, which has now been acquired by Apsom Infotex, showcased its popular Dilli hybrid UV flatbed printers, powered by RICOH Gen-5 printhead, with lenticular print samples and others during the expo. “Our focus is on UV printing; we have achieved a benchmark in the sector in the last six years,” said Mohan KT from UV Printers, adding that their merger with Apsom Infotex is a move to collaboratively reach wider market domains. “Apsom Infotex is a tried and tested company for us; and with their 150 people set-up and virtuous dealer network, we form a wonderful partnership. They have the dedicated workforce, we have the expertise—so we expect to grow our market share in the coming years.”

A crowd-pulling showcase at the ESKO stall during the expo was its popular Kongsberg X Starter cutting table, alongside workflow solutions. As the system is being designed for signage as well as packaging applications, a horde of trade visitors from both the segments showed ardent interest in the cutting table whose 100th unit was sold to TCPL Packaging (Mumbai) during the expo. According to Arnab Matti, sales director-South Asia, ESKO, “Initially, we were assuming people in the post demonetisation might deter investment in new systems, but we are surprised to see the new development, and I personally feel that the investment season has begun or sentiment of investment is back.” He mentioned that ESKO offers its customers with seamless workflow solutions. Shown at the company’s stall also included some software solutions from its sister concern X-Rite Pantone.

Alongside a range of commercial printing and packaging systems, Monotech Systems showcased a line of systems for the wide-format segment, including its ever popular Pixeljet Series (Starfire 3302/3304) with Mimaki, Canon/Oce printers which they distribute. The systems they showcased consisted of a Mimaki JV400LX Series, a Canon imagePROGRAF iPF 8410SE/6410SE poser printer, Oce PlotWave 345/365, among others.

On the other side of the show floor, Kapoor Imaging announced their breakthrough into the signage industry with the introduction of a set of groundbreaking products, such as SUN Universal UV printers (from Russia) and many others including Apollo PV flex, foam-boards and WPC boards. Zund at its stall displayed their S3 L1200 digital cutting machine, which is equipped with high-powered RM-L router option and a new routing technology. The powerful spindle of the system delivers 3.6 kW of processing power for acrylics, polycarbonates, Dibond, Forex, and MDF, making heavy-duty routing ever more efficient. “Exceptionally powerful tool in the cutting system opens up new possibilities in terms of performance and applications,” said Prasanna Venkatesh VA, managing director, Zund India (P) Ltd. The machine has been booked by Sattik Exports from Kolkata and Mumbai-based leading carton manufacturer, Parksons Packaging, during the expo.

Newspaper sector

Accumulated collectively in the Hall 14 at the expo was a host of companies from the web offset arena, showing fresh innovations for newspaper printing and allied activities like book printing. A big show-stopper in the league was manroland India revealing new solutions for various applications, including packaging, in collaboration with its partner NOVEXX Solutions. “We have recently penetrated into the packaging arena to open up new prospects with our CROMOMAN press, which is designed for production of high-quality newspapers and magazines,” said Subir Paul, general manager-sales, manroland India Pvt Ltd.

In the recent past, leading Telugu newspaper Namasthe Telangana has installed a manroland CROMOMAN 4×1, which is featured with several automation systems like automatic web up device or manroland web systems Inline Control Systems for colour register control with manual camera movement and cut-off control. PECOM Control System in the press offers the best possible technology for easy operation and short make-ready and changeover times. PECOM-X drive, which is aptly defined to be an operation and workflow management system, is engineered to combine diverse components from manroland web systems to form a one-system solution. In addition, the stall of manroland India witnessed some premium solutions for label printing market from NOVEXX Solutions, which are distributed by manroland India in the country.

PRESSLINE India made a big announcement during the expo — the launch of SEEMYMACHINES remote management systems. “This remote press management system is compatibly designed for all kinds of printing, packaging and binding presses and users like equipment suppliers or plant managers,” said Satish Bajwa, director, PRESSLINE India Private Limited. For machine suppliers, they can sue SEEMYMACHINES to monitor and access the conditions of the machines they have catered to their clients. “This remote management system detects and diagnoses problems,” explained Satish, adding that it also helps to resolve a predictive maintenance and get insight into machine usage and patterns. Moreover, SEEMYMACHINES is all about improving ‘customer service.’

“Newspapers in most parts of the world have reduced width from 35 inch to 27-28 inch; but several printers and publishers still use full-width machines thus incurring heavy additional cost on consumables and power. Our newly launched SILVERLINE Slim is an answer to this,” asserted KR Chandrahas, senior manager (marketing & servicing), PRESSLINE India Private Limited. This new press helps in reduction of consumable cost while print area remains the same.

Another big launch at the expo was from PRAKASH Web Offset unpacking its Newslight 36, a single width and single circumference press.

Capable to run at the maximum speed of 36,000 iph, all controls in the new PRAKASH Newslight 36 are based on programmable logic controller (PLC) for ease of operation, reducing make-ready time and improving productivity. Newslight 36 is a suitable press for newspapers, supplements, textbooks, magazines and others. Some added features of the press include its short web path that ensures excellent print quality, reduces waste and provides an excellent price-performance ratio.

Known for their utter presence in both newspaper and book printing domains, Naph Graphics has garnered a new pinnacle with the introduction of new web offset presses engineered suitably to meet the increasing needs for innovative applications.

Showcase of their key products at the expo—Naph Koncept, Slitline 35 and others—pulled a horde of trade visitors thronging to the competencies of the machines on demo. Naph Koncept has been one of the widely installed web offset presses in the production facilities of a number of regional newspapers and book printers in remotest corners of the country. “Our Koncept press features 4+4 printing with underneath reel stand. Designed with sturdy tower to print both sides in four colours, this press is capable to churn 35,000 copies per hour. In the press, all eight plate cylinder’s circumference and side registers are adjustable; and the cylinders run on bearers for better dot transfer and precise impression setting,” said Mohit Bansal, director –marketing, Naph Graphics.

Showcased at their stall, Slitline-35 is designed to slit plastic films, flexible packaging laminates, paper and aluminium foil-based laminates. According to Mohit, this machine is capable to handle almost every material across various industrial segments.

New attraction from Manugraph at the expo was S-Line, a four-page web offset press, designed to run 40,000 cph in 915 mm. With cut-offs of 533, 546 and 578 mm, S-Line is equipped with toothless plate lockup plate mounting system. The newspaper press is featured with 8 roller inking system with two ‘Oscillating’ rollers and two ‘Form’ rollers.

Also S-Line has steel hard chrome plated plate and blanket cylinders with bearer. The key Manugraph press had attracted a huge crowd swarming around the company’s stall.

“As always, PRINTPACK India, this year too, has been a great show. We are exultant to the overall arrangements and footfalls,” asserted PK Bhalla, general manager, Manugraph. In parallel, Manugraph represented its string of partners, such as Multigraph, Multitec, Zonter and Kunrun. Multigraph produces high speed label slitting and rewinding machine, which features especially engineered interface for 100 percent defect detection system. Multitec is one of the leading manufacturers of widest range of label presses. Chinese manufacturer Zonter boasts of a full set of labels solutions, while the Shanghai-based Kunrun is a well-known producer of bag-making machines.

Q.I. Press Controls-EAE India attracted visitors to the presentation of its ever demanding IDS-3D, a fully automatic image-based colour measuring and control system for web offset presses. In addition, this system also detects failures in print. “So far, we have installed our IDS-3D systems in a number of Indian newspaper houses based extensively in all regions, whether in metros or small tier II and III towns,” said Jatin Aghara, sr sales manager, Q.I. Press Controls-EAE India. He added that their IBS-100 and EAE Desk 7, which were launched during drupe 2017, would receive good feedbacks from their Indian customers.

Hosting new solutions for newspaper and print-packaging segments, QuadTech presented its prowess in colour quality controls and measurements. The company has earned its stature as a leading manufacturer of advanced press control technology. But at the expo, rather than the success of their colour, register, and defect detection technology, QuadTech has invested heavily in raising the bar for functionality, efficiency and reliability. “In the post-drupa 2016 we are presenting our enhanced range of products, which include AccuCam, MultiCam, SpectralCam, Autotron and other inspection systems,” said Bob Hansen, global sales director, QuadTech.

Demonstrating its Orient brand of widely popular web offset presses, tph (The Printers House) presented some new innovations and possibilities in newspaper printing and its allied domains. “In this expo, we are unpacking some possible prospects in newspaper production as well as others in relative fields. Unlike what is happening in the overseas markets, we in India still have a responding (newspaper) market. Most of all, digital or online era is all about content; but readers who wish to enjoy touch and feel still go for printed newspapers. This tradition will stay in India, for some time,” said Arnab Pramanik, AMS (domestic), tph (The Printers House).

PRINTPACK India 2017 has proved its stature as the best printing expo in India with the showcase of what it revolutionising the industry, which included a complete range of machines, materials and services to sheer the requirement of the industry in all aspects, covering all parameters of printing and packaging. The next edition of the bi-annual expo will be organised from February 01-03, 2019, attracting more and more international participants. A source from the IPAMA (Indian Printing Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers’ Association) said the show will soon poised to be Asian drupa.

Konica Minolta strategically focuses on the Indian market

“India is one of the highest growing countries and is a strategic market for Konica Minolta. Our position is very good, we have more than 51% market share in the segments we represent. We also have a very good infrastructure across the country, with 16 branches, 200 engineers and direct sales staff of over 50 people. We are very close to our customers,” shared Yuji Nakata, managing director, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Pvt Ltd.

“Last quarter, due to demonetization issue, the industry did not perform as we expected but since December 2016, there has been a growth in the industry. Konica Minolta, along with other digital printing manufacturers, are expanding the market. We introduced new technology – MGI JetVarnish which offers a new revenue source for our customers. It is a pleasure to share that our customers are willing to accept these technologies as the momentum of the Indian printing industry is very good,” added Yuji.

Talking about the Industrial Printing (IP) business of Konica Minolta, Yuji said that the industrial printing business is very big and there is tremendous opportunity for digital technology. “Konica Minolta is focusing on this segment and in October 2016, a development technology centre was opened in Paris (Europe), which is a major centre for IP digital business, so, we get the latest information. MGI is just the beginning of this business,” he said. “We have already launched KM1 and demonstrated KMC for carton packaging, which we will launch soon.”

While, Manish Gupta of Konica Minolta added, “We have just established the industrial printing and we feel that in next five years, we will reach at the same level as electrography.”

Talking about the USPs of Konica Minolta’s machines, Manish added, “Our machines are manufactured as per user requirements, there is very good ROI, substrate options are huge and we give direct service to our customers.”

‘Neon’ shares limelight at Ricoh India stand

Ricoh India showcased a new 5-colour engine with the special colour – Neon Yellow – allowing print service providers to produce highly creative, eye-catching value-added print. “The Neon Yellow toner has been developed for the fifth colour station on the Ricoh Pro C7100X series colour cut sheet digital production press. It will meet growing demand from the magazine, direct mail, retail and point of purchase markets for print,” shared Prasanna Rajagopalan, product training manager, production printing – BU, Ricoh India Ltd.“ It expands the colour gamut, enhances images and can be used as a solid or highlight or graphic colour. When combined with other process shades, it can create a neon palette. The toner is reflective under UV light to extend the range of printing possibilities offered by standard CMYK, white, or clear printing. This extends the variety of print possibilities. Print service providers can then develop more visually inspiring campaigns with their clients and deepen consumer engagement,” he added. What’s more? The Neon Yellow toner is retrofittable, which means existing clients can expand the capabilities of the Ricoh Pro C7100X presses.

The company also showcased Ricoh Pro 8200, a new black-and-white engine for book printing applications as well as high volume printing. “We have also displayed a high-end model, which can handle a lot of special media and can be used for packaging applications,” he added.

The company also showcased first direct to garment printer – Ricoh GJ5625 DTG printer, which according to Prasanna generated a lot of queries.

Besides, in the large format category, the company showcase Beluga series of printers, which include MP W7100/W8140 series of printers. MP W7100SP is specially created for the needs of CAD and PFP to increase the speed of high quality output and lower the cost.

Canon India launches new revolutionary production machines

Revolutionising the graphic art industry, Canon India at the expo introduced a new line of revolutionary systems, which are impeccably designed for the commercial, large-format graphic and document segments. The newly unpacked Canon machines are imagePRESS C850/C750/C650, imagePROGRAF iPF 671E, imagePROGRAF PRO-540S/PRO-560S and imagePROGRAF PRO-520/PRO-540. “This combo of new machines is meant for revolutionising all aspects of graphic art,” said Kazutada Kobayashi, president & CEO, Canon India Pvt Ltd. These news machines, according to him, will offer Indian customers a fresh opportunity to explore new landscapes of printing as the systems are engineered to deliver best of quality and price at the utmost level. Present alongside Kazutada at the unveiling of the machines were Puneet Datta, director, Professional Printing Products Division, Canon India Ltd; and Tomakazu Tajima, senior manager, Canon Singapore Pte Ltd.

Canon imagePRESS C850/C750/C650 scale a new level of quality and production in colour outputs, meeting all challenges in the current market. Ideally engineered for busy CRD and GA environments, this production machine is featured with exceptional image quality with powerful productivity, offering versatility to create extensive and innovative applications across a wide range of media, which consist of all sorts including heavyweight coated stocks and envelopes.

On wide-format front, newly introduced Canon ImagePROGRAF PRO-540S and PRO-560S are the solutions for outstanding print outputs at high speeds, offering exceptional reliability. Colour consistency, fast print speeds and low running costs are what these printers are known for. Canon imagePROGRAF iPF671E is a great value for your money as it features a total of 540 ml starter ink tanks for lower TCO and high capacity 90 ml ink tanks to reduce running costs. Its full featured suite of software boosts printing efficiency. Among the newly launched systems, imagePROGRAF iPF771M and imagePROGRAF PRO-540S were sold to New Delhi-based Creative Offset. Also the Canon imagePRESS C650 found its first taker from Uttar Pradesh—Bajaj Copiers. Apart from the newly launched line, Amit Digital Prints, a long-time Canon customer from Delhi with 22 Canon machines in their 12 production facilities, had invested in two new imagePRESS C10000 VPs during the expo.

Kodak sells 14 CtP units at the show

Kodak wrapped up this year’s PrintPack India with a record number of sales for its leading CtP solutions, signing up a spate of new printers in India. The equipment tally of 14 units at the show adds to the more than 21,000 computer to plate sales globally since the debut of Kodak’s thermal technology.

With over 21 years of thermal imaging technology leadership, three out of every four thermal CtP machines sold in India today are from Kodak. Throughout the Printpack India show, over 600 printers visited the Kodak Quarter to see first-hand why over 850 print service providers across India have chosen to integrate Kodak CtP and plate technology to power their pre-press operations.

“Kodak’s robust portfolio of CtP and plate technology provides the foundation for printers in India and across the world to streamline their operations productivity, while also moving to a more sustainable future,” said Vidhu Gautam, regional business head – packaging, Asia Pacific Region, Micro 3D Printing & Packaging, Kodak (Singapore) Pte Ltd. At PrintPack India, the Sonora Process Free Zone showcased print samples from India’s diverse community of SONORA Plate users spanning print applications from the commercial, publishing, newspaper and packaging sectors. Tent calendars, produced using Kodak’s new SONORA UV Process Free Plates, which will be available by the end of the 2nd quarter, demonstrated how printers using UV, including the newer low-energy UV presses, can achieve higher run lengths than with any other process free plate available today.

With SONORA Plate production facilities now located in the USA, Europe, and China, more than 3,000 SONORA Plate customers across the globe benefit from faster supply, support and customer service. The continued adoption of SONORA Plates in India and around the world underscores the industry’s demand for more sustainable printing solutions to address new applications and opportunities, all while increasing profitability. With both economic and environmental sustainability at the forefront of more and more printers’ strategic investments, Kodak predicts this trend to continue and anticipates that 30% of Kodak’s plate volume will be process free by 2019 as process free plates are quickly becoming a mainstream industry product.

While, workflow specialists demonstrated the capabilities of Kodak PRINERGY Workflow software, including Rules-Based Automation (RBA) to increase the productivity and efficiency in print environments. Discussions around Preps, Pandora, Insite PrePress Portal and ColorFlow, drew significant interest from customers, dealers and media attendees at the Kodak Quarter.

Print Service Providers also visited the Kodak Quarter to explore the award-winning Flexcel NX suite of digital flexo solutions that cater to the need for increased on-press efficiencies and higher print quality.

Pre-owned machinery @ Printpack India

In the wake of sudden economic crunch owing to demonetization, there was a mixed notion among the second hand used offset dealers at the Print Pack 2017.

Taking part for the third time, HS Print Service Pvt Ltd has a pan India presence having regional branches in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. Hari Singh from HS Print Service stated that the event gives immense opportunities to advertise and make working connections. The company offers pre-owned offset printers from top-notch companies like Heidelberg and Adast.

Khyati Traders, again a third timer at Printpack India, was also present with its offerings. “This year the mood of the visitors is quite grumpy in the wake of sudden ‘Demonetization.’ It can be seen in whole expo, people are coming with their enquiries but we have not attained any sale till now, let’s see what will happen in the coming months,” shared the proprietor of the enterprise Ravindra Kumar Sharma.

While, Jitesh Doshi of Pan Graphics Machinery shared that it was their first participation at Printpack India and they are happy with the responses as they got some serious inquiries for web offset machines. He further added, “These are merely enquiries which still need to be confirmed with the span of time, but we are confident that we got some serious leads.” Pan Graphics Machinery is a subsidiary of Indo Europa Trading Company and deals in used offset and web-offset machinery in the Indian subcontinent. “As packaging is a growing industry, we are presenting our offset printing machines precisely designed to do packaging print jobs at this grand venue of Print Pack 2017,” concluded Jitesh.

Saawariya International had a huge stall, displaying live demos of their varied printing and cutting machines. “Even at the last day of the event, there is no dearth of enquiries for die cutting machines, paper cup machine and flex printing machines. This is the best Printpack India show for us as we closed a few deals from customers from India as well as Nepal,” said Rajpal Singh of Saawariya, who has been a regular participant at the show.

While, Vinod Khunger from Shivalik Offset Pvt Ltd stated, “Amidst this sudden demonetised market, business call is quite low.” Shivalik Offset has been taking part in the Printpack since 2010 and this time they got just 200 -300 inquiries.

On the same note Khushi Graphics has the same story to recite, people are just coming in filling the enquiries registers however, there is no confirmation so far attained even on the last day of the event.

Again a very jubilant exhibitor, Amit International offered used imported offset machineries imported from Germany, Europe and USA. Asit Jain from Amit International informed about their successful five days at the show. The exhibitor has been taking part in Printpack India since 1996.

Being a prominent dealer since 1982, Alliance Graphic Equipment has 30 years of experience in importing, exporting and selling of printing machines in India and all around the world.

Another satisfied exhibitor was Hardit Batra, director of Batra Graphic Machinery, who shared that they gave generated good number of inquiries, which will be confirmed in next 6-8 months time. This age old family-run business is a unit of age-old Batra Art Press.

PROVIN closed 17 orders @ Printpack India 2017

Proovin closed 17 orders for RMGT 10 series, 9 series and 760 series presses. PROVIN/RMGT exhibited brand-new RMGT 920ST-5+IR+CC+SLD (9 series, 5-color with aqueous chamber doctor blade type coating unit) sold to Ravi Printers Vadodara. PROVIN showed 3 unique functions of RMGT 9 series which are Coating Unit Isolation and Independent Drive, Auto Nip Check, and Maintenance Mode.

The demos highlighted immediate switchover of coating and non-coating jobs, and coating blanket change simultaneously with printing unit make ready work (Coating Unit Isolation and Independent Drive), to print ink and water form roller nip in one sheet (Auto Nip Check) and to show crawling the preset greasing points in the delivery section (Maintenance Mode), with live camera.

The company also displayed two completely refurbished A3 size portrait format RMGT presses, 3304HA,and 3302HA.These presses have been refurbished at Provin facility in New Delhi. Also, first time in Indian printing industry, PROVIN introduced unique web and Android application based automated service support system for their users, which will take customer support service at next higher level. This will be available to all RMGT users very shortly.

“India holds a promising market for
printing” Says Thayer Long, president, NPES
in conversation with Varsha Verma.

“India- Pacific region is very strong market for printing. Overall, it is the third-largest printing market in the world. In Asia, India would be the first in print and packaging segment and there is tremendous market in the future,” said Thayer Long, NPES president. NPES – The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies is a trade association of over 600 companies which manufacture and distribute equipment, systems, software, supplies used in printing, publishing and converting in US.

Talking about the upcoming Print 17 show in Chicago, Thayer shared that Print 17 is an amazing show and they are working for it. “We are growing our focus on digital printing machines, which holds tremendous promise for the future. Visitors will see new ways of using digital printing technologies. Also, the focus would be on packaging as it is a growing segment. It is good to see that technologies can now be used in a broader way, whether it is digital printing, commercial printing, book publishing, the emphasis is on packaging,” he said.

On asking about the measures taken by them to attract Indian exhibitors/visitors to the show, Thayer replied that they have a full-time office in India, focusing on reaching out to the Indian community. “We are here to help with travel arrangements, company registrations, etc,” he said.

As a message to Indian print community, Thayer said that they are open to partnerships with Indian printing community. “We want to share knowledge, research, best practices and work together to improve our industry and bring quality in our industry,” he said.

Print Business Outlook Conference 2017

A key event on the sidelines of the PRINTPACK India 2017, the Print Business Outlook Conference 2017 was organised by IPAMA in collaboration with NPES and ICC, hosting a galaxy of speakers speaking about the trends, traditions and technologies in the Indian printing industry. The talks covered all strata of printing including commercial, newspapers, packaging and others. Onset of the conference was marked with a keynote remark from Thayer Long, president, NPES. “The print-packaging sector represents a bright spot; now gearing up for a sustained growth by 2020,” he said, mentioning India among the five fastest growing markets. According to him, India in 2011 was positioned as the eighth largest print-packaging market, became fifth in 2016 and estimated to be at fourth by 2020, surpassing Germany.

In the followed up session, Steven Schnoll, MD, Schnoll Media Consulting, talked on the ‘Future of Print’ in which he stridently urged to combine print into digital. “As the current state of the industry is best classified as a ‘transformation’ stage, integration of print with the new dynamics of digital medium is the future,” he mentioned. He further stated that the ‘feel’ of the print is still important in this digital era; so, hybrid model is the future.

In the similar tone, A Appadurai, country manager-India & Sri Lanka, HP Indigo & Inkjet Press Solutions, explained about the values driven by digital printing and profits garnered through innovations. “Innovation is a state of mind—the mindset of a marketing service provider, not print service provider; the mindset of creating values for your customers, not by dropping your price; the mindset spreading the risk, not putting eggs on one basket,” he explained, picking up the instances of the Japanese newspaper The Mainichi printed news stories on water bottles, readable elaborately using VR technology.

Predicting the digital future, Manish Gupta, product printing marketing manager, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India Pvt Ltd, said digital inkjet presses would become more powerful in the next five years, overtaking the tonner-based technologies by around 2019. He mentioned that growth to be gained through digital printing will be in the areas of security printing, direct packaging, education and many others. Hitender Kumar from Kodak, in a followed-up session, talked about the new technologies that make packaging come alive.

In a session revolving around new business adaptation in the Indian newspaper industry, VS Raja, VP-project & engineering, Hindustan Times, narrated how the future of the country’s newspaper industry could sustain to infinity and beyond. In connection to the economic changes taking place in the market, Sabeena Vasudeva, partner, Dewan PN Chopra & Co talked about GST (Goods & Services Tax) and it impact on the printing industry. Closure of the conference was marked with a session on opening up of new ‘Horizons of Packaging Design’ by Dr Anjan Kumar Baral, former chairman, Department of Printing Technology; former director (placement), Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar.

Taiwanese technologies from TGS India

A combo of attractions from Taiwan at the expo was presented by TGS India, a sole distributor of a host of post-press machines from leading Taiwanese manufacturers such as Wen Chyuan, SBL, Golden Tec Machinery, among others. “The machines (from Taiwan) we are distributing in India are now gradually gaining popularity as some of the leading firms have adopted a number of systems in their post-press divisions,” said Muralidhar Nalli, MD, TGS India.

Wen Chyuan at the expo demonstrated its highly efficient laminating machines, attracting huge trade visitors around. So far, the Taiwanese manufacturer of widely demanded UV coaters and laminating machines has catered its post-press systems to a number of leading Indian packaging firms, such as Parksons Packaging in Mumbai. “Parksons Packaging has so far installed two of our laminating machines, plus a UV varnish system,” mentioned Emma Lin, sales director, Wen Chyuan Machinery Co Ltd. When inquired about new from Wen Chyuan in near future, she said they are now gearing up to announce a new roll-to-roll laminating system for food packaging sector, which is designed for both side lamination in one pass. Launch of the new machine is likely to take place by July this year.

Celebrations at the TGS India’s stall were for a couple SBL machines being sold during the expo. “With the help of our agent TGS India, we are gradually gaining a new business momentum in the country,” remarked Hank Kan, director- marketing, SBL Group. He added that they have set an ‘Open House’ programme in India to bring closer cordial relations with Indian customers. Pragati Offset, one of the existing SBL customers in India, invested in second SBL machine (a die-cutter with stripping capacity) during the expo. The first one (foil stamping system) was purchased during the drupa 2016 at Dusseldorf. Caxton Printers was another buyer of SBL machine (a folder-gluer with 4 and 6 corners with carry bag making option) at the PRINTPACK India 2017.

Golden Tec, leading manufacturer of high-speed sheet cutting systems, also presented competencies of their machines to trade visitors showing interest but hold up investment due to some cost constrain. “Of course, our machines are a bit costlier than those made in China; but we maintain global standards. We can say our machines are designed for those looking for systems that position above the Chinese brands and closer to European standards,” asserted Mick Lai of Golden Tec Machinery Co Ltd. According to Muralidhar Nalli, machines from Taiwan they distribute in India require little bit after-sales service as these machines rarely develop complications.