Unequivocally, the astute contributors in the leading roles mark sure success in any industry effectively steering entrepreneurial activities. D Ramalingam from P&P visited Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) to take a review how savvy persons from different backgrounds have shaped the print industry in the city and relentlessly maneuvering for bringing it to the next level, with their innovative business approach and strategies. Here’s a brief.

Industrious Coimbatoreans started making engineering products with the emergence of textiles industry in the city in a big way, and to cater to all activities, the inception of printing became inevitable. Presently, it is estimated that there are 1575 micro, small, medium and big printing establishments including DTP and pre-press units in Coimbatore city. While the cross section of the industry started during 80’s and 90’s formed the nucleus. Now, what one can obviously observe in the city’s full-fledge print industry is the unique contributions from chartered accountants, aesthetics-struck company secretaries, pre-press learned commerce graduates from a family of doctors, printing and packaging entrepreneurs from a timber trading family, HR persons turned into a press managers, and of course, LPT/IPT old timers from Chennai printing teaching institution. Here is a study of a few of them who make the things happen, with the companies managed by them.

N Muralikrishnan - a graduate in corporate secretaryship with an international diploma in computer applications, apart from training in designing and DTP - started CAPS (Computer Aided Print Service) in 1994. Persistent exposure with creative artists and leading advertising agencies helped the company’s designers to update themselves with latest trends. And with the advent of digital printers, CAPS was one among the early players to venture into the digital arena, changing their name to ‘CAPS Digital Prints’ and equipping with a mid-size digital colour printer along with the finishing equipment. Situated at Ramnagar (Coimbatore central), the company is now providing quality services for corporate logo designs, leaflets/brochures, visiting cards, letterheads, newsletters, ads for newspapers, labels, posters, stickers, danglers, packing designs, ID cards, etc. Their clientele includes over 100 firms.

Belonged to a family of doctors, a commerce graduate with knowledge in computer applications S Guruprasad of Graphics Systems wanted to do something different. After taking two-month training at UPSL (Chennai), he installed a Dainippon Screen Imagesetter in 1998. Operating the machine himself, Guruprasad marked noteworthy success in pre-press segment. Owing to his relentless efforts, Graphics Systems has now become a full-fledged pre-press unit, producing around 150 plates per day with their Dainippon Screen 4300 CtP. For inputting purpose, they are equipped with Dainippon Scanners. The company has also plans to install 8-up CtP.

From electronics and communication background, B Thilak Kumar ventured into the sole business of ‘business cards’, establishing Shree Maruthi Printers. “Business cards are required by everybody every time. Due to mass production, we can provide cards at seventeen paise a piece. Having net-work of dealers all over the south region and with central production in Coimbatore, we are able to service our customers constantly. With Lithrone 26 and Daiya kinds of equipments, we can accommodate more cards in multi-ups,” averred B Thilak. Situated in Coimbatore central area, Maruthi has a target of fifteen crore cards as weekly production adding Puduchery (Pondicherry) to their list.

Being a dynamic entrepreneur, A Mohammed Khan, managing partner, Jupiter Offset Printers is the driving force for the company. Coming from a family of timber merchants, seeing the printed packages around every corner, Khan decided to try his hands in offset printing to start with. He had diversified into printing by purchasing a Printorama in 1995. Cutting teeth in printing and being successful in QPD (quality, price and delivery), they ventured into packaging four years later.

Today, under his constructive guidance, Jupiter Offset Printers has already grown to become a Rs 10-crore annual turnover company, being equipped with a Lithorone 5-colour, Komori 4-colour, Heidelburg 2-colour, Printorama single colour, Proteck cutting, scoring and lamination equipments. For quality control, they have Spectro Eye (Pantone Colour Reader), Barcode Scanner. In addition to 100’s of clients in Coimbatore, the company also includes Walmart, Maxican (US), and Cafi (Italy) in their clientele. They cater to the needs of textile, food, engineering, jewellery industries. Corrugated boxes are yet their specialty. The company also has plans to become one-stop-shop by investing in pre-press and post-press much more. Mohammed’s brother A Ahmed Khan looks after the packaging segment situated in Podanur, a nearby suburb in Coimbatore south. The main press is situated in city area (Coimbatore west). E Althaff Hussain is taking responsibility as general manager, while M Antony Cruz takes care as production manager.



V Balaji, MBA in HR, joined Kalaikathir group of companies in 2003 as HR manager and enjoying his work, is now the group manager of all the companies within the group, including Kalaikathir Achchagam (Printers), GRD Enterprises (P) Ltd, and Geeth Cartons. All the three companies, ISO-certified, are under one roof in their own premises in Avinashi Road (Coimbatore central area).

Prof GR Damodaran started Kalaikathir Tamil magazine as part of his science and technology information dissemination in 1948. Here started his encounter with ‘printing’ as such. Visiting printing fairs during 50’s and getting the inspiration, he started Kalaikathir Achchagam (Printers) in 1954 with Heidelberg and other letterpress machines, Monotype type casting, etc. Striving for continuous upgradation, went for Heidelberg Cylinder, Polygraph offset machine. In 1971, he procured Planeta offset machine which is said to be the first offset machine in Coimbatore. Phototypesetter came in 1985. Later Heildelberg KORS, HMT single colour, two-colour and four-colour, and Mitsubishi Diamond D3000 LS 4-colour were kept on added one by one. Subsequently, Geeth Cartons was started with facilities for E-Flute and N-Flute corrugated boxes, duplex cartons, etc. Equipped with platesetter in pre-press, the post-press segment has programmable cutting machine, folding machine, lamination, die cutting, embossing, perfect binding, label punching and spot UV curing equipments.

Started as a press for its own magazine, now they are regular commercial printers, producing about 600 plates in-house. Balaji is in the thick of the affairs looking after production and marketing of the whole group elevated to group manager in 2007.

After having a stint in the printing presses, R Ramachandran, diploma holder in printing (1970 batch from Chennai) became an entrepreneur himself in 1984 putting a screen printing unit, specialising in wedding cards known as ‘Ace Data’. The year 1991 witnessed the landmark Ace Data building in Peelamedu, Avinashi Road (Coimbatore east area). In 1992, they installed first offset machine and subsequently added three more. In 2002, it was the first press in south India to become ISO-certified in small scale sector. In 2007, Ace Data built a new facility at Coimbatore south-east area about 15 km from its original place. State-of-the-art machineries were installed like Heidelberg PM 74-4 (first one in Tamil Nadu), Polar 78xS cutting machine, Horizon folding, Macrobond laminator, Welbound perfect binder, Shanghai Purlux sewing machine and VU curing as well. They have conventional plate making as workload not yet requiring CtP.

With 25 percent of turnover made in their traditional ‘Ace Data’ wedding cards, having made a mark catering to industries such as educational institutions, banks, publishers, apparel and healthcare, they touched about Rs 400 lakh turnover. Their quality policy being ‘continual improvement in effectiveness of quality management system’, the 25-year growth has been a story of a Screen printer to Heidelberg PM74. The press is now known as Ace Data Prinexcel Pvt Ltd and has become a member of Typographers International Association, USA and Screen Printing Association International, USA. The driving force Ramachandran is assisted by his wife Prabha in design as well as customer care and his son Bharath in marketing. Both of them sit in Peelamedu office and Ramachandran looks after production in the new spacious facility with lot of room for expansion.

V Balasubramanian, DPT 1979 batch from IPT Chennai, is the general manager (Adminstration) of HiTech Universal Printers and Publishers Pvt Ltd, and Agogzan Infotech Pvt Ltd (Medical Transcription). He joined HiTech in 2008 when it moved into its new facility. Prior to this, Balasubramanian was associated with Govt of India Press since 1986. Dr PC Thomas is the CMD, J Antony shoulders the responsibilities of general manager (production) and KP Brijesh is marketing director of the subsidiary company HiTech Signatures (Printing Division). Signatures Design and Communications is a creative boutique based in Coimbatore Peelamedu, printing facility based in Santhoornagar, Coimbatore - East Sector. HiTech Signatures combines the core competencies of both companies in a strategic partnership.

Since its inception as an in-house printing press for the renowned Good Shepherd International School (Ooty), Dr PC Thomas has brought this press to its present level. Now, the annual turnover of the group would touch Rs 2.5 crore, and there is ample space around the premises allowing further expansion. The printing facility built up in an area of 18,000 sq ft is equipped with a Suprasetter S74 thermal CtP, Speedmaster SM74 4+1 press, Polar cutting and Stahl folding machines plus a Welbound six clamp perfect binding machine. ‘Passion for printing driven by Heidelberg technology’ is the company’s slogan.

S Murali, general manager, Chromaprint India Pvt Ltd is looking after the complete affairs of the press. He is a law graduate and was inducted by the managing director RLN Moorthy when he spotted him with one of his clients. Started in 1985, the press is specialised in labels and mono cartons. They execute self adhesive, pressure sensitive, clear on clear, foil stamped and die cut labels, and their clientele includes UB group, Hindustan Lever, 3M, Himalaya Drug, Radico Khaitan, etc. Equipped with Suprasetter, Heidelberg SM 74, GTO 2nos, Heidelberg foil stamping platens 15 nos, Polar115 and Polar 76 (2nos), Bobst SPeria 102 foil stamping and die cutting, Bobst Amazon folder gluer and Gallus flexo 8 units, screen printing, UV and foil stamping combined range of vast machines, Chromaprint has carved a niche for itself.



TA Balashanmugam (68), manager, Rukmani Offset Press is a veteran in the field. Being a 1960 batch LPT from Chennai, he is guiding the press with his vast experience. Balashanmugam looks after all aspects of production, marketing, purchase and human resources. After a stint of twelve years in a couple of presses, he is with Rukmani Offset for the past 38 years. Former president of Coimbatore Master Printers Association, he is also a member of many organisations including Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Established in 1968, Rukmani Offset is run by Nachimuthu Industrial Association (NIA), a trust created by Dr N Mahalingam, renowned industrialist of Sakthi Group of Industries, Coimbatore. Under the guidance of M Manickam, director NIA, eldest son of Dr Mahalingam and vice chairman and MD of Sakthi Sugar Mills Ltd, and advisor Prof Dr K Arumugam, Balashanmugam manages the press in its own premise (7500 sq ft area) situated in SIDCO Industrial Estate, Coimbatore south.

Equipped with full-fledged DTP, pre-press, HMTs, Ryobi, Komori Super 10 four colour and Lithrone four colour (19”x 26”), Welbound and other binding equipments, they print mainly books for educational institutions, hospitals, and has also delved into commercial printing. The company has won many print awards. Their annual turnover would amount to about Rs 1.75 crore.

‘Marketing’ makes prognoses and ‘sales’ activates planning with actual orders. Focusing the concept Autoprint Machinery Manufacturers Pvt Ltd (Coimbatore) is performing wonders under the astute guidance of CN Ashok director-commercial and KG Suresh, director-technical. Their network has always been abuzz with activities.



However, the company is well known with their eighteen products including: Autoprint 1510 Colt (single colour), 1520 Colt (single colour), Knight (single colour), Dion 250 (two colour) and Dion 450 (four colour) sheet-fed offset machines (commercial printing); Pack to Pack 7000s (single colour) and Pack to Pack 10000i (two colour) for continuous stationery printing (computer support); Reckoner VDP 50 (variable data inkjet printing), Fine Coat 80 (UV & aqueous coating) and Setmaster Collator (sheet collating); and Repetto 65 (die punch & creasing), Alca Gamut 250 (rotary) and TAG’O 100 HPD (flatbed) for label printing and packaging (merchandise printing). But it will be worthwhile to talk about the systems they follow in their working which has brought them to this level. Spread around two units, Autoprint manufactures specific products in each unit. Equipped with latest CNCs, the company specialises in immaculately manufacturing gear wheels and machine frames. With this world class quality, they do execute overseas orders. These two vital components are made in-house, and other parts procured from over 200 venders situated near to their units.

Autoprint’s training centre and their own printing press are models for themselves. Every buyer of their machines undergoes one week training along with the operator at their training centre. The quality control and job control methods at their manufacturing and printing units are unique enough and go a long way in helping their customers.

So, the printing fraternity of Coimbatore including persons from different facilites has sublimely given impetus to the city’s print industry which is growing apace constantly establishing new milestones for the Indian print Industry.