Taiwanese machine manufacturers concentrate on Indian market

Chosen drupa 2016 to unpack their newest innovations and seal some fresh deals

Taiwan has many things at its best to attract the world over. Manufacturing industry is one such ambit of attraction the country is known for. A league of Taiwanese post-press machine manufacturers target India for business expansion. Of them, Wen Chyuan is a big brand with a range of its machines being installed in India through its Hyderabad-based distributor TGS India (Techno Graphic Services India Pvt Ltd), which also deals in machines from other eminent Taiwanese manufacturers, viz. SBL Group, Golden Tec Machinery, Datien, Fulontek and Top High Image Corp. Jyaneswar Laishram from Print & Publishing visits the manufacturing plants of these offshore companies for a brief discovery of their latest innovations showing at drupa 2016.
The league of Taiwanese manufacturers producing a host of groundbreaking die-cutting, folder gluers, varnishing, laminating, embossing, roll to sheet cutting, hot foil stamping and creasing machines as well as allied machineries like thermal CtP plates stand out amid the sea of conventional players, because of their proficiency in technologies, methodologies and researches they adopt to engineer their machines. Down the expanse from Taipei to Taichung, dwelled in several industrial clusters are such reputed manufacturers known for their tradition of quality and competency. A discovery of them is indeed a breakthrough to a new marvel.

Wen Chyuan’s deep India connection

Incepted provocatively around 40 years ago, Wen Chyuan Machinery Co Ltd is the brainchild of Lin Chi-I, who is quietly acknowledgeable for his dedication and commitment to establishing this post-press machine manufacturing company now producing a range of globally acclaimed UV varnishing, laminating and other finishing machines. “I neither had a formal training nor an engineering degree in life; it was only from the international expos I gathered my ideas and innovations of machine manufacturing,” recalls Lin Chi-I, adding that he started visiting drupa since 1987. “After seeing a model or a concept in an expo, I just drew the circuit of it on a piece of paper and reinvented it in accordance to our very own design and mechanism,” he explains.

Emma Lin, Bob Lin, Lin Chi-I, Kevin Lin and Muralidhar Nalli at Wen ChyuanToday, Wen Chyuan is recognised globally for its line of high-speed automatic laminating machines: KYE-108DRK, KYEK-108DRK, KYE-8K3, KYEK-108DRK-VP; and a range of spot UV/water-based varnishing machines, namely, KYU-9W-104, KYU-9W-110 and KYV-5. Also included in the portfolio are KYC-3W automatic calendaring and KYF- 5R reel-to-reel embossing machines. “We have a new laminating machine, KYEK- 82DK3, which will be shown in drupa 2016, at our Stall B63 in Hall 11,” reveals Emma Lin, Sales Director, Wen Chyuan Machinery Co Ltd. KYEK-82DK3 is an automatic high-speed film laminator that can accept maximum sheet size of 1080 x 820 mm at the speed of 60m/min. Wen Chyuan machines feature Japanese and European technologies blended with Taiwanese expertise.

Till date, Wen Chyuan has delivered more than 2300 machines to 50 different countries, including India. “Turkey is one of our target countries; so far, we have catered more than 50 machines to the country,” tells Emma, citing India as just another hotspot when it comes to counting the company’s client base in the country. “Most of our customers in the Indian packaging segment are repeated investors and we are proud of being able to fascinate them,” she adds, mentioning packaging majors like Pragati Offset, Parksons Packaging, Premier Paper Packaging (PPP), TCPL, CANPAC, Singhania Offset, among others, which have installed more than one Wen Chyuan machine at their production facilities.

On the Wen Chyuan’s robust presence in the Indian market, Muralidhar Nalli, managing director, TGS India Private Limited, says that they don’t require doing much marketing for the Wen Chyuan machines, which are good enough themselves to pull customers for repeat investments. “We hope for gaining some new ground at drupa 2016 from trade visitors from India,” he optimistically mentions. Looking forward to bringing more new innovations, Lin Chi-I articulates that Wen Chyuan is always in position to update its machines to new standards, as per the rhythm of changes in technologies and trends in the industry. Wen Chyuan has a China plant in Dongguan where produces machines designed only for the local market.

SBL Group goes for big plans

SBL Group, which has been a leading Taiwanese manufacturer of automatic foldergluers, die cutters and foil stamping machines over the last five decades in the industry, is now set to unpack its latest machines at drupa 2016, with a hope that they could able to fix valuable deals with international trade visitors during the fair, including some from India. “India is one of our focus countries which we think we could present in a bigger way in near future through our mutual tie-up with TGS India,” asserts Hank Kan, Director- Marketing, SBL Group. In this, TGS is now eying the diverse and surging packaging market of India for a deeper and mass penetration.

Yen Chen, Venugopal B, Muralidhar Nalli and Hank Kan at SBL GroupWhen asked how TGS India would handle the distribution of SBL machines in India, Muralidhar Nalli explains that they have strategically laid out plan to cover the whole length and breadth of the country, expanding branches of TGS, which is headquartered in Hyderabad, to far-off corners of the country as per the demands of their clients. SBL Group produces a family of automatic die cutting & creasing platen machines, namely, SBL-820, SBL-1050, SBL-1060, SBL-1150, SBL-1300; and SBL-820, 1050 & 1300 Series of automatic foil stamping & die-cutting platen machines as well as high-speed folding & gluing machines, such as, TS-550, TS-800/1000, TS-1100/1200/1350/1450 Series.

A long-view of SBL Group’s main plantAt drupa 2016, at Stall A64 in Hall 11, SBL Group is introducing new and upgraded SBL 1060 EFT and SBL- 1060 SEB automatic die cutting and foil stamping machines, alongside the showing of other existing models like SBL 820 EA (die cutter), SBL EFA (horse-stamping), upgraded TS 550 WSV (gluing & folding) machines, among others. “We have our overseas branch offices in the US and England wherefrom we cover various western countries; our presence in drupa 2016 this year will be an opportunity to meet our existing international customers and new ones as well,” remarks Hank.

With 47 years of post-press machine manufacturing experience, SBL Group has garnered a reputation of an Asian manufacturer at par with European counterparts like Germany and Switzerland. In 2010, the group invested US$16 million to expand its infrastructure and a new factory of 13,000 sq m was opened at Tucheng District for making only machine components, located at a few kilometers from its headquarters in New Taipei City. Now the total area of the group’s manufacturing plants is measured around 30,000 sq m. Certified with ISO-9100, ISO-9002, ISO-14001, CE and GS Standards, SBL Group has been tied up with Heidelberg to manufacture certain machines for the latter.

Golden Tec Machinery debuting at drupa 2016

If one is in pursuit of one of the most steadfast sheeting machine manufacturers in Taiwan, the search will come to an end at Golden Tec whose machines are popular, not only in the domestic market but in various overseas markets, including India, Bangladesh, Thailand, UAE, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, Russia, South Korea and many European countries. “We will be participating in drupa this year for the first time. We will not be showing any machine physically, but will surely do in the next edition,” reveals Mick Lai of Golden Tec Machinery Co Ltd. Golden Tec can be found at Stall B63 in Hall 11B in drupa 2016. Major sheeting machines of Golden Tec can be classified broadly into two categories— single rotary knife and synchro twin-knife sheeters. The company’s TKSC 1400/1700 Series machines are high-precision sheeters, capable to cut paper, board, film and plastic.

Mick Lai, Muralidhar Nalli, Venugopal B and Steven Lai at Golden TechThese AC servo machines are designed to cut 300 m/min at the cut-off length range of 460-1370 mm with knife loading in 550 gsm/sq m. About the unique features of their machines, Mick explains that the Golden Tec sheeters are operator-friendly, can be set quickly, cut-offs are accurate and they stack smoothly. Since Golden Tec’s inception in the year 2000, founded by Steven Lai, the company has so far catered more than 200 machines to more than 20 countries. One of the major clients of Golden Tec in the domestic market is Formosa Paper Co Ltd, which has installed 11 paper sheeting machines over a decade’s time and the 12th machine is now set to install in the facility of this leading Taiwanese paper supplier.

“We are happy to be the partner of such a big paper company of the country. Our oldest machines are still running without any wear and tear in the facilities of Formosa,” mentions Mick, gesturing pride for the competencies of the Golden Tec machines.

TGS India lending helping hands

Some of the leading Taiwanese post-press machine manufacturers, which have not booked berths to drupa 2016, will however mark their presence in the mega trade show through TGS India. Of course, TGS India will promote its partners, Datien and Fulontek.

Computerised Datien paper cutting machine (Guillotine) is an internationally acclaimed paper cutter with twin arms for slicing papers in varied widths ranging from 115 cm to 300 cm; meanwhile, Fulontek FL-500 is a multi-function finishing machine, which has complete features including die-cutting, kiss-cutting, creasing, perforating, blind and foil embossing, hot foil stamping and others. “Applications of FL-500 include greeting cards, invitations and the like. This machine can enhance the digitally printed graphics at the speed of 6000 sheets/hr,” explains Paul Yang of Fulontek Enterprise Co Ltd.

“At drupa 2016, we will also be promoting a Taiwanese embossing machine manufacturer,” says Muralidhar Nalli, adding, “Their embossers are patented products available in two models. These machines emboss by heating process as patterns are transferred by steel plates, saving consumables, and capable to emboss on any type of paper or plastic materials.” Further, talking about some added advantages of the machines, Muralidhar Nalli explains that the cooling system on the surface of pressure roll in the embossers can make embossing patterns on the same level, thus compatible the process even on plastic materials.

Top High Image Corp, another partner of TGS India, is now getting prepared to hit the route to India. The company is a well-known Taiwanese thermal CtP plate manufacturer, whose products are popular in various overseas markets, with India to be included in the clientele sooner than later. Alan Hou, VPBusiness Development, High Top Image Corp, remarks that they are very confident about success in the Indian market, as they trust the way TGS India deals in Taiwanese machineries. Top High Image Corp sells around 10 million sq m of thermal plates per annum worldwide. Muralidhar Nalli says TGS India at drupa 2016 will be promoting the Taiwanese products, which they are dealing Mick Lai, Muralidhar Nalli, Venugopal B and with, primarily among the Indian visitors.