Committed to offering the best quality of print output and related services, Meena Printing Works in Coimbatore is a screen, digital, offset and inkjet signage printer. Established in 1990 by K Chinnaiah and his wife C Rani, the company is now run by the next generation, brothers C Ilango and C Ramdass. Meena delivers print services right from the prepress stage through printing, finishing and delivery logistics for its customer’s fulfilment requirements. We met Ilango and Ramdass to talk more about the company and the various services they offer.
“Meena Printing Works takes pride in its more than 26 years of leadership in the field of printing. We start every job with a blank sheet of paper and an open mind. Our very loyal customer base keeps coming back to us for the unmatched quality that we are able to deliver. Whatever our customers come to us with, we work closely with them to bring their ideas to life. We have tie-ups with renowned hospitals, schools and colleges in the city who bring their job requirements to us for printing. So, we are basically looking at creating lasting impressions,” says Ramdass.
The company provides print solutions to institutions such as hospitals and several leading educational institutions. These include the Hindusthan group of hospitals, St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s schools and colleges, Bharathiyar University, and Sethu Vidyalaya. The company is also well-known in Coimbatore for providing all types of advertising services through its sister concern Dimension Advertising Agencies, which offers complete ad solutions in the city.
“Our mission at Meena Printing Works is to work with people to plan, produce and manage their visual communications, create lasting impressions and help them achieve their goals more effectively,” adds Ilango.
A used multicolor offset press is more viable
The company specializes in screen printing, multicolor offset printing, digital works and also inkjet flex printing services for signage and outdoors. Sharing details about the machinery at the unit, Ramdass says, “We have a JHF-Leopard A16 solvent inkjet printer for all our flex printing jobs, a Xerox DocuColor DC 242 and 250 for digital printing, a Konica Minolta Bizhub 183, an ABDick and a PO-25 for offset jobs, and a MAX auto creaser and perforator by Autoprint. We do have plans to add more machinery in the near future but for now we are looking at a 4-color offset machine and most likely it will be a Mitsubishi as it’s a heavy-duty machine. It will however be a used machine as it makes little economical sense to invest in a brand new machine. Printing prices here in Coimbatore are very low, so investing a few crores on a new machine will not be feasible.”
Hyper-competition on print pricing
Ilango believes that their company’s constant quest for innovation and its commitment to help customers grow their business, by building their brands and enabling them to reach their strategic initiatives is key to its growth. This will keep them in tune with current and changing market demands. The brothers feel that although the offset market is doing well and will continue to witness growth in demand, there is an unfortunate hyper-competition on print pricing. “There are many printers who accept jobs quoting very low prices compared to the rest of the market but then they certainly compromise on the quality aspect. The bigger problem is that too often customers are okay with compromised print and finish quality, as long as the job is done at a lower price. Nevertheless, we are happy that we continue to serve our loyal clientele, who have complete trust in our quality and services,” says Ilango.
In conclusion, refering to the printing industry in Coimbatore, he says, “As far as offset printing market in Coimbatore, although it’s a Tier-II city it is the fastest growing market in South India. There’s a lot of competition but that’s what helps printers rope in the latest technology and solutions to stay ahead and quality and services at reasonable prices.”
