Nagpur-based commercial print service provider Vedi Offset recently installed an MGI Jetvarnish 3D One to cater to the post-print value addition segment demand. The MGI Jetvarnish 3D One comes with Accurioshine foiling equipment. The MGI press was installed around the end of March 2021, just before the second COVID-19 wave hit India, leading to lockdowns in April and May.
“We have been in the digital print business for two decades, and our aim has always been to offer the best service to our customers by staying abreast with the latest technology. However, we have seen a surge in demand for post-print embellishment from our customers. They now want UV and foiling. To service this market segment, we opted for the MGI,” says Arun Singhania, owner of Vedi Offset.
Singhania says that MGI was the first choice as its technology is very well established, and Konica Minolta has a well-set network in India, which is a significant advantage.
“Before this, we used to outsource the UV and foiling jobs. Now with an in-house solution, we have better control over quality and delivery. Also, with the MGI now in place, we hope to see a new revenue stream emerge for us. With the rise in short-run jobs, the conventional value-added process was not feasible in terms of cost. This is where MGI is a big advantage,” he says.
The JETvarnish 3D One is the most cost-effective entry point into MGI’s complete series of sheet-fed, digital print enrichment finishing presses. The small operational footprint of the JETvarnish 3D One allows printers, finishers, and converters to have a full in-house production and prototyping print embellishment system without screens, dies, or plates. It coats up to 2,077 A3 size sheets per hour. The varnish formula allows flat 2D Spot UV highlighting and sculptured 3D raised special effects on a wide range of substrate stocks and media such as paper, synthetics, plastics.
Vedi Offset volumes back to normal after lockdown relaxations
Although the Vedi Offset was more or less operational during the second Covid-19 wave, the volumes had dropped sharply due to the restrictions on mobility. The MGI was installed in March, and the country went into lockdown in April, so the press was not fully utilized initially. However, since June, there has been a robust recovery in volumes.
“We have been operating the MGI to the maximum for the last couple of months as the lockdown was eased. Volumes have recovered as businesses have opened. Demand for short-run jobs has been going up since the first lockdown. This has been an advantage for us. I expect this trend to continue,” Singhania says.
In addition to the MGI, Vedi Offset has digital and offset presses in the print department. Vedi has a robust pre-press and finishing department as well.
Talking about future investment plans, Singhania says he plans to install some minor post-press equipment in the immediate future. “At present, we do not have any plans to get more equipment barring some minor ones for our post-press department,” he concludes.
