Pune headquartered printer Arts of World is aggressively expanding in Southern Maharashtra. Its Kolhapur branch reaches out to the southern parts of the state and the bordering areas of the states of Karnataka and Goa. On the Maharashtrian new year Gudi Padwa on 8 April, the company inaugurated its second plant in Kolhapur. The new plant has a Konica Minolta bizhub C1060 color digital press that was installed in early March.
Before the opening of its second unit in Kohlapur, Arts of World’s unit there was providing sales, service and design with the actual printing when needed, being done in Pune. Now with the installation of a Konica Minolta press in Kohlapur, the company will be able to take up the complete work for variable and short run on-demand print locally. AoW’s main plant in Pune has a 4-color Komori Lithrone 28 press, a Xerox 700 digital press, a Mimaki wide format inkjet printer for signage and a finishing and binding section including a perfect binder. While the two Kohlapur units have 14 employees, the Pune plant has 24 people while the two Kolhapur units have 14 employees.
Incorporated in 2004, Arts of World is a full service commercial and novelty printer right from business cards, brochures, stationery, gift bags, promotional items, leaflets, banners, wedding cards, T-shirts, mugs and various other products. “The formal inauguration of the second Kolhapur unit signals our focus on the regions of South Maharashtra, Northwest Karnataka and Goa. Earlier our Kolhapur unit was only dealing with designing, marketing and services but with the Konica Minolta in place at our new unit, printing jobs will also be taken care of from here as well,” says Amin Mullani, owner of the firm.
A new Komori on it way to Kohlapur
Commissioning of the second Kohlapur unit and the installation of a Konica Minolta digital press is just the beginning of AoW’s expansion plans in the region. Mullani says, in 2016 he will focus solely on developing Kolhapur as a full-fledged plant from where it can service clients from regional commercial centres such as Solapur, Belgaum, Ratnagiri, Bijapur, and Panjim for a start. “We have placed an order for a new 4-color Komori which will be installed at our third unit in Kolhapur. The machine is expected to be installed by the end of 2016. We are on a lookout for a space to build our third unit. That process is on. This facility will be a full-fledged unit just like the one we have in Pune. It will have both prepress and postpress departments as well,” Mullani states.
The idea behind the plan to establish a fully equipped facility is to offer smaller printers and designers in the region a high quality and reliable option of using offset and digital technology with appropriate finishing and postpress work under a single roof. According to Mullani, with the rise in print volumes from the area, the Pune unit alone cannot easily fulfil and efficiently serve the demands of the smaller cities and towns in the area. “We have a database of more than 2,000 small printers and designers in the region. They will be our key customers. Moreover, it will be a great convenience for them to have all our services under one roof and to receive their printed products in fast turn-around times,” Mullani concludes.
