Mumbai-based Reliable Xerox Company has been in the digital printing space for almost two decades. Based in Mumbai business hub of Fort, it started off as a photocopy business 28 years ago and upgraded to digital printing business around 1993. With investment in diverse equipment and the latest technology over the years and having everything in-house, Reliable is in a position to service customers across the board, from business cards to biggest of banners.
“Our services are not restricted or specific to a segment,” says COO Dharmesh Mehta. Currently, Reliable has three digital printers: a Ricoh Pro C751ex, an HP Indigo 3550 and a Konica Minolta bizhub Pro C6501. An upgrade of its earlier HP Indigo 5000, the HP Indigo 3550 was commissioned in March 2012. The latest addition has been the Ricoh Pro C751ex, which was installed less than a year ago in February 2013.
“I looked around for almost a year before going in for the Ricoh. Finally, the press’ specification, productivity, efficiency, quality, cost-effectiveness and reliability led us to the Ricoh Pro C751ex. However, most importantly the service and after-sales service provided by Ricoh was known to be excellent,” explains Mehta. According to Mehta, the overall quality of the company’s products is completely taken care of because Reliable has print, plotting and fabrication all in- house.
Commenting on the digital printing space, Mehta says that the segment has matured quite a bit over the years, and that has happened because of evolution in technology and improvement in quality. He adds that despite the maturity in the digital printing segment, there are many avenues that remain untapped.
Online purchases of print products is something that has been creating a buzz for last couple of years but web-to-print sales still remain to take off, says Mehta. “It is in the last one year that Indian consumers have
become confident about buying online and started purchasing electronic items and apparel. Once print products move into the online space then possibilities are huge,” adds Mehta.
In order to take full advantage of the online platform, Reliable has been working on increasing its web presence. Mehta feels that it may take another year or two before this space fully opens up for print products. “We are preparing for that,” he says.
Mehta appears to be very bullish about the future of the digital printing segment. “Economic cycles are natural and there will be downsides when growth rates slow down. The long term picture remains positive. However, the last few years have been a time when it was a matter of sustainability rather than profitability,” suggests Mehta.
On plans for further investments, Mehta says that investment in machines is an ‘always on’ process. “In digital printing business one has to invest in new equipment and machines every three to five years. So we keep ourselves abreast of what is happening in the industry and invest whenever the need arises,” says Mehta.
In order to expand its gamut of services, the company has plans to move beyond printing on paper. “We want to explore other avenues such as fabrics and foils amongst other possibilities. However, all these will complement what we currently do, our core business,” concludes Mehta
