Vasai-based packaging printing firm Kalapi Printing Press has invested in a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD102 LX six-color UV press in the month of March this year. The company has been attending to the regulated market segment in the pharmaceutical space and now wants to diversify into the realm of the broader packaging printing segment.
“With the installation of the new Heidelberg CD102 press we are now hoping to branch out beyond the specialized area of the pharmaceutical industry. Our aim is to enter segments where volumes are large so that this new press would come into play,” says Nazim S Nanjee, managing director of the Kalapi Printing Press.
Presently Kalapi prints pharmaceutical cartons and inserts and has about 65 to 70% of its business coming from exports. The company does not export directly but its products are routed through
pharmaceutical companies. The main exports destinations are the European Union and Africa. The Vasai plant is spread over 27,000 square feet.
Family of Heidelbergs
The 27,000 square feet plant boasts of a family of Heidelberg printing presses. With the addition of CD102 there are now five printing presses from Heidelberg and Nanjee says the
experience has been good adding that the staff is now very comfortable working with Heidelberg machines.
“We bought the CD 74 six years ago and it was one the best business decisions of my career. That machine helped us in boosting volumes in the regulated market segment in the pharmaceutical space. It was a game changer and added a lot to our company’s operations,” Nanjee recalls.
He further adds that after-sales service from Heidelberg is excellent. Nanjee reveals that earlier he was contemplating buying a second-hand machine instead of a new one but the Heidelberg team was very proactive in convincing him to buy a new machine.
“Initially we wanted to buy a used machine which would not be older than a 2006-make but the Heidelberg team made the idea of buying a new machine very attractive by taking care of the financing part of the deal.”
Along with the five Heidelbergs in the printing division, Kalapi has three Bobst diecutters and two Heidelberg cylinders in the postpress division. The plant also has four folder gluers — two. from Bobst, one from Heidelberg and one from Acme.
Boosting volumes
The downturn in the economy in the last few years has slowed down the company’s growth and reviving the top line as well as the bottomline is the primary target for Nanjee, which he believes CD102 will help in achieving by boosting volumes.
“Growth has been muted in the past few years and we hope this new machine would help us in reviving growth. Our expenses have been
rising faster than our overall rate of growth. We were being out priced in large volume jobs. We expect to save on labour cost as well as energy cost with this machine,” says Nanjee.
In terms of further expansion, Nanjee says the company is planning to set up a new plant to cater to the expected expansion in operations. He concluded by divulging that Kalapi would be installing a CtP within a few months, either from Kodak or Heidelberg.
