The trend of commercial printers diversifying into packaging is not something very new happening in the Indian printing industry. After seeing subdued demand and stagnating revenues for a sustained period, many of the well established commercial printers of the country have shifted gears and decided to enter packaging. The South Indian printing industry is witnessing similar trends at the moment. Krishanu Dutta reports.
After Best Labels in Chennai, Gal-lus has installed another EM 280 label press in southern In- dia at Magnum Label in Bengaluru. The press has been installed in the first half of April. Magnum Label is a new entrant to the packaging label industry with the Gallus being its first label press but is no greenhorn in terms of expo- sure and experience in the industry.
Magnum Label is owned and found- ed by V Raja, a devout Catholic, who has
almost two decades of hands-on experi- ence in the print industry. He has been an offset commercial printer for the last 13 years withhis company, Raj Prints suc- cessfully catering to a vast range of chal- lenging needs while helping deliver re- sults for his clients. With a 4-color used- Komori offset press already athis disposal but with diminishing returns over the years, Raja along withhis brother Karthik decided last year to diversify to packag- ing. However, it was not an easy decision forhim to choose the particularsegment. As he says, “We thought about it for a while and spent some time doing re- search on the emerging market trends. I visited many exhibitions in China and South Asia to know more about the mar- ket needs. Finally, we decided to invest in a label printing setup as we thought that as long as packaging sells in the market, it will need a label along with it. With packaging only starting to take off in In- dia, the label industry shouldhave a flour- ishing future ahead.”
Raja had visited Labelexpo in Brus- sels during Septemberlast yearwhere the deal was finalized with Gallus. For any first-time label press owner, it is difficult to take a decision on the press. However, Raja was quite clear. He says, “Although we did consider other label presses, Gal- lus was always the number one choice for us. For any new printer, reliability along with quality is essential to make a mark in the market. With Gallus, one can find all these qualities along with its renowned brand recall and our relationship has been fruitful to say the least.”
The Gallus EM 280 installed at Mag- num Label comes with 8-colorsequential printing with optional coating, online coldfoiling providing amplificationtothe safety and which introduces an all to- gethernew spectrumof artwork through- put capabilities. The online embossing gives that true 3D touchandfeel to the la- bel andtheonline UV press withhigh-end capabilities for various UV treatments to the label and even the spot glue burning is achieved with high precision.
Samir Patkar of Gallus India was al- so present at the inauguration of the Magnum Label plant in Bengaluru. He expressed confidence in the abilities of
Raja and said it is apparent that Raja wanted to do it right the very first time when he opted for the Gallus press. He says, Bengaluru being a hub for the in- dustry has a host of suppliers in the field of consumables including the Avery Dennison Knowledge Centre of which Gallus is also a part, helps the printers to move up to speed within a short frame of time.
Gallus India has already installed more than 75 label presses in India. La- belexpo has been evidently quite suc- cessful for label press manufacturers, Gallus included. The last year has been especially successful for Gallus India with Patkar claiming it to be one of its best ever. “Last year was a great one for us and we were successful in installing several new presses,” he says. About the emerging trend of commercial printers moving into packaging, Patkar feels that it is a good and encouraging sign for the general packaging industry. However, he adds, that since any business is in- cepted to earn profits, overcapacity has to be guarded to ensure the long-term future of the industry. At this moment, Gallus India will be concentrating on or- ganizing customer relationship camps in the near future to engage them to- wards a mutually beneficial future.
A visibly excited Raja feels, utilizing his ready-made experience and customer base from the commercial printing seg- ment, Magnum Label is capable of deliv- ering the best to the clients through the use of high-end technology. He hopes, with the association of Gallus, his turnover would double by the end of the next financial yearand would act as a har- bingerof more success in the coming few years.
