Herald Castellino has been a Komori user since 2008 and continues to believe in the brand. Image Production, the company that he owns has four Komori presses. The company prints brochures, flip charts, visual aids, writing pads, and more while focussing primarily on the pharmaceutical industry at its 5,000 square foot plant is in the New Sonal Industrial Estate in the Mumbai suburb of Malad.
Herald Castellino established Image Production in October 1999 and started offering cutting, punching and binding services while outsourcing the offset printing. In 2003, the company added a 4-color Adast Dominant press and five years later Castellino bought his first Komori, a second-hand Lithrone 26, replacing the Dominant. The Lithrone 26 was followed by two other second-hand Komori Lithrone 26 presses.
A new Enthrone 29
In April 2014 Image Production installed its fourth Komori press but this time it was a brand new Komori Enthrone 29. “The reason for going in for a new Komori after using three used ones was not that I was not satisfied with the quality of my older Komori presses. The foremost reason was that I wanted to upgrade to the latest technology so that I could stay abreast with the developments in the market. Moreover, my older machines are not inferior in quality when compared with the new one because I have been investing in their maintenance all these years,” says Castellino.
Although upgrading to the latest technology was the most important reason for installing thenew machine, thecompactsizeof Enthrone 29 was also a deal clincherfor Castellino. “Apart from upgrading to latest technology, anotherimportantreasonto go infor Enthrone 29 was that its compactsizewas anaddedadvantageina spacestarved city like Mumbai whereyouhaveto make useof thevery last inchof space.
Advantageof size is a big bonus. Plus this press is very user-friendly, andmuch faster— a valueformoney product,” says Castellino. Heexplains furtherthatthe aftersales service from Komori is very goodalthoughitis generally notneeded as any severebreakdownina Komori is extremely rare.
There has been a severe deceleration in the Indian economy which has impacted the printing industry as well. Printers across all segments of the market, whether low or high-end, are facing a visible decline in volumes and margins.
Despite the prevailing market conditions, Castellino decided to invest in a new machine because he believes if one has to thrive in the market, not just survive, one has to technologically upgrade from time to time.
Personalized service
“The customer at the higher end of the market now wants personalized service. He is ready to pay a premium for quality. By quality it is not just the printed material but also the kind of personal relation a printer has with his client. You have to pay a lot of attention to the client. Price might be the overriding factor at the lower end of the market but at the top end of the market factors other than price play
an equally important role for the client,” says Castellino.
Although market conditions in the last few years have been far from rosy, Image Production, says Castellino, has been able to maintain its business. “In addition to the personalized service that we provide, the fact that 75% of our business comes from the pharmaceutical industry also cushioned us during the downturn of the last few years. The pharmaceutical industry is insulated from severe recession due to its nature. But we surely did not see any major growth during the last few years,” says Castellino.
Talking about the company’s future plans, Castellino says Image Production is looking to diversify in other areas, like packaging. “Packaging is an attractive space as its role has become very important. We have just started thinking about diversifying and moving into that space. However, planning will take at least two years,” concludes
Castellino.
