Lucknow-based Crest Office Automation installed a imagePRESS 700 press in endJanuary 2015. This is the 21st installation of the C800 series press – which consists of three models C800, C700 and C600 – in India. “But there is more significance to it than being the 21st installation because it is our first installation in Uttar Pradesh,” says Puneet Datta, director, Professional Printing Products Division, Canon. “This is in line with our strategy to extend to the tier-2 cities and we are already providing direct sales and service to almost 38 cities.”
According to Datta, the response to the C800 series is phenomenal with surplus orders. “Globally we aimed at selling a couple of hundreds of the C800 series but the order run has gone into thousand across the world. But we are geared up to clear the backlog – at least for Asia we will have enough stock by March 2015.”
The imagePRESS C800 series operates effortlessly, for both shortruns and complex variable data printing for personalized print communications. The C800 series is also compatible with various third party in-line finishing devices. “The new press will allow us to print on 13 x 19-inch sheets which can be increased to 13 x 30 inches,” says Dinesh Joshi, director, Crest Office Automation.
Joshi, an ex-employee of Bharat Petroleum Corporation, where he worked for almost 25 years before taking voluntary retirement in 2004 as deputy general manager, has established four verticals under Crest Office Automation – remanufacturing of ink cartridges, office automation, solar energy and digital printing. Joshi also worked as a vicepresident of logistics for Reliance Petroleum before deciding to go back to his roots in Lucknow, to start his own business.
Josh’sjourney to entrepreneurship is quite inspiring and motivating – from retirement to a whole new and challenging endeavour. His association with Bharat Petroleum and Reliance has made him believe in continuous upgradation of knowledge, skills and abilities of employees. Joshi says, “I would like to have a professional approach to the human resources that we have and will be sending a few people for training in designing, operating digital presses and more.” However, Joshi has also seen instances of futile efforts by printers in grooming their employees. He says, “Unfortunately, many times it is seen that once an employee becomes a little knowledgeable, his anxiety is to become an entrepreneur himself. But I am ready to face this situation because training and development of employees is inevitable to produce quality print and thereby have a satisfied customer base.”
Joshi started his printing business three years ago with two Konica Minolta 224E presses. Apart from printing visiting cards, calendars, project reports and more, he started printing the inside pages of a couple of local and niche magazines with runs of 100 to 150 copies. “As the business started growing, there was a need to have a bigger and more sophisticated machine, especially after I started getting requests to print the cover pages of the magazines as well,” says Joshi. “Now with the imagePRESS 700, I am confident of generating more business and printing high quality covers for my customers,” Joshi concludes.
