Noida-based Colorjet showcased a variety of inkjet printers at Media Expo Mumbai 2016 for the signage and outdoor advertising segments. The company displayed for the first time in India, its Softjet Plus, a 2.5-metre soft signage printer that can print directly on fabrics, optimized for replacement of PVC-based media. Also on display was the Irisjet solvent printer. The third product, the Polo Turbo solvent printer was being shown for the first time in the Western region at a trade show.
Smarth Bansal, brand manager of Colorjet sounded extremely enthusiastic about the launch of the Softjet Plus soft signage printer because of its market potential in the country. “Markets in developed countries have moved away from flex and solvent because of the adverse impact they have on the environment as well as on human health. The popularity of fabric as a print medium has increased manifold in these Western markets. We believe this trend will catch up in India as well given the increasing focus on environmental health here.”
The entry-level Softjet Plus is meant for customers who want to enter the fabric printing segment and do not want to invest large capital in equipment. Bansal believes the flag printing business, which the printer primarily caters to, will see good growth because of proliferation in their use for advertising and promotion. “You will see more and more usage of flags in places like malls, hotels, retails outlets in coming years because fabric is easy to handle and transport, which saves time and labour.”
Talking about Colorjet’s business strategies, Bansal said that the company is aggressively looking at foreign markets especially in Middle East and Africa regions. With its wide array of products, the company feels the time is right for more aggressive overseas marketing. The company has distributors in almost 14 countries including Egypt, Kenya, Qatar, and Turkey with an office in Dubai.
“The reason why we are now so focussed on foreign markets is because we have the confidence that our products are good enough to be accepted by international customers. We are not competing with cheap Chinese brands but with established European and Japanese brands. And we are sure we can give them a good fight,” said Bansal. The company has a budget for promotional activities overseas and plans to actively participate in global exhibitions and to hold roadshows. “We are well prepared with a solid strategy in place.”
