For first generation entrepreneurs in India, getting a foothold in an industry is always a challenge. The initial years are always fraught with rejection, disappointment or even failure. Things may be improving in the country lately with lot of focus on startups and ease of doing business; but a decade ago the scenario was totally different. However, for Alhad Gandre, who was in his early twenties then, all these factors were never a deterrent. With a couple of years of planning, he founded Stallion Innovative Machines in 2003 and began manufacturing in 2006.
“I decided to manufacture postpress machinery for the notebook manufacturers because I was familiar with the segment. My father had a small notebook manufacturing unit and I knew the problems he faced in the postpress department. It was a neglected segment in India then and to some extent it still is. A large number of printers, book manufacturers and notebook makers do not pay sufficient attention to postpress operations, which are largely manual even today. It was a very good niche for me to get into and offer affordable technology as there were not many good Indian players,” Gandre says.
Gandre’s perseverance has paid off with Stallion Innovative Machines having come a long way in the last decade. It now has a portfolio of 11 products comprising stitching machine, taping machine, binding machine, folding machine, pinning machine, cutting and gluing machine, gumming machine, and other machines which are manufactured at the company’s Andheri East unit. For the first five to six years the company was selling just seven to eight machines in a year but with new and innovative products, sales gradually improved and in the last two years it has been selling close to 50 machines annually. It has about 450 installations in India and approximately 50 overseas. Although these are not big numbers, Gandre believes in the coming years things would only improve as the company focusses on technology and innovation.
Last year was exceptionally good for Stallion as it managed to penetrate developed markets in Europe such as the United Kingdom, Greece and Ireland. There were four installations in the United Kingdom and two each in Greece and Ireland. These eight installations were of the company’s flagship product, the M19 STITCHmaster, a programmable heavy duty wire stitching machine, which has a speed of 20 sections a minute and can take book thickness of 20 mm. The M19 was developed in technical collaboration with US-based DeLuxe Stitcher Company and was launched during last year’s Printpack. What was instrumental in the company’s European breakthrough was its marketing tie-up with Irelandbased Pro-Bindree.
Global ambitions
The success Stallion achieved in the overseas market last year gave Gandre the confidence to think about exhibiting at drupa 2016. For Gandre who has not even been to the event as a visitor, deciding to go there as an exhibitor was a big deal. “For a young company like ours, making a decision to exhibit at drupa was a big one as it involved significant time, energy, planning and capital. Many people advised me to first go there as a visitor and then participate in the next edition. But I believe we have good products that can be exhibited at the show. There was no need to wait for the next drupa,” he says.
At Hall 6 Stand E76 at drupa, Stallion will launch its latest product, the M30 STITCHmaster, programmable wire stitching machine. The machine has again been developed in collaboration with DeLuxe Stitcher Company. The M30 also has a speed of 20 sections a minute but can take book thickness of 30 mm. It is ideal for thick works like business forms and ticket books. The M30 will be displayed online with Stallion’s automatic spine taping machine, the TAPEmaster, as one unit. Also on display will be the company’s manual wire stitching machine, PINmaster.
The products Stallion makes are not only niche in India but, according to Gandre, they meet the demands of a niche market even in Europe and other emerging markets as well. Last year, exports made up close to 70% of the company’s business. “We expect to put up a good show at drupa. There are not many players globally who can offer this kind of technology at a competitive price. Overseas customers have accepted our technology. At drupa 2016 we will make sure more global customers get to know about our technology. I feel the event will be a game changer for us and we are very excited,” Gandre concludes.
