The Indian offset industry is at a critical inflection point. Despite global decline in offset print volumes, the offset market in India is pretty robust. There is a downward pricing trend in equipment as well as consumables. In effect, although this means shrinking margins for all stakeholders, influx of new printing presses is helping in CtP growth. Many old equipment are also up for replacement, so there is a growth in demand that could bring a sustainable pace for CtP sales.
Arnab Maiti, national business manager – prepress solutions & united workflow solutions, India cluster commercial imaging says, “Kodak showed its excellence in printing technology at drupa, in prepress, digital, flexo and inkjet. It is clear that Kodak continues to invest in newer technology and cater to customers, in a bid to improve their printing operations as well as their profitability. When we say growth, we believe that Kodak’s growth will be in tandem with what the industry needs, where we always look to offer the best solutions to market.”
Maiti continues, “We launched a host of solutions for printers at drupa 2016. These solutions created excitement with their unique value proposition, and we look to deliver these to printers and do what Kodak has always done – give the printers a solution that will not only enhance their printing operation, but also help them drive better profitability and a more sustainable business. Kodak’s focus on environment consciousness is clearly visible in every product category we have, and we are committed to contributing to this cause.”
Hersh Lulla, manager – marketing, product manager – Nexpress, India cluster, Eastman Kodak company says, “Kodak has got a wide variety on offer with CtP Platesetters such as Achieve T400/ T800 which are entry-level, robust output devices that deliver high image quality with Kodak’s TH5 thermal imaging technology and the Trendsetter Q400/Q800 which brings to the table productivity with features such as geometric compensation, temperature compensation, dynamic autofocus along with Kodak’s award-winning SQUAREspot imaging technology that enables accurate and consistent imaging.”
Lulla adds, “Kodak’s Sonora XP Thermal Process Free plates brings productivity, print quality and print performance comparable to mainstream processed plates. Eliminating the processing step lets printers save on chemistry, water, processor maintenance and chemistry disposal, as well as reducing the significant cost of processing variability. These have been the key technologies which have helped distinguish Sonora Plates from other process free plates available in the market.”
Kodak’s other plates such as the Libra violet plates, Sword Ultra thermal plates, the Achieve EM thermal plates and the Capricorn GT thermal plates are all suitable for a wide range of commercial applications, delivering consistent results at a very competitive price, according to Lulla.
Kodak has seen continued momentum from the previous year, with drupa 2016 acting as a catalyst for its growth plans, according to Arnab Maiti. He says, “In the current financial year, we have had installations across the country, across all geographies. Kodak is well-set to beat our internal targets for 2016. There has been steady growth in volume, but at the same time the industry has been experiencing pressure on profitability due to pricing. Demand for quality printing is a big contributor to preference swinging towards quality plates such as Kodak. In-house CtPs are becoming a new option, especially with the entrenchment of process free plates. This is helping printers by bringing down costs, increasing affordability and making in-house CtPs a more viable option. Sonora has been a game-changer for printers, where the experience of working with a process free setup is giving clients tremendous benefits and savings, and this is something customers are vocal about,” Maiti concludes.
