At the MRL Group stand at PrintPack 2017, we met VP Virmani, general manager of the printing rollers division. The MRL Group had on display the entire range of rolls it makes for paper machines, textiles, steel and hard chromium. The rolls, which are made of steel, have an outer coating of chromic acid, which makes the surface of the steel harder. The company also makes rubber rolls at their state-of-the-art plant in Modinagar, in western UP. Altogether, MRL has three plants, all of which are located in Modinagar.Â
Virmani shared that MRL Group has recently forayed into making design rollers and supplies to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company is expanding every year and has a pan India presence. When asked about the major clients his company supplies to, he stated names from the paper manufacturing industry like Century Mills, IPAPPM, ITC, Ballarpur Industries, JK Paper and Emami among others.Â
he OEMs and its growth story is closely connected to the growth of the OEMs that it supplies to. The major OEMs that MRL supplies to include Lohia Corporation, The Printers House, Manugraph, Ronald and Borkar. Overall, it has a customer base of 1,100 spread across India.Â
The other important aspect of MRL’s business, according to Virmani, is refurbishing of rolls. The company also does rubber coating of rolls and because rubber undergoes wear and tear, the rolls need refurbishing, which MRL now specializes in. All these functions are carried out in-house.Â
The MRL Group was set up in 1995 to make rolls for paper machines and gradually diversified into manufacture of printing rolls and hard chrome plated rolls. When asked about the rolls market in India, Virmani said that his company has to cope with 30-40% more demand every year. He suggested that this is a good indication as it reflects the growth potential of the market segment.
