Started in 2003 in Lucknow, Amber Press has rapidly grown as a commercial printer of books and magazines. It has also implemented the first phase of an ambitious future plan with the building of a new plant on a 17,000 square metre plot ten kilometres from the city centre. Equipment has already started arriving in the new 36,000 square foot building where a new Komori GL37 4-color press ordered at the recent Printpack exhibition in February 2017 is expected to be one of the main engines of growth when it is installed in the second half of this year.
The new plant on Hardoi road will be ready for commercial production by July 2017. It already contains built up accommodation for staff while there is ample room to build for future expansions and diversification. “The idea of having such a huge infrastructure is to diversify to packaging as well. We are planning to start packaging very soon,” says Wafa Abbas of Amber Press.
Along with the Komori GL37 press, Amber has invested in a host of other equipment including a plate punching machine from Noida-based Rado Packaging, an APL LED UV system and an Amsky CtCP platesetter. The APL UV curing system will be integrated to an existing 2-color Heidelberg press. The company also ordered a 20- page 578 mm cut-off web offset press from NBG Printographic Machines consisting of a 4-Hi tower and two blanket to blanket units.
A fashion model prior to soiling his hands with ink and oil in a pressroom, Abbas started Amber Press in 2003 as a complete novice without any printing background. “From the glamorous world of modelling to becoming a printer is altogether a very different experience for me,” he says. However, with time Abbas was able to learn every nuance of the printing industry and is today one of the most successful and well known commercial printers not only in Lucknow but also in adjacent cities. Meanwhile his younger brother Shuja Abbas has also joined the company.
In 2015, the company bought its first brand new multi-color sheetfed offset press – a Komori 429. Apart from the Komori 429, Amber has three Heidelberg presses – 2, 4 and 5 color presses respectively. Some of these presses will be shifted to the new plant. “Once the new plant starts operations, the old plant in the city will be more of a touchpoint for our customers,” says Abbas. Amber consumes nearly 4000 plates each month. He says that his company has been growing at a rate of 25 to 30% annually. “In the 2016-17 financial year we have converted around 3,000 tons of paper. With the Komori GL 37, this will go up twice,” said Abbas. “Our target is to achieve a turnover of Rs. 100 crore by 2020.”
Speaking a bit more about the new Komori GL37, Abbas says, “The press will be installed in July-August 2017. The GL37 is highly capable of short turnarounds and short runs in addition to on-press proofing.” Capable of printing at speeds up to 15,000 sheets an hour on substrates from 0.04 to 0.6 mm thick, its maximum sheet size of 640 x 940 mm accommodates a wide range of printing product formats.
