Komori organized an open house in Ludhiana on 1 February 2018, with around 150 printers from the city in attendance. Welcoming the delegates, general secretary of the Offset Printers Association, Kamal Chopra, said that the time has come for the change to modern equipment to enhance production and reduce make-ready times. The Open House concluded with the installation of the first brand new Komori press in Ludhiana.
Speaking about Komori’s offset press installations, Sangam Khanna, president and managing director of Insight Communication & Print Solutions said, “We have installed more than 335 Komori printing presses in the last decade in the country. The reasons may vary but there is a definite change in the mind-set of printers in the country and we see an increasing preference in demand for new printing presses compared to pre-owned machines. Most importantly, printers in an industrial city like Ludhiana have started opting for new printing presses as well.” Speaking about Komori’s range from the entry-level, 4-color Enthrone to the Lithrone G/GX series for packaging printing and further to the Impremia digital inkjet solution and workflow software solutions, Khanna also discussed the possibility of special printing presses for unique applications.
Akihiro Komori, deputy general manager, Komori Corporation, Japan, said, “We see global trends in India. As per our study, packaging printing will continue to grow from 18 to 20% with commercial and book printing also growing at the rate of 18% per annum in India. The trend from printed copies to digital is also reversed in the USA and it is positive for the industry.” Komori added that as 2018 is the IGAS year, Komori will showcase its best technology and innovations at the show in Tokyo. He added that to get close to Indian customers and provide better services, enhanced product reliability and provide information and communications technology (ICT) solutions aimed at improving productivity, Komori Corporation will soon establish its subsidiary in India. He said Hirofumi Hoshino will be the managing director of the new venture.
Hoshino, a mechanical engineer, joined Komori in 1977 and was involved in press design and production. Having worked in Komori America and Europe, he is a core member of the Komori Global Sales and Service Group and an associate board director. During the Open House, Hoshino, leader of Komori’s India Project, spoke about Kaizen in the pressroom and how a printer can turn his machine into a goldmine if he chooses to follow the ‘Five S’ formula.
