Surat’s Modi Xerox installs Konica Minolta AccurioPress C3080

First Konica Minolta press at the 30-year old printer

572
Dilip Modi, owner of Modi Xerox with the C3080
Dilip Modi, owner of Modi Xerox with the C3080

Surat-based Modi Xerox has recently commissioned a brand-new Konica Minolta AccurioPress C3080 digital color production press. The 30-year old print service provider began operating the press in February just before the second Covid-19 wave hit India. The ensuing lockdown hit the operations, but things are now limping back to normalcy, and the AccurioPress C3080 is now again churning out big volumes. 

“This is our first Konica Minolta digital press. Before this, we had been using two Xerox presses and wanted to replace one. So, we did some homework and, after much deliberation, decided on the AccurioPress C3080. With this new press, we are able to achieve much bigger volumes than what we did with the Xerox,” says Dilip Modi, owner of Modi Xerox. 

During February, the first entire month of operations of AccurioPress C3080, Modi Xerox printed 40,000 impressions. With its Xerox DocuColor press, it was able to print about 15,000 impressions a month. However, due to the lockdown, operations at Modi Xerox were suspended during April and most of May. 

The Konica Minolta AccurioPress C3080 prints at a speed of 80 pages per minute and accepts paper sizes up to 13” x 19.2” and weights up to 350 gsm. It has 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution with 8-bit processing. The press boasts of productive duplex banner printing with a banner tray that holds 1000 banner sheets of up to 30” and simplex banner printing up to 51”. It has enhanced Simitri HDE toner for superior halftone and skin-tone reproduction, with biomass plant-based material to reduce environmental impact.

“We could fully use the press only in February because we were closed in April and most parts of May. However, we are extremely satisfied with the press. The speed is faster, and the quality is better than the older press. The after-sales of Konica Minolta is also very good,” Modi says. 

Modi Xerox volumes pick up as pandemic recedes

After remaining shut for more than a month, Modi Xerox reopened in May and gradually increased volumes. They are still not at the February levels because of partial restrictions still in place.

“In June, we expect to print about 20,000 impressions on the C3080, which is lower than what we did in February. However, with things opening up, we hope to get back to 40,000 impressions per month level very soon,” Modi says.

Talking about more investment in the coming months, Modi said that he plans to replace the second Xerox, the Versant 80, next year. 

“We will decide on the new press only after one year. Till then, we are happy to operate the C3080 and the Versant 80,” Modi concludes. 

 

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

Subscribe Now

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here