Vijayshri Packaging’s multi-crore Capex drive led by a Komori GL 640 C

Central India’s leading converter’s first brand new multicolor press

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Vijayshri Packaging manufacturing unit in Indore
Vijayshri Packaging manufacturing unit in Indore

Indore-based Vijayshri Packaging is Central India’s leading carton and corrugated specialist. The company has recently wrapped up a multi-crore Capex drive led by a brand-new Komori GL 640 C, a 6-color sheetfed offset press with UV. In addition, it has invested in expanding the factory manufacturing area and adding equipment in the corrugation and converting departments. 

“We have invested in multiple pieces of equipment and expanded our shopfloor significantly. Investment in the Komori press is a landmark event for us as this is the first time we have bought a brand-new press. It is also a big investment. Our other Komori presses are pre-owned. Also, this is the first time we are dealing with Komori India. It has been a great experience,” says Ayush Jain, director, Vijayshri Packaging.

According to Jain, the company planned to buy a new press in 2019, but the decision was delayed multiple times due to unforeseen events. Finally, the company penned the deal in October 2020, and the press was installed in July 2021.

Die cutting operations at Vijayshri shop floor
Die cutting operations at Vijayshri shop floor

In addition to the Komori, Vijayshri has also bought a new corrugation line, flute laminators, a die-cutter supplied by Zhongke India, and a liner machine from Heiber + Schröder. Last year, the company bought a Bobst folder gluer, and another one is expected by year-end. 

The company has also significantly expanded the manufacturing space. Vijayshri moved to the current premises in 2016, with the factory building having an operational area of 140,000 square feet – 80,000 square feet on the ground floor and the remaining 60,000 square feet on the first floor. As a result, the company has now expanded the overall operational area to 210,000 square feet. 

Before moving to the current location, Vijayshri operated from a much smaller unit in another part of the city. The folding carton unit was separate from the corrugation unit, as the two were distinct entities. In terms of products, Vijayshri makes monocartons, litho-laminated cartons, and shipper or transport cartons.  

The demand for high-quality cartons is pervasive

For Vijayshri, the commissioning of the new set of equipment will be a significant booster as it will now be able to enhance quality and productivity and cut wastage. In addition, Jain believes his company will now provide better and innovative packaging solutions to even small and medium brand owners. 

“There is now a distinct trend in the cartons business – which is that end customers and brand owners now want top quality products. Even smaller brand owners give a lot of importance to the quality of packaging. If you go to tier 3 and tier 4 markets, the quality of packaging offered by smaller players is very good,” Jain argues. 

Vijayshri is also trying to popularise litho-laminated cartons for secondary packaging applications. According to Jain, this will help in reducing the use of plastics in secondary packaging. 

“There are many applications in the secondary packaging space where plastics are being used. We believe many of these applications can easily switch to paper without impacting the nature of the packaging. In addition, this will be very environmentally friendly,” he says. 

Vijayshri success in the time of COVID

Team Vijayshri with Team Komori with the new Komori press
Team Vijayshri with Team Komori with the new Komori press

Like many converters across the country, Vijayshri has withstood the COVID-19 related shock and has thrived. Its production volumes are now much higher than seen just before the pandemic’s first wave hit India. However, there are headwinds, such as rising raw material prices.

“We have managed to increase prices in recent months, but rising paper and paper board prices are a big challenge facing the industry. There are many uncertainties, and the industry will need to think of a way of handling this,” he 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

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