Lucknow-based Amar Fax Services, a provider of books, business cards, pamphlets, menus, high-end invitation cards, point of sale (POS) material, and other print products, installed two AccurioPress C12000 from Konica Minolta at each of its units in Hazaratganj and Aliganj. The commercial printer provides printed commodities to educational institutions, banks, government, and private offices – supplying to most of Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Delhi-NCR.
The company plans a significant expansion in offset printing and rigid box packaging printing next year with the installation of a Komori LS press at a new unit on Sitapur Road, which it will name Amar Offset. The company is also in talks to establish a fourth unit for digital printing in Alambagh, covering all major markets in Lucknow. Amar Fax Services was started by directors Surjeet Singh and Harpal Singh at a time when printing was not considered a profitable business option.
Initially, users of analog machines from Xerox, the company, established in 1989, switched to digital to meet speed and quality demand with media flexibility. At present, the company owns several digital presses from Konica Minolta installed in the last eight years.
Other digital color production presses acquired by Amar Fax include the AccurioPress 101, C1100, C6100, C1060, three pro-1100 black and white presses, KIP and HP wide format output devices and a Xerox Map machine.
Talking to Indian Printer and Publisher, Surjeet said, “During our inception, we utilized analog machines from Xerox along with a plan printer (for maps) as there weren’t any providers of big maps, making it the first in Lucknow. Eventually, during the 90s, we added color presses from Xerox. During the early 2010s, we were introduced to digital machines that could easily fit on our shop floors. After a few demonstrations and witnessing the print quality, our inclination grew towards Konica Minolta.”
Harpal discussed the improvement in efficiency enabled by the digital presses. Talking about the latest equipment and the overall success of the Konica Minolta digital presses, he said, “We have installed an MGI Jv3D One machine in our Aliganj unit. It was the second machine in Lucknow. It has UV inkjet technology combined with drop-on-demand printheads for high quality and speed. It has a software suite that allows you to follow jobs, manage job queues, create job tickets, recall reprints, and adjust your AIS scanner.”
On the state of the market, Surjeet said competition has increased and rates are falling, making it difficult for printers to stay profitable. “It is our legacy that is providing us a strong standing. After the pandemic, a good number of printing businesses were shut. Now profit depends on volume, which is a motivator to move toward offset. Advancing technology kept us ahead of our market peers back in the 90s and we expect a similar effect when we launch our offset unit,” he said.
