Komori India, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-headquartered Komori Corporation, celebrated its sixth anniversary in India this June. It reported 35 machine orders at drupa24 in Dusseldorf this May, including the dozen orders in the pipeline by the end of April 2024. Twenty-three fresh press orders were finalized during the printing and packaging show. While the Komori Group received orders for 150 machines during the show, one-fourth of the orders announced were from India, according to the new Komori India president, Jun Sudo.
Indian Printer & Publisher interacted with Sudo during a visit to the Komori office in Faridabad in July. With a stint of more than 25 years at Komori, Sudo has experience in various capacities and geographies. According to him, Komori India entered the Indian market believing in in-depth market penetration and obtaining customers’ trust. He said, “We want to be a part of the growth of the Indian printing industry and society. We want to promote our values via knowledge sharing in the industry. I think that is the way we will be successful and hopefully continue to succeed in the industry.”
On sheetfed offset press orders, he said that the Komori Lithrone G-37 series is receiving the maximum number of orders – around 50% of the total intake in India. “The Lithrone G-37 series is closely followed by the Komori Enthrone 29 series, our entry-level B2 size model. Throughout our business in India in the last six years, these have remained our most popular models.” Komori India is keen to make the orders of new sheetfed multicolor offset presses a success, and expand its market share.
GM Offset — The veteran user
During recent interactions with Komori customers, Sudo’s vision of obtaining customers’ trust and deep penetration resonates. Patparganj’s GM Offset, a commercial printer that also produces packaging, installed its sixth Komori press this year — a Komori Lithrone LS-40. The printer has installed five Komori multicolor presses since its inception in 2011. These are an Enthrone 429/110 in 2013, a 426/122 acquired in 2016, an Enthrone 429/291, and an Enthrone 426/127 in 2017. A GL437/2016 was installed in 2019, and another Enthrone 426/122 in 2023.
GM Offset’s owner Govind Arora, told Indian Printer and Publisher that Komori’s support to him pre-dates the launch of its Indian subsidiary. He notes that his entry into packaging was only possible with Komori’s guidance and support. The commercial printer deals mainly in outsourced jobs brought by third parties or brokers in its four production plants in the same industrial area — one owned and three that are rented. Its commercial print products comprise hardcover and paperback books, magazines, brochures, visiting cards, calendars, and posters.
Arora says that over time, printing technologies and businesses have evolved through several enhancements and diversifications. “The market is picking up at the moment,” he says. “The last couple of months have been quite busy with the festival and wedding season boosting the number of orders we get. This year was good for the company in terms of work and technological expansion but there have been challenges. While the number of machines and clients is going up, the printing rates are coming down due to competition. This leads to cost benefits for end-users but the printers face a financial crunch.”
Officenow India — new installations and orders
A Komori customer for years, Sonepat-based Officenow India has been relying only on its multicolor offset presses for printing premium quality educational books of all types and sizes. A line of new Lithrone G Series presses plays a significant role in driving efficiency and productivity. The 2013-established company is a full-fledged book printer, providing educational books to schools, colleges, and academic institutions.
“We are a first-generation book printer. Year-on-year we keep scaling up production and quality while constantly upgrading our portfolio. We aim to be among the biggest and premier book printers in India,” Puneet Chitkara, founding director said. The commercial printer recently placed an order for a brand new 8-color Lithrone G37 perfector, which will mark its eighth Komori press to date.
Chitkara adds, “Komori promised resilience and they delivered. It’s more than a decade since we became predominantly Komori users in our production. To date, we have owned seven Komori presses of various models and configurations. Of these, three are brand new, and the rest are pre-owned models. We never go away from Komori presses because of their capacities revolving around quality, speed, and productivity, and the company’s dedicated after-sales support.”
The first brand-new Komori press at Officenow India, a 4-color Lithrone G37, was installed in 2022. After that, the company kept its focus only on brand-new presses. “As of now, we are providing print products to the domestic market. Our next-step plan is to engage in exports. As our premises are now a bit congested, we are planning a green field expansion for producing more books for offshore markets using brand new Komori presses,” he said.
Prism Offset — a drupa24 deal
Delhi’s Prism Offset, another veteran Komori press customer, is geared up to install its third Komori press at its Kutch unit in Gujarat in December 2024. The new 5-color Lithrone GL 537, was booked by Prism Offset at drupa 2024. The 1983-established company installed its first Komori press, an Enthrone 429, in 2015 and the second Komori Enthrone 429 in 2019.
With headquarters in Delhi and two production units — the first unit in Noida Sector 63 in the Delhi-NCR, and the second unit at Kutch in Gujarat, Prism Offset is a printing and packaging converting company offering a range of products such as inserts, calendars, leaflets, gift boxes, and corrugated boxes. Its large client base includes well-known corporations.
Sudhir Chhabra, managing director of Prism Offset says, “Investing in best-in-class machines and equipment, engaging in close partnerships with our clients, and exploring the hitherto untapped possibilities of printing are the goals we are working towards. Komori remains a brand we have been closely associated with and trusted, fully relying on its proficiency in delivering high-quality print and overall productivity. We chose this new press for its speed and advanced features. We appreciate the hospitable nature of the after-sales service and support of Komori India.”
The Komori Lithrone GL537, also called the ‘Offset On Demand’ machine, accommodates short turnarounds and short-run production of various end-products. Operating with stability at its maximum speed of 15,000 sph (sheets per hour), it takes on media with maximum sizes up to 640×940 mm and thicknesses ranging from 0.04 mm to 0.6 mm. “We are eagerly waiting for the day to unfold a new chapter of quality and volume printing with the installation of our brand new 5-color Lithrone GL 537 at the Kutch unit in December,” he said.
