Navi Mumbai-based book printing specialist Quarterfold Printabilities is expanding its sheetfed production capabilities with investments in Komori and RMGT presses, responding to the growing demand for shorter print runs, faster turnaround times and consistent print quality.
The company has installed a Komori GL-837P 8-color, 37-inch sheetfed offset press configured for 4+4 perfecting at its Taloja facility. The installation follows the commissioning of a second RMGT 920ST-4+CD within two years, reinforcing Quarterfold’s focus on increasing capacity and production flexibility.
The Komori press, which is Quarterfold’s third Komori machine, can print both sides of a sheet in a single pass. It can operate at speeds of up to 15,000 sheets per hour, depending on configuration, substrate and production conditions.
The 4+4 configuration is designed for book sections and other applications requiring high-quality double-sided printing. Its one-pass perfecting capability reduces handling between printing the two sides, helping improve production efficiency, front-to-back registration and turnaround times.
The latest RMGT 920ST-4+CD is a 4-color A1-size sheetfed offset press. The investment is expected to increase Quarterfold’s available print capacity by about 20% and reduce turnaround times for short-run jobs by more than 40%.
Milton Everjoy, head of operations at Quarterfold Printabilities, said shorter print runs, excellent quality and quick turnaround times were among the key requirements behind the RMGT investment.
The RMGT press is expected to add about 2mn-2.5mn impressions of monthly capacity and provide greater flexibility in handling different book formats. Quarterfold expects the additional capacity to serve educational, trade, children’s and coffee-table books, as well as export orders.
Automation and reduced makeready times were important considerations in selecting the RMGT press. The company expects to reduce paper waste by 7-8% on runs of up to 5,000 copies, improving the economics of short-run production.
The two investments form part of a broader expansion programme at Quarterfold. Over the past two years, the company has added a 110,000-square-foot production facility, invested in four new sheetfed presses, expanded its binding capabilities and established an 80,000-square-feet fulfilment and warehousing centre in Taloja.
Quarterfold now operates three independent production units, each with prepress, press and post-press infrastructure. Its manufacturing fleet comprises 22 web offset presses and six sheetfed presses. The company has also installed a customised Manugraph web offset press, which is operating at full capacity.
The expanded sheetfed platform allows Quarterfold to allocate jobs between sheetfed and web offset production according to run length, format, quality requirements and delivery schedules. The company has hardcase binding, flexibinding and other finishing capabilities.
The integrated manufacturing model is supported by the fulfilment and warehousing centre, which provides inventory management, palletised storage, kitting and staged dispatch services. Quarterfold supplies publishers in more than 25 countries and is expanding its business in Africa, Europe, the UK, the US and South America.
Nilesh Dhankani, founder of Quarterfold Printabilities, said the company’s investments were aimed at creating greater manufacturing capacity, flexibility and resilience for publishers.
The company is considering further investments over the next two to three years. In sheetfed printing, it is evaluating a 5-color-plus-coater or 6-color-plus-coater press, as well as another 4+4 perfector. Digital printing is also under consideration, alongside high-speed online binders with built-in automation.
Quarterfold may invest in additional web offset capacity, including a 578-mm double-tower press, to support higher-volume production and improved makeready performance.
The company said the investments are intended to strengthen its ability to manage increasingly varied publishing requirements while improving productivity, quality and turnaround times.
With the addition of the Komori GL-837P and the second RMGT 920, Quarterfold is building a broader sheetfed platform alongside its web offset, finishing and fulfilment operations, positioning the company for further growth in both domestic and international book markets.
