Sheena Parikh: View technology with a new lens

The major, all-pervasive disruption, post Covid-19, has been digitisation. Not only digitisation of print but also digitisation of most processes in our lives.

Print consumption patterns will change. There will be structural changes in many print segments. With an increase in costs and decrease in demand, every print CEO will have to rethink their businesses in a fundamental way – automation and digitisation being an absolute necessity.

Five steps to consistent print
One, choose the right LPI/FM spot size of the image considering the paper and press used. Next, choose the right plate technology and set processing parameters with standard plate control wedge. It is also important to set standard ink density values, on the press, using colour bar and a measuring instrument. Match the print with contract proof. Measure the print density after regular intervals and adjust ink flow if necessary, and finally, use plate-safe plate cleaners and recommended founts and washes.

TechNova’s green movement
For TechNova the ‘Go Green’ movement is a value-system, a philosophy, not related to just one product, but our entire approach across solutions to create a cleaner, greener press of the future – from process- and chem-free plates to IPA reducing fountain solution to spray dampening systems and effluent and solvent treatment solutions. At a societal level, there are numerous ways in which printers, their families and workers can be a part of the ‘Go Green’ drive.

From creating awareness and educating children, to simple tasks like planting trees, proper waste elimination, electricity savings, to an entire organisation getting deeply involved in protecting the environment through formal corporate policies and CSR commitments

Quote what fits the bill
It is not pricing of the product that is difficult but correctly estimating the value that the product or service offers to that customer segment, and then pricing it accordingly. Company’s cost structure should be kept efficient. Product pricing should embody the tangible and intangible value that the customer perceives. Practice ‘value-based selling’ and learn to find the sweet spot. TechNova has always been extremely transparent about its pricing policy, which has been governed by our self-imposed guidelines for more than four decades now. The only factor impacting the price of our products to different customers is volume commitments.

We have gone a step further to enhance the transactional efficiencies and transparency with zero human interference in the process by launching our online ordering portal called TechNova ShopFront.

Tackling the giant data set
Cheap data will drive web applications and workflow automation tremendously in the foreseeable future. In the post-Covid scenario, digitisation across every business function is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

Printers are and will increasingly be looking at cutting-edge software, to drive print innovations and make it their core differentiator. We have an amazing range of solutions to offer, from hybrid workflows, packaging design, colour management and variable data to ink optimisation, intelligent PDF solutions, web2print to security and automation from the world’s best like Agfa, EFI, Enfocus, Engview, Insoft and Tilia Labs.

The changing print scenario
Print will see some paradigm shifts in the next ten years. Packaging will thrive along with digital label printing. Offset plus digital creating hybrid models with print enhancement and creation of tactile experiences will continue to grow across all segments. Print on varying substrates such as direct-to-fabric and digital textile printing will also have interesting innovations. Tying all themes and trends together will be ‘green’ and ‘digitisation/ automation’ of products and processes.

My CEO mantra
As per Pranavbhai’s presentation on Key Success Attributes of a CEO he made at the MMS Lifetime Achievement Awards event, the leadership team at TechNova tries to follow the Buddha’s three eyes concept – of one eye with a focus on process control, the second eye on incremental improvement and the third eye on breakthrough management.

A CEO must spend 75% of his time on a ‘forward focus’ to constantly scan the environment to identify new opportunities, spot the invisibles, discover the unknown, look for disruptive technologies and proactively transform the organisation to be future-ready.