The company specialises in paperboard boxes, which may be three layers consisting of top, tray, and bottom or two layers with merely top and bottom. “The top of the boxes is visible to the customer and so it is where all the decoration and innovation is applicable. We print the top by screen printing process while the tray and bottom are printed by offset process,” said Modi.

 

Gautam focuses on innovation through screen printing to add value to the packaging. The decoration of boxes is achieved with the combined effects on screen printing, lamination and foiling. One of the unique jobs created at Gautam is a box for saree on which gradations of six colours are reproduced in a single stroke of squeeze which otherwise would have required six strokes. “Offset process is used to support the screen applications,” said Modi.

 

Gautam Paper Udhyog was established in 1998 by Gautam's father, Jitendra Modi, in Delhi, which was later moved to Surat in 2000 in a rented facility. It was a complete manual screen printing set-up with in-house punching, lamination and foiling. 

 

Modi said, “We used racks for drying the printed substrates. Those were the days when six-seven workers produced 500 boxes in one entire day.” In 2005, the company invested in two single-colour poly offset machines along with UV drying systems to bolster its capacity to 3,000 boxes per day. It then moved to the current 45,000 sq/ft four storeyed structure in the same year.

 

“The first Grafica semi-automatic screen printing machine was installed in early 2009. It was the same year when I joined the business. Later, at the end of the year, we installed a single colour refurbished Heidelberg press replacing a poly offset; and the first Grafica cylinder press,” said Modi.

 

After returning from Fespa 2010, Modi invested in a refurbished two-colour Heidelberg press. In addition, recently Gautam has installed a new Grafica cylinder press and a refurbished four-colour Heidelberg press. “We believe in year on year investment to cater to the increasing market demand with regular innovations using screen printing,” added Modi. 

 

Besides Surat market, Gautam Paper Udhyog also caters to the textile markets of Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Jedhpur, Mathura, Bhivandi, Thane and some pharmaceutical customers from Ratlam. Modi said, “We also produce 50,000 paper bags per month. In a month, we convert up to 800 tonnes of paperboard.” 

As a part of future plan, Gautam Paper Udhyog looks to foray into pharma and imitation jewellery packaging market.