Halfway point: The A to Z of Drupa - The Noel DCunha Sunday Column

A for Autoprint. The Coimbatore-based group was busy with international buyers from 22 countries who were keen on the newly introduced UV coating machine and the inspection machine, Checkmate 50.

B for Bindwel has been busy. We saw some of the international customers of the Bengaluru-based company. When we were at their stall. A huge contingent from Morocco was sharing their feedback about the Bindline which was dispatched a year ago.

Team Bindwel with its customer MAPAF Morocco

C for Canon. Canon and Heidelberg who announced their global sales and service collaboration in inkjet printing. Through this partnership, the German behemoth will introduce its own inkjet product based on the newly announced Canon B2 sheetfed inkjet press and the well-established B3 sheetfed inkjet press.

D for Deals. Bobst announced that it has had seven handshakes with Indian packaging converters during the first half of the show. The seven deals include die-cutters, folder-gluers and corrugated machinery. Two customers are new, while the rest are Bobst’s existing customers looking for expansion.

E for Education. And the group that is driving this is Line O Matic. The Ahmedabad-based Sultans of Stationery. The company showcases four of their machines. Among these, Bolt RB104 is the company’s flagship fully automatic exercise book machine.

F for Fujifilm. We spotted the Revoria GC 12500, the world's first toner-based B2 XL Press, to the Revoria PC 1120 digital press. As Priyatosh Kumar told us, " Our products are  designed for enhanced productivity and expanded applications, these products embody our vision for the future of printing in India."

G for Gmund Papers. The leading European paper manufacturer based in Germany has launched several new paper lines uniquely designed for the Indian market in January 2025. With over 200 years of experience crafting beautiful, high-quality papers from 100% plant-based fibres, The company will partner with Mumbai-based Srinivas Paper and Jay Raj Fine Paper.

H for HP. The digital biggie showcased eight automated production lines.Meanwhile back home in India, Swiss Pac has secured HP Indigo 25K to boost packaging ambition.

I for India. But I is also for inkjet. Shall we say more ...

J for Jayant Pardiwala of Nippon Color who finalised multiple deals at Drupa 2024, securing sales for three thermal CTPs and two CTCPs to commercial printers and 16 CTCP machines to various newspaper firms. Nippon Color is a leading Cron representative in India.

K for Konica Minolta who have unveiled 20 new products at Drupa. The Accuriojet 60000 which occupies prime spot caught our eye.

L for Landa. The Landa show attracted eyeballs. And the Landa S11 and S11P Nanographic presses offered production versatility while reaching 11,200sph print speed. The samples look yum. But what about the Capex and the Opex?

M for Made in India. With 76 exhibitors from India and approximately 4,700 sqm net, India is part of the Top 10 nations at Drupa.

N for NBG. Also N for Narendra Paruchuri. The chairman of Pragati Group of Companies confirmed an order for two Hongming 4030M double head/double feeder machines at the NBG stand.

O for Orange Printers and Imprint Technopack. The two Indian print firms who have inked a contract with Fogra. This means they are committed to go through with the Fogra PSO Certification process.

The Fogra PSO Certification agreement was signed on 31 May at Drupa

P for Pharma. P for Pratham. All eyes were on the fully automatic outsert system with automatic robotic tray packing at the 188 sq-metre stall. 

Q for QuantumJet. Faridabad-based APL Machinery has unveiled its QuantumJet digital printing machine, which the company said, is a testament to its commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology. 

R for Ramesh Kejriwal. Voted number one in PrintWeek's Power 100 for 2024. The Maharaja of Mono cartons was spotted saying "vankkam" to ITC's  SN Venkataraman. By the way, copies of PrintWeek's May anniversary issue are available at the Drupa media-shelves. Just in case you want to shoot a "shelfie" with the 274-page special.

S for Shah. Pradeep Shah who informed us that the second web offset press from Manugraph's Kolhapur factory is en route to a customer site in Japan. This is a huge achievement for the Made in India brand. Also speaks a lot for the patience of team Manugraph. Pradeep Shah is a golfer. And he tells us, “The most important mantra in golfing is that you have to learn to be patient to achieve success.  You have to have a plan and you need to follow this plan to reach your destination. There are no shortcuts.”

T for TPH. India’s first fully domestically manufactured seven-colour inkjet printing machine was attracting eyeballs at the show. If you have not seen it, we request you listen to this conversation with Rishab Kohli of TPH Orient Group (Building the Future of Printing & Packaging).

U for Uflex. The group has delivered a solid Q4 FY24, with 157,847 MTPA sales volume, Rs. 34,967 million net revenue, and Rs. 4,550 million adjusted EBITDA. At Drupa, Uflex unleashed its technological clout. The aim: to target Rs 2,000-cr EBITDA in FY25.

V for Vinsak and R for Rotatek. The director at both companies is Ranesh Bajaj. Rotatek printing and packaging Technologies SL is set to introduce its innovation, the upgraded and enhanced Universal 850 press. With speeds reaching up to 400m/min, and maximum substrate width of 870mm, this technology is tailored for the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and non-alcoholic beverage industries, the machine will be released in the second half of 2024 confirmed Bajaj.

W for Workflow. From books to labels to folding cartons to corrugated and flexibles, workflow binds all the expertise and hobs from all segments in the print and packaging and publishing industry. Lots of softwares (all the latest) at Drupa. Their key: to enable businesses to unlock even more tangible value through improving ways of working, eradicating waste and optimising processes.

X for Xeikon. Xeikon announced the appointment of Printers Supply Co as its distributor for the Indian market. Amitabh Luthra told us, the partnership will officially commence on 1 June 2024.

Y for Yen - and the clout of Japanese manufacturers like RMGT.  Three Indian customers finalised deals for the installation of RMGT presses at Drupa. These include an eight-colour perfector and two four-colour RMGT 9 series presses. Few more deals are in the pipeline, Vinay Kaushal of Provin Technos told PrintWeek.

Z for Zund. Kochi-based Purandara inked a deal for the S3 M800 sample-maker at the Zund stall.

Raju Kutty of Purandara signs for the Zund S3 M 800 sample-maker

If you have any Drupa updates, please share with Dibyajyoti Sarma <dibyajyoti.sarma@haymarketsac.com> and Charmiane Alexander <charmiane.alexander@haymarketsac.com>