HPM paper-cutting kit is transforming print in India — The Noel D’Cunha Sunday Column

PrintWeek (PW): How many HPM machines have been installed in India?
Dayaker Reddy (DR): Over 600 HPM machines have been installed across India, including 62 installed last year, this year it is record numbers. Leading companies such as Pragati, Parksons, Kala Jyoti, Vijayshri, Any Graphics, Canpac Trends, Replika, Hitech Print Systems Hyderabad, Global Bangalore, Remya Printpack, HPCL Chennai, Param Packaging, Azure press Bahadurgarh, Herald Publications Goa, Trigon Digital, Unique Offset Pune, and Kadam Digital Pune have HPM machines. And most of these places have multiple installations. The latest installations include OK Print & Pack, Kalapi from Mumbai and Anaswara Offset in Kochi.

PW: Are there multiple installations?
DR: I would like to share some interesting numbers here. VS Hitech Hyderabad has nine machines; and YS Hitech, Hyderabad, Ellams Paper Products Kenya and Parksons have six HPM machines. Vijayshri Packaging Indore, Vijayavani in Chittoor, Lakshmi Printographics from Rai, Sonipat, Caxton, Kala Jyoti, Sri Sai Ram in Hyderabad have four machines each, fifth one is coming at Sri Sai Ram.

Forty-plus printers across India have two or more installations. Vijayshri has a pile turner also, adding immensely to their huge volume. Now Azure press has two cutting machine and one pile turner. These reputed customer base and numbers speak for the reliability and efficiency, the prime reason behind the fast growing adoption of HPM in India.

PW: Sai Enterprises recently installed an HPM machine at Hi-Tech Printing Services in Mumbai. Is there something novel about it—something like a Programme in Hindi?
DR: Faheem-bhai is inspiration for the entire printing industry in India. Faheem takes decisions considering all aspects so meticulously. Selling and installing our HPM machine at Hitech was real pleasure for our team. How meticulously they evaluate and care each machinery is something to be learnt. I am so happy that the HPM is adding value to their operations without a single complaint and with so much satisfaction to the entire team at Hitech. Their appreciation really matters and makes us humble to serve more and more such passionate printers. About languages, we support all international languages, launched Arabic last year and working on a Hindi version now. It will be a reality soon.

PW: Can you explain how the cutting angle of the knife work, its criticality?
DR: The selection of the angle and the knife quality significantly influence the cutting quality and economical operations of a press. This angle is mostly overlooked and becomes a prime reason for feeder cuts and runnability issues on highly productive printing machines. So, the angle of the blade must be carefully selected based on the paper or board being cut. We educate this to all our customers, 22” could be one angle that suits most of the paper and board that is used in India. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend going by the rule book attached. In all new generation printing machines, the feeders are so sensitive, slightest differences in cutting quality can lead to multiple of issues.

PW: What are the product ranges?
DR: We have a product range to suit every press, being it commercial, packaging, digital security printing, even for publications and paper dealers. We offer six different sizes, with three being the most popular ones: 92-cm (36-inch), 115-cm (45-inch), 130-cm (51-inch), 137-cm (54-inch), 168-cm (66-inch), and 188-cm (74-inch). Globally, the 137 cm is the most preferred size, in India, the 115 cm size is most popular. We are educating about the benefits of the 137 (130) cm size and how it helps to increase overall production. We have launched a real heavy duty machine for digital printers -  66 cms (26 inches) weighing almost 970 kg. Real value for money and a long term investment for digital printers.

PW: You mentioned three main sizes. Can you explain their importance to our readers?
DR: The 92-cm (36-inch) is widely used in the digital and label industry, as well as in small format presses (19x26-inch or 20x30-inch) for commercial jobs.

The second size is 115-cm/45-inch, the most preferred format in India and suitable for notebook, book, and packaging production.

The third size is 130-cm/51-inch, which we recommend to customers having a 40-inch press or above. With this size, they will have 25 to 30% higher production in the press. A 30x40-inch piece of paper can be easily turned inside the table without being taken out, making cutting much faster. Anyone with a 40-inch press needs this cutting machine to ensure seamless print production. Reality is that in many presses, delay in paper cutting impact printing and all operations after that, taking a serious toll on productivity and delivery commitments.

We always recommend the most suitable size to the press after considering their operations which ensures they get most out of their investment.

PW: What does it do?
DR: HPM cutting machines can cut with precision from 0.01 mm to 0.2 mm, which is essential for ensuring smooth operation without feeder breaks or delays in printing machine. This has an impact in paper saving, sometimes this can be a huge saving as well.

Cutting is crucial to overall productivity and quality but is often ignored. When a press invests in a new machine, the precision of cutting directly impacts productivity. Job change delays, feeder cuts, stoppages, and colour variations are common issues in many presses, but an efficient cutting machine can significantly reduce these problems. We strive to educate press operators about these direct losses, and now print entrepreneurs realise and appreciate these facts.

PW: When was it introduced, and what markets was it intended for?
DR: HPM paper cutter has been in India since 2009. We have installations in all categories of presses— packaging, book production (notebooks), commercial, digital, security printing, paper dealers, newspaper, and publications of all sizes across India. We are in the nook and corners of India with excellent service support and attention to all our customers.

PW: How does it work?
DR: All our cutting machines deliver excellent ROI to press owners by increasing the productivity of the presses. Instead of multiple cutters, they can have one very good cutting machine to handle the entire cutting operations. Our team can help assess the need for the number of cutters and size of cutting machines and it’s placement and management to ensure ease of production and speed of production.

PW: What is the USP of HPM machines?
DR: The USP is that it increases the efficiency of a press considerably with many operator friendly features. HPM machines do not have any electronic cards, run only with a contractor, and rely on PLC, so zero worries about card failures and break downs. HPM has a self-diagnosing system that can automatically detect 45 plus common errors, displaying them to operators. HPM will be a robust addition to any press. Furthermore, from our inception in 2009, we have exclusively supplied Kanufusa knives from Japan, one of the largest knife manufacturers globally known for its precision. Recently the digital printers also are showing greater interest for HPM machines, we have one model appropriate for them, considering the space constraint and smaller quantities they need to cut all over the day – 66 cms heavy duty one I mentioned.

PW: How easy is it to operate?
DR: The machine is user-friendly; operators can learn to operate it efficiently within a few hours. Our team supports the operators with global best practices and teaches them how to plan jobs at their presses. HPM has all the automated features suitable for Indian printers to use it best.

PW: Is it true that 80 to 90% of the problems start with knife grinding only?
DR: Yes, Indian printers often ignore knife grinding. Different knife angles are used based on the paper types following international standards. The universal angle of 22° is the best one, still we suggest following the rule book and select the angle most suitable to the paper in hand. We educate operators on this and how to follow best practices.

PW: How does your team fill the gap from dispatch to installation?
DR: Our support touch points allow us to handle customer awareness, order finalisation, dispatch, and installation at great speed. We have offices and teams in Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune, Vijayawada, and Kolkata and will soon expand to Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kochi. We understand the value of our customers' time and the importance of timely support.

Our well-trained team follows all best practices. We inform the customer about all pre-installation checklists in advance. As soon as the machine reaches the site, we immediately proceed with the installation and ensure that operators are trained on the same day. We also provide guidance about knife grinding, angle, routine care etc and follow up with our customers to ensure they do the right things. This overall efficiency and speed allow us to handle multiple installations at same time.

PW: HPM was present at Drupa? How has the last 10 months been post-Drupa?
DR: We are happy to confirm that 26 cutters were sold in Drupa, including India, Africa, and the Middle East region, within those 11 days. Many visitors to Drupa also confirmed orders after Drupa. It was an interesting year, and we are thankful to all those who bestowed their trust in HPM and SAI Enterprises. We are always committed to serving them.

In the recent edition of PrintPack India, 25 paper cutters were booked from across the country. In 2024 – 25, we have touched 120-plus machines, doubling from last year and we look forward to having more installations in the coming years. We have surpassed the competition not only in numbers, but also in customer satisfaction and efficiency. Our cutters are adding to their productivity and precision.