Made in India - Pressone Chemicals UV CTP plate developer

The UV CTP Plate Developer manufactured by Ludhiana-based Pressone Chemicals is universal, says its owner Mukesh Chauhan. He explains to Rahul Kumar why the market for the chemical is growing

29 Nov 2017 | By Rahul Kumar

UV CTP Plate Developer is one of the essential chemicals for image development on printing plates, especially in UV CTP/CTCP. In this, Ludhiana-based Pressone Chemicals is an up and coming supplier, manufacturing more than 18,000 litres of UV CTP Plate Developer per month to serve more than 100 customers.

Established in 2012, the chemical manufacturing business launched its UV CTP Plate Developer in July 2015. “Right now, we manufacture more than 18,000 litres of chemicals per month,” says Mukesh Chauhan of Pressone Chemicals. Now, the company is planning to increase production as we found the chemicals to be one of the fastest growing segments.

Chauhan has around two decades of experience in the chemical business, primarily as an employee of a Delhi-based pre-press equipment manufacturing company, before setting up his own company.

Pressone Chemicals manufacturers a range of pre-press and pressroom chemicals.

The pre-press segment range includes a PS Developer, PS Thermal Developer and Plate Processor Gum.

The press range includes fountain solutions, washes, alcohols, plate cleaners and corrections fluids, tack reducers, printing ink dyers, printing press care products and anti-set-off spray powders.

According to Chauhan, any pre-press bureau and offset printer with UV CTP/CTCP can use its UV CTP Plate Developer. “Today, we serve 100 customers. Of these, 75 are pre-press service bureaus and 25 are offset printers,” he says.

The market

Pressone Chemicals has a strong distribution network in all the major cities of Punjab, including Baddi, Mohali, Chandigarh, Ponta Saheb, besides in Bareilly, Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Ahmedabad and Delhi-NCR.

“Our existing distribution set up is serving customers in the North and Delhi-NCR. We are working to increase the network and serve more cities in other parts of the country. Being a north-based manufacturer, we have our own advantages,” says Chauhan.

Chauhan is optimistic about growth and he has reasons for it. The segment has grown fast in the last five years and will grow well in future. One reason being the cost of UV CTP/CTCP printing plate is more economical compared to other technologies available in the market. Most UV CTP/CTCP developers provide 2,400dpi printing plates and to some extent in quality, it competes with thermal plates.

According to Chauhan, films have now become obsolete. Image development directly on printing plates is the norm now. This is another reason why there will be a rise in the demand. However, according to Chauhan, the most import factor is that the plates are economical.

Chauhan says as per his estimation, around 1,500 CTCPs are running in India and per CTCP device consumes an average of 150 litres of the chemical. Thus, it is a 200,000 litre per month market. “We are catering to less than 20% of the market. So opportunities are huge,” he says.

The chemical

UV CTP Plate Developer comes in liquid concentrate form in a 25-litre pack. It develops images on printing plates. “We recommend using the developer with RO water and ratio between developer and water must be around 1:8/7. Some use it with normal water as well but for better result RO water is necessary,” Chauhan says.

As it is an alkaline product, users are advised to wear hand gloves while using the chemical; without hand gloves, it can be harmful. “And especially, cover your eyes while using the chemical because naked eyes are easy targets for any chemical mishap. Ideally, don’t let it touch your skin,” he cautions.

Benefits

The benefits of Pressone’s UV CTP Plate Developer? Chauhan says, “Our developer helps cleaning of plate processor. Otherwise, it can block the entire process. It does not create a layer on the tank of developer and brush of processor. A brush is an expensive part of the processor. Our UV CTP Plate developer is universal. It means it is suitable for each and every plate available in the market. Our developer ensures that the first plate is printable and saleable, thus clients can save their money on printing plates cost.”

Ahmedabad-based N-VIR Process; Noida-based Anupama Printing Solutions; New Delhi-based Japan Art Press and SS Graphics; Chandigarh-based Gagandeep Photo Lith; Mohali-based Ishan Print Services; Jalandhar-based Lucky Processors; Ludhiana-based Unique Process; Bareilly-based Anoopam Press; Lucknow-based Fine Graphics; Kanpur-based Perfect Chem & Technology and Jaipur-based Raj Block are a few key customers of Pressone Chemicals.

Around 25 people work in the 11,000-sq/ft chemical production facility in Ludhiana.

Customer testimonial

We are using the UV CTP Plate Developer manufactured by Ludhiana-based Pressone Chemicals for the last two years and we found it to be very friendly in our operation. Our consumption is around 400 litres per month. The best part of the developer is that there is minimum sludge, or shall we say no sludge. Plus the does not go down. We use the developer on multiple printing plates and found it to be smooth. It truly is a universal developer. Pressone Chemicals’ Developer helps in functioning and keeps the process clean. People must use it. Working in a price-sensitive industry and market, the chemical manufacturing company provides the Developer on economic rate.

Arun Gupta, Japan Art Press, New Delhi