Galaxy Offset: Looking to consolidate its packaging success with a Heidelberg CD 102

Q: Your recent biggest investment was the Heidelberg CD 102 LX seven-colour coater with extended delivery...
Aman Gulati: Yes. We are waiting to install the machine in our Manesar plant by June-July 2017. The Heidelberg will enable us to print anything that can be printed through offset technology. We will be able to print extended colour gamut CMYK along with special colours like orange, violet and green.

On the seven-colour machine, we can achieve white on MetPET films, special colour and textured UV. The Heidelberg will help double our conversion of boards from 600 tonnes to 1,200 tonnes per month.

Q: This will be your third Heidelberg in ten years...
Aman Gulati: We have a total of six machines from the German manufacturer. Heidelberg is a trusted partner. Its engineers have always rescued us whenever we were in a fix, so it was predetermined to go with Heidelberg. The machines provide us with best printing quality and quick delivery because of fast turnaround time.

We have also invested in highly specialised software along with this press. These include multicolour separation for better, bigger colour gamut, and the dry star advance software, which will help us restore drying settings of earlier printed jobs thus reducing power consumption.

Q: What about expansion?
Amit Gulati: As per our expansion plan, we have invested into the construction of a new building spanning 50,000 sq/ft and latest top of the line printing and finishing equipment. We also see potential in the corrugated market and hence we are focussing on corrugated cartons for which we have acquired a 50,000 sq/ft separate rented premise.

Q: The Manesar plant houses your packaging facility...
Vikas Gulati: Our packaging arm has around 50 customers, out of which 40 are regulars. We do not cater to customers below 5,000 sheets. If we segregate our customers based on print run, then 30% fit in the range of 5,000 to 10,000 prints; 40% fit in the range of 10,000 to 20,000. The rest are more than 25,000 prints. Our target is to tap top print buyers along with existing mid-range customers.

Q: Which user segments do your customers operate in?
Vikas Gulati: We cater to liquor, cosmetics, perfumes, spices, ghee and FMCG segments. We are also expanding our portfolio by adding new segments such as pharmaceuticals.

Q: Tell us about your corrugation business...
Vikas Gulati: Corrugation was started to fulfil our internal need of brown boxes. Idle time was used to convert small quantity three-ply boxes for our existing customers. Because of our quality, we started getting orders for bigger quantities and we also felt that it was good integration with our existing business.

Q: Which are the flute profiles that you can produce?
Vikas Gulati: We have added F, G and N flutes to our existing corrugation facility where we used to manufacture B and E fluted cartons. The corrugation unit is equipped with Indian and Chinese equipment. We see a great potential in this avenue and would be exploring new segments for it.

Q: You have also invested heavily on finishing equipment...
Amit Gulati: We have ordered Heiber and Schroder window-patching machine, VisionFold 110 folder-gluer equipped with four-and six-corner attachment and other features, single colour gravure printing press supplied by SLKGC, fully dry automatic lamination machine from Yii Lee and two cutting machines from Polar.

Q: When will these equipment be commissioned?
Amit Gulati: All the finishing equipment will be installed by the first week of July at our Manesar plant. With these and the Heidelberg press, we are expecting 100% growth.

Q: Are these investments necessary?
Amit Gulati: Innovation is the key. Our customers expect and look forward to new printing techniques / treatments from us, and we want to give them what they expect from us. We also don’t leave any stone unturned to dress up their brands and make them a superstar. In our pursuit to give our best to our customers we keep on investing in new technologies.

Q: How do you mean?
Amit Gulati: For instance, gravure would be used as great print enhancement tool. The VisionFold 110 would be used to derive new structures for cartons.

Q: What next?
Aman Gulati: Our first priority is to shift part of the commercial unit from rented premises in Naraina to our own newly built facility in Manesar, as a result of which most of our production would be under one roof, thus enabling better control resulting in less wastage. We also have plans to set up a structural design studio for our customers.