Multi Hitech’s SGA notches up a ton

Mansi Gupta (MG): Multi Hitech has notched up a hundred installations of the SGA. How long did you take to achieve this milestone?
DK Garg (DKG): 17 years.

MG: How did the journey begin?
DKG: I started Hi-Tech Engineers (India) in 1996 with my nephew Vinesh Jain. Then in 2006, we formed Multi Hitech Inc. Today, both my sons Vaibhav and Sidhant have joined the ops.

MG: Your personal journey in the industry began in 1989 with an Adast? 
DKG: That's right. I started my career with J Mahabeer & Co on 2 September 1985. Then I worked with S Amit International.

MG: Any memories?
DKG: Those days, the Adast 724 was vilified because of its perfection cylinders. That is how in 1987 I got the idea of replacing it. In 1989, we did it.
 
MG: What are customers saying? What kind of feedback do you hear about the pincer grippers?
DKG: We installed our first SGA-102 in 2006 at MGK Printing Works. At that time they wanted to sell that machine. However, after replacing it with an SGA, they are still using that machine. Not just that, the next press that they purchased was an SM-72FP. Once again, it was a perfector. We installed a SGA on the press.
 
MG: Which customers did your company begin your ops with?
DKG: Ravi Shroff of Nutech Photolithographers in New Delhi is "the father of SGA". Vijay Kumar of MGK Printing Works is the founder of the first SGA-102.

MG: Mr Garg, one investment your company made which has proved most important?
DKG: We purchased a plot in Greater Noida Industrial Plot in 2014.

MG: That's where your factory is located, now?
DKG: Our unit is at A-2/78, Site-V Kasna Industrial Area, Greater Noida. As of today, we have 5000 sq ft. Our building is in the process of expansion after that we will have a total 11000 sq ft area.

MG: One change that you implemented in the past three decades?
DKG: We shifted to Greater Noida to our own premises. Now we have CNCs, gear and cylindrical grinders plus a team of 36 energetic persons.
 
MG: What is the change in the print market that you observed due to your SGA?
DKG: Earlier the used Heidelberg perfector had very poor demand, now the importers have available stock.

MG: One thing about your firm that no one knows? For example, a tough installation!
DKG: Prism Printer, Noida had an SM-72VP. We could not satisfy them.

MG: Then?
DKG: We had to recall our unit. But the same machine was bought by one of our old SGA customers. This is Suhas Lopez of Harris Printers in Mumbai. We changed that machine and satisfied the customer.

MG: Other than Delhi and Mumbai, which cities do you provide print service to?
DKG: All over India.
 
MG: Past 18 months have been tough. One lesson you have learnt from 2020-21?
DKG: As the leader, one must maintain team morale and team spirit. Always take your team members into confidence.
 
MG: How has the Covid-pandemic impacted your business?
DKG: (touches wood) We have been able to manage things, quite comfortably.
 
MG: You also manufacture cylinders for the narrow web. What is transpiring in that space?
DKG: Because of Abhay Dutta of UV Graphic Technologies and his Ultraflex UFO narrow web label machines having a huge demand, we are doing very well.
 
MG: What next for you?
DKG: We shall introduce new products and services in March during PrintPack 2022.