Our approach is proactively innovating for our customers: Amit Sehgal

Noel D’Cunha (NMD): Can you give us a flavour of Epson at Drupa? Which verticals/product sets are your sweet spots? How do you differentiate yourself from the competition?

Amit Sehgal (AS): As a global technology leader whose philosophy of efficient, compact, and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world, Epson showcases a wide range of commercial and industrial digital inkjet solutions at Drupa this year. From large industrial label presses, wide format direct-to-fabric, dye-sublimation and signage machines to award-winning smaller, compact devices designed for high-quality colour printing on various materials and substrates. There are cutting-edge solutions across various printing solutions. In the Textile Printing Solution, Epson will showcase innovative products like the new direct-to-fabric printer - Monna Lisa 13000 and the new hybrid DTG/DTFilm SureColor F1000. In addition, we are displaying the A4 flatbed UV printer SureColor V1000, which caters to industrial and commercial segments for printing on a wide variety of substrates such as wood, canvas, carpet, tile, and even glass. Additionally, Epson has announced the launch of a dye-sublimation printer, the SureColor F10000, the most productive and reliable printer to date by Epson. All these products are built to eliminate waste and increase precision and productivity.

NMD: Which Epson technology innovation at Drupa excites you the most? And why?

AS: Several exciting Epson technology innovations are showcased at Drupa this year. One that is sure to be a scene stealer is the SureColor F10000. This product stands out for its high productivity and exceptional print quality. It has a PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead, with 12,800 nozzles and 4.7-inch width, offering a larger printing surface for faster output.  The robust, industrial build quality of the SC-F10000 helps to produce high-quality output day after day. The printer's reliability is further enhanced by Advanced Auto Tension Control (Ad-ATC) [for accurate and stable media feeding even on thin media], and auto-adjustment technology (including an integrated RGB camera). This technology, which holds substrates in place for accurate colour-to-colour registration and enhances quality, is a testament to Epson's commitment to innovation.

NMD: Which kit at Drupa do you see as a key product for the Indian market?

AS: Textile printers are emerging as one of the key product segments for the Indian market and Epson, given India's prominent position in the global textile industry. Epson's MonnaLisa series of sustainable digital textile printers will be prominently showcased at Drupa and holds significant importance for Indian businesses seeking to capitalise on this opportunity. Epson's Monna Lisa series, the Monna Lisa ML-8000, Monna Lisa ML-16000, Monna Lisa ML-32000 & Monna Lisa ML-64000 direct-to-fabric printers offer unprecedented quality, speed, and productivity, catering perfectly to the large-scale textile printing needs of the Indian market. These printers are equipped with Epson proprietary PrecisionCore Micro TFP printheads and Genesta PG-Revo pigment inks, enhancing productivity while maintaining exceptional print quality. Additionally, advanced fabric feeding technology, high-capacity 10-litre ink cartridges, and environmentally friendly Epson GENESTA Ink further solidify these printers’ suitability for the Indian textile market's extensive printing needs. These printers have gained amazing traction in the market in a noticeably short time, and we are extremely bullish about them doing well in the future.

The Epson SureColor V7000 at Drupa 2024

NMD: Let’s discuss digital printing in India – production for commercial, labels and packaging, and wide-format presses. The landscape has been changing. Your competitor has made strides, especially in the Indian market. Has it made you change your strategy in any way? If so, how?

AS: The digital printing landscape in India is indeed evolving, with noticeable growth in commercial printing, label printing, packaging, commercial photos, proofing, and other large-format printing applications. While competitors have been evolving, Epson has made giant strides, too, and we play to our strengths, which have always been in our wide range of products, fantastic print quality and reliable solutions. This continues to give us a sustainable competitive edge in the market. Our approach is proactively innovating and delivering products that meet our customers' ever-evolving needs.

NMD: In the inkjet photo printing segment, whether desktop or large-format, Epson inkjet printers are a popular choice. What makes it one? However, as a technology, is inkjet a dominant player in the wedding album or photo book market? If so, why?

AS: Epson has established itself as a preferred choice for album and photo printing owing to our longstanding presence in this segment. As one of the earliest entrants in this segment, we have understood our customers' needs and developed products and solutions to cater to this segment. Customer feedback has consistently highlighted the superior image quality delivered by Epson printers. Our strength lies in our proprietary Micro Piezo technology, backed by years of research and development, which ensures the superior and vibrant print quality for which we are known. Furthermore, our printers offer a wide colour gamut of up to 95%, setting us as a market benchmark. The ability of Epson printers to reproduce a wider gamut of colours is vital in photo printing, ensuring superior image quality, high-quality fine art photography and unmatched portrait photo quality. Our customers will appreciate all these features in the wedding album and photobook market.

NMD: Flexible packaging is identified as a fast-growing segment. How is it panning out in India for Epson digital presses?

AS: The demand for short-run label printing is increasing in India, and we have a brilliant offering to cater to this market. The Epson SurePress L-4733AW is an amazing printer and is the only digital press in its class with White Ink1 for prime labels and thin films. This printer features high print quality using Epson’s proprietary MicroPiezo inkjet technology and a remarkable colour gamut, delivering accurate spot colours and gradients required for brand-quality colour prime labels and packaging, using flexographic (flexo) substrates with no corona treatment required, making it an ideal choice for a short-run label printing solution. Epson’s digital press offers more value to its customers with in-build digital varnish (gloss and matte). Also, our press can print up to 50m / min with variable data printing [VDP], which will help the customer to shift small and mid-run print jobs from analogue to digital faithfully.

NMD: What is Epson’s India strategy for continuing to gain share in the commercial print and packaging markets beyond new product introductions?

AS: India is a key market for Epson globally, and we have an aggressive plan as we go forward. While it is impossible to share these strategies, rest assured that we are serious about expanding our footprint and penetrating deeper into every conceivable segment. Highlighting our products so more consumers can experience our advantages will be one such strategy. For example, we will soon set up our first experience centre for our digital label press printer, the Epson L-6534VW printer, in Delhi. This centre aims to allow customers to experience the unique features of Epson printing technology and software solutions addressing industries' needs, such as easy workflow for SPOT colour matching, validating profiles, and re-calibration, to name a few. We are confident this will help us and our customers explore and experiment with printing on new substrates, test compatibility, and address the customer’s critical technical queries and needs. This is one example of the many strategies planned to drive our business to the next level.