Quality is an important parameter if you want to survive in the market: Mohit Batra of RGS Solutions

PrintWeek (PW): How have your company and your customers fared throughout 2024? What is your outlook for 2025? 

Mohit Batra (MB): The global offset printing industry is no doubt shrinking but India is still different. Although the offset industry is shrinking here as well, there is a boom in the packaging industry after Covid-19. Since we provide complete colour management solutions to this industry, we have seen a shift from quantity to quality. In 2024 we have seen colour management getting implemented in smaller presses also. So, we see similar trends in 2025 where demand for print quality will keep increasing.

The market is trying well and it's new to learn every day with different industries, as we deal into print packaging and textiles as well. We try to help printers increase their productivity and print consistency with quality as a benchmark.

We had quite a few good installations in 2024, including our CGS Oris-Actual substrate proofing and automation of offset presses with Techkon auto-sheet scanners. We see 2025 as better than 2024.
 
PW: What are the trends you noticed in the last 12 months?

MB: We overcome the bottlenecks of the industry as far as quality is concerned and we are seeing the trends that printers are investing in colour management tools as they have realised that quality is the most important parameter if they want to survive in today’s competitive market. With this trend, I think we were able to sell most measuring and quality control instruments in the last 12 months.

We sold five systems of Actual substrate proofing for shrink and flexible packaging and concluded a few G7 audits and GMI consultancy which seems to have doubled this year. Also, offset presses automation is drastically rising in demand.

All these solutions increase productivity and real-time proofs on digital systems, which can easily be replicated in production with standardisation.

PW: Are volumes up? How do you see the overall demand for print?

MB: No doubt volume for packaging going up and commercial offset going down. For us as told demand for quality is increasing and so is our sale of quality measuring and automation tools.

PW: The printing industry is witnessing a significant shift towards digital printing technologies. How is your company adapting to this trend, and what steps are being taken to ensure the continued relevance of offset printing?

MB: Many traditional offset printing companies are integrating digital printing alongside offset methods. This allows for flexibility and it caters to a wider range of customer needs. Hybrid printers, which combine the high-volume advantages of offset printing with the customisation and short-run capabilities of digital printing, are gaining popularity which is increasingly in demand by customers and automating prepress workflows or incorporating variable data printing (VDP) features, is helping businesses reduce costs, improve efficiency, and cater to the personalised demands of clients.

PW: According to one research report, the global offset printing press market is projected to reach approximately $2.94 billion by 2030, with a modest growth rate of 1.8%. On the other hand the digital print industry is projected to experience significant growth, with output expected to increase by 65% over the next decade, reaching $230 billion by 2029. Is the growth rate similar in the Indian market? Is that growth rate a good number or is there scope for improvement?

MB: In India, digital has already been booming for the last decade. This decade is more into digital packaging with variable and customised products which is booming but though we are now the number one in population and quantity always is the keen interest for many convertors and packaging guys. Though on the numbers, I feel digital packaging with personal customisation is going to give the digital industry a big jump.

PW: As demand grows for shorter print runs and personalisation, digital printing offers distinct advantages. How is your company innovating to meet these changing demands while maintaining the strengths of offset technology?

MB: Personalisation and variable data printing are indeed the keys where a consumer can get attracted and attached to the print.

RSG is associated with its customers to improve the offset workflow in pre-press with GCR and ink-saving capabilities to maintain consistent and exact results over the offset machine with also few considering Extended Colour Gamut as the new way of waste control of inks and print consistent with crisp and sharp prints.

PW: The decline in traditional print media, such as newspapers and magazines, has impacted the industry. How has this shift impacted your business, and what strategies have you adopted to navigate these changes?

MB: As many, we have also shifted our portfolio and created solutions in packaging for helping customers print better but our few big customers like Replika and Thomson being their print consultants few big newspapers are already on old tracks and creating consistent changes in their workflow to minimise wastage.

We are working more on innovation and helping packaging guys in new development easily replicate machine proofing and satisfy their buyer needs and meet their expectations.

PW: Can you share any recent collaborations or initiatives your company has undertaken to enhance your product offerings or explore new markets?

MB: We are always keen and try to find good partners who are equally interested and ready to innovate products as per the Indian market and needs. Recently, we partnered with JUST Stanardise Lighting and Valiani digital cutting systems.

PW: How is your company leveraging emerging technologies, such as automation and AI, to improve efficiency and product quality?

MB: We are closely working with a few renowned packaging converters to help them automate their pre-press and press workflow with colour management and ease their workload with SOP of all their departments.

PW: Customer expectations are evolving, particularly regarding faster turnaround times and higher-quality outputs. Also, nowadays, when one talks to third or fourth-generation CEOs, they know what to do with the production cycle, plus how to make a plant efficient. Also, most of them are certified for the latest ISO 9001 and as well as BRC, FSSC, PS9000, SEDEX and others as per demand from clients. What are your views? Have you too observed this trend? What has brought about this change? And how is your company responding to these demands, and what measures are in place to ensure customer satisfaction?

MB: Few customer have a quality printer legacy and many are in the line or already crossed their expectations of being an ISO or International standards print facility in which GMI and G7 is in big need of export jobs with perfection.

We provide complete service through consultancy with regular audits of the presses as well the users who are daily monitoring and running the show, we provide quarterly training to press operators and also majorly to pre-press guys for doing as much profiling and calibration of the machine to give a correct output with monitoring their daily processes and habit to correct or improve them in their work environment. 

PW: Offset packaging has presented a steep learning curve, especially in areas like tobacco and food packaging. Specialised printing techniques, such as tactile varnish finishes achieved through innovative ink applications, are increasingly being adopted. What are some of the latest advancements in offset technology that are shaping the packaging segment? 

MB: I liked the combination of offset packaging and digital embellishments like Scodix or MGI, where customers can easily play with foil and UV varnish to create a tremendous output for a consumer and eye-catching. We are working on a few projects, where digital embellishments can be a key as well as customisation for the new generation buyers and demand in creativity keens to innovate something new every day for all the consumer markets either tobacco, food or even liquor.

PW: Looking to the future, what do you see as the key challenges and opportunities for the offset/digital printing industry in the next five years? How is your company preparing to address these challenges and seize these opportunities?

MB: The challenges faced by the industry are inconsistent raw materials and hike in the price of paper as well as consumables, but the end market is damn competitive with big quantities, if you are just a digital printer, it's never the less to sell an easy print but to innovate a product which itself sell many folds the cost 

We are seeking many new opportunities and thinking of launching a support system with the help of a few industry leaders to create a benchmark for others to follow and replicate with growth.

Yes, the digital era is already here awaiting automation engines to be integrated and creating a production atmosphere with perfect results and increased profits for printers with wastage control and no rejection.

We were able to adapt in this era and were very early to introduce digital proofing on Epson in 2007.

Though digitals are just an initiative for start-ups with small quantities to enter their product in the market creating a future for commercial prints and packaging.