Robust results make Matha digital winner in two states - The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Most thriving companies acknowledge that they operate in the realm of customer experience. Numerous businesses comprehend that merely competing on products and services is no longer sufficient; how a company caters to its customers is becoming just as crucial as what it provides.

Telengana’s Matha Digital has been one such digital print provider that has skillfully managed the entire customer experience by adapting their processes, cultures, and mindsets to benefit not only their customers but also their employees and their bottom line.

Matha Digital was established in 2013 by Chandra Shekar Bura and Sampath Reddy, the managing partners in Karimnagar’s Annapoorna Complex. Initially, it functioned as a black-and-white copier centre. It soon transformed itself into a digital colour lab with five employees in its fold.

“Our quality, perfection in service and our soulful customers, employees and well-wishers support made us the number one photo-book printer across Telangana,” says Bura. Our teams’ scalable efforts made us expand our wings throughout Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with six branches specialising in photo books.”

It’s been a long journey in digital printing services for Matha Digital, whose primary focus has been service customers in wedding photo books and premium printing products. The company offers diverse printing services, including printing and converting visiting cards, invitation cards, certificates, product catalogues, and various custom products.

Every print service provider constantly asks themselves, "What do my customers want?" This question is being asked more often than ever before, especially with the advancements in technology that have given customers more control over the purchasing process. “With the market becoming more fluid, hypercompetitive, and always-on, there are now multiple channels and touchpoints for individual interactions,” says Bura. “We therefore take pride in our value-added service that we provide to our digital print by adding enhancements such as spot UV, gold foil, UV print and various binding techniques for books, going beyond conventional printing.”

Targets and goals
The Matha’s units across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh begin at 9am and closes at 9pm. During the 12 hours, the front office staff assist customers with their printing requirements and billing. A team of experienced colour correction personnel double-checks the files for processing for quality. “Our trained operators ensure precise measurements for photo books, while our skilled book-binders craft extraordinary and finished products,” says Bura.

And there are daily targets for all the Matha branches. “Our goal is to produce finished photo books ranging from 270 to 300 per day. With dedicated efforts from our marketing executives, we consistently achieve production of 200 to 230 photo books daily,” informs Bura.

Matha’s success represents the fruit of several years of hands-on work, which has helped it to build outstanding capabilities. Bura says, at the heart of our efforts is recognising, comprehending and perfecting the customer journey. “This journey encompasses customers' entire experience with a company, from start to finish, as viewed from their perspective. The journey has a clearly defined start and end that covers all touchpoints.”

And these touchpoints include investment in men and machines.

Matha's new branch in Lakidikapul, Hyderabad

Touchpoints to the journey
Providing customers with exceptional experiences during their most significant journeys can be challenging. However, companies can encourage repeat business by concentrating on this task.

“We encounter challenging opportunities in the printing business. Establishing a strong bond of trust with customers is crucial, as photos represent cherished memories. Precisely producing flawless and well-finished photo books requires coordination and perfection from our team,” explains Bura. “It’s not just satisfying our customers; we "wow" them to build strong and lasting relationships.”

To do that, Matha has to produce quality print, deliver on time, and, at times, handle urgent printing needs, for which it is equipped with five Konica Minolta  (KM) AccurioPress C83hc, a KM AccurioPress C3080, a KM AccurioPress C4080, and a KM AccurioPress 6120 Mono. In the post-press and finishing unit it has a Scodix S75 digital print enhancement kit, UV flatbed machines in sixes of 4x8ft and 5x3ft, plotter cutting, paper cutting, creasing, aqua coater, UV texture coater, thermal laminators and a set of binding equipment.

Matha began its colour photo business with a KM Bizhub C70hc in 2013. Over time, it continues to add more KM presses. “Konica Minolta has played a vital role in our decade-long growth. Not just the installation but continued support in terms of maintenance too,” said Bura.  “The KM service team efficiently installed our latest printing equipment, including the KM AccurioPress C3080 and C4080 and AccurioPress 6120 (Mono). The same engineer supervised our initial Bizhub Press C70HC installation in 2013.”

Bura added, “In times of machine breakdowns, the KM’s responsive service engineers quickly provide telephonic support, ensuring minimal disruptions to our operations.”

The pain points and the way forward
Though Matha has grown from a single-digit workforce in 2013 to 120 professionals today, Bura says, digital print firms often face challenges related to workforce shortages and acquiring skilled employees. “Frequent employee exits necessitate rigorous training for fresh staff members who may lack work or business knowledge. Additionally, maintaining a stable business year-round poses difficulty.”

This is where the KM technologies come into play. “The ease of operation – handling paper, inks, and operating it, solves many of our manpower issues,” said Bura.

Bura also flagged another concern – unfair pricing and cost structures and lamented the lack of committee boards or associations to regulate it. Bura, however, partly attributes the concern to the present state of print in India, which he says, has undergone considerable change, with a decline in the need for hard copies due to digital alternatives. “As a result, the printing industry has become highly competitive, focusing on various print products with advanced digital enhancements. To raise awareness about the significance of printed materials, the industry needs to foster healthy mutual understandings and a supportive atmosphere.”

However, Bura says overcoming challenges often requires stepping back for a comprehensive view. “We understand that commercial offset printing is on the decline. That’s where we think our market will be.”

The company has recently started a new branch in Lakidikapul, Hyderabad. “We will focus on providing service to commercial printing units, and grow,” says Bura, who has taken his company's turnover from Rs 20-lakh in 2013 to Rs 10-crore today.

The most difficult print job produced?
Chandra Shekar Bura says, "One of our most challenging print jobs was an unexpected bulk order for highly proficient hardcase coffee-table books received just before business closing time. Despite the emergency request, we rose to the occasion and processed the order overnight, successfully delivering around 300 hard case coffee-table books with spot UV within the next 8 hours."

The coolest digital print fact you know of?
Chandra Shekar Bura says, "One of the coolest digital print facts we know is the incredible production capability of KM AccurioPress 83hc. Initially, it was a challenging target to produce 20 high-end photo books in a single branch in a day. This advanced press has revolutionised our productivity. With its capabilities, we now deliver 150 photo books in a single working day at one branch, significantly enhancing our efficiency."