RS Graphics emerges as a winner in the era of packaging — The Noel D’Cunha Sunday Column

In Chennai, a 60-year-old company runs strong. RS Graphics isn’t just a firm—it’s a story, born in a small press where a father taught his sons the trade. Now, it’s a 1,20,000-sqft giant, with 350 workers and Rs 55 crore in yearly revenue.
 
VB Sridharan, the managing partner, stepped in at the age of 21, following his father's passing in 1987. He inherited a single-colour press, a turnover of Rs 15-lakh, and a mission: to focus on packaging. Today, that mission supports jobs for Tirupur exporters and US brands like Walmart, built on machines, memories, and a profound drive for excellence.
 
It’s a journey of sweat, steel, and soul—a family legacy that’s grown into a quiet force in India’s packaging world.  

From father’s press to a solo path 
It started with Saturdays. A boy followed his father to a tiny press, the thud of a treadle machine teaching him patience and purpose. “He wanted me there,” recalls Sridharan. At 18, he saw his father buy a used Heidelberg from Sivakasi—a basic machine that hinted at bigger things.
 
In 1987, death came, leaving the press to two brothers. From age 18 to 21, he and Ravikrishnan ran it together, doubling the income, holding tight to their father’s packaging focus. Then they started separate companies—Ravi started Scantrans, Sridharan chose to lead RS Graphics. “We went separate ways, but the core stayed,” Sridharan says. That core: packaging, not the flashy profits of commercial printing. A call that still rings true.
 
From 1984 to 1987, they’d honed their skills side by side, and when their father passed, Ravi chose to branch off with Scantrans. For Sridharan, it meant taking RS Graphics forward, leaning into the exporter ties their father had started. Those early years shaped him, a young man carrying a legacy with pride, ready to prove it could grow under his watch. “I had to keep going,” he adds.
 
Machines that built a legacy 
Machines tell the tale. The 1987 Heidelberg got a twin, then a two-colour Akiyama, a Mitsubishi four-colour press—a line-up of metal and ink. Folder gluers came next, the Asahi in 1996 swapping handwork for Japanese speed. In 2005, a Bobst die-cutter Speria 106 arrived—a first in Chennai outside ITC’s reach. Bobst Visionfold was installed six years back and latest addition was Bobst Expertfold in 2025 already hitting 450 m/min , fast and smooth. 

The Bobst Visionfold was fully configured to run both crash-lock and 4-6 corners cartons. The Expertfold was brought to run high speed straight line and with capability to process E/F flute litho laminated boxes and with inline Handypack for easy box collection and packing.

A seven-colour Komori UV press with coater, ordered during Drupa 2024 is on its way, set to join Heidelberg, Mitsubishi, and another Komori. “Japanese machines last,” says Sridharan, eyes bright with faith in their steady hum. From treadles to the coming UV, each buy—a step up, always. 

Every machine has a story. The Bobst wasn’t just a purchase—it was a leap of faith. “I risked it,” admits Sridharan, recalling the push to stand out in a crowded market. That risk paid off, pulling in bigger orders, proving he could build something lasting.
 
The 2005 die-cutter job—a million boxes in a shift—still echoes in his mind, a moment when doubt turned to belief. “Customers trusted us more,” he says, face lighting up. Each new machine feels like a nod to those Saturday lessons. “I see him in every one,” he confesses, tying steel to sentiment, a son’s way of saying thank you. The factory’s growth—from a 1.5-acre plot bought for 18-lakh in 1993, now worth INR 70-crore—mirrors that bond, built brick by brick, job by job.
  
Quality that holds trust 
Packaging was the heart from the start. Commercial printing offered big profits—200- to 300%—but his father said no. “It needed more machines, a different setup,” explains Sridharan.
 
RS Graphics stuck to slimmer gains—30% tops—delivering for exporters with fair prices and solid work. It all started with One rupee tags. Now, it’s premium jobs—cosmetics, special boxes—using offset, foiling, and embossing to match brand needs. Bright inks from Siegwerk and Hubergroup hit 99% right, echoing his father’s rule: decent isn’t enough. “He earned trust,” Sridharan says quietly. “I hold it."

That trust came with care. “We caught defects early,” remembers Sridharan, thinking of those first years when only quality packaging left the shop. RS Graphics worked to tight tolerance levels, scrapping flaws before they reached clients, ensuring every job matched the mark. He learned—watching his father win over loyal customers, then doing it himself—how to turn paper and ink into promises kept.
 
Today, when Walmart calls, it’s not just business; it’s a chance to show what his father’s values can do, one perfect box at a time. “They compare my rates to China,” he says, a hint of pride creeping in, “and I beat them.” It’s a fight he’s won since those one-rupee tags, a battle for quality over shortcuts, proving small beginnings can pack a punch. 
 
Standards that shape the game 
In 1997, ISO wasn’t a prize—it was a need. “I like order,” admits  Sridharan, a spark of pride showing. Papers stay tidy; rules stay strict. Job cards, production plans, software—Renuka then, Indus Analytics now—keep things smooth. Mistakes don’t wait; they’re spotted, fixed, done.
 
“We’re private, but run like a big firm,” Sridharan says, away from the factory’s daily buzz. Tirupur’s garment exporters to Europe and the US rely on that strength—carbon clients too. Waste sits at 2-3%, but new machines aim for 1%. It’s more than rules; it’s a promise to his father’s ways, carved deeper with every check. 
 
Going for ISO felt bold back then. “Not many tried it,” says Sridharan, a smile breaking through. It was tough—hours of paperwork, endless checks—but it sharpened a system already built on quality. Now, he can pull any file, fix any slip, and rest easy knowing the setup delivers.

Before ISO, RS Graphics managed defects well, but the new standards lifted them higher, cutting waste and boosting trust. “We doubled profits after,” he notes, recalling how order turned good work into great gains. It’s his way of proving the small press could grow big without losing its soul, a quiet tribute to a father who prized doing things right. “I wanted standards he’d respect,” he adds, tying today’s systems to yesterday’s lessons.

Today RS Graphics stands proud as one of the most sort after compliant factories with approvals from Sedex, CTPAT, GMP, BRC, Disney, ISI  apart from ISO. The facility is audited successfully by many US based retailers. 
 
Growth with roots and wings 
India’s packaging world is growing, and RS Graphics is in step. Trump’s duties touch exports—Walmart orders stand firm—while local demand rises. Christmas work is set; 40% growth looms next year.
 
The team stands strong—350 workers, many of them women, with one division run entirely by an all-women workforce. Chances outshine that: premium jobs, exports, new paths.
 
Digital printing? “Only if it makes sense,” says Sridharan. He’s got 40 Juki sewing machines sitting idle but ready, a sign he won’t jump into new tech like digital unless it pays off. “I need a five-year payback, or it’s not worth it,” he explains, sticking to what’s practical.
 
The Komori UV press, due soon, chooses trusted tech over risky LED options. 

The future keeps him awake—not with worry, but excitement. “We’ve got room to grow,” says Sridharan, picturing new markets and bigger orders. Those 40 idle Juki machines are a quiet promise—he’s ready to shift gears if the right chance comes, just like years ago when an export client needed cloth bags. “I bought 40 machines fast, made profit in the first year,” he recalls, a spark of that old thrill in his voice.
 
Pre-press is where speed shines—Kodak CTP, Esko software, and a Kongsberg sample-maker turn Walmart designs into samples the same day they arrive.  “It’s like day and night,” he says—keeps clients like Walmart coming back, a trick he learned from his father’s quick, clean work.
 
He’s willing to take smart risks, guided by instinct and the lessons from those early days. “We move with need,” he says, calm but firm, meaning he’ll grow RS Graphics as demand calls for it. That demand—40% up next year—carries his father’s legacy forward, one machine, one box, one memory at a time. Suppliers like ITC, TNPL, and Emami for paper, Huber for ink, TechNova and Kodak for plates and chemicals and Cosmo for films, feel like family after years of loyal business.
 
There are Awards from the All India Federation of Master Printers. PrintWeek Awards? “They’re next on our list,” says Sridharan.