There’s an increased interest from offset printers to embrace digital: Katsuhisa Asari

Let’s start with a quick update on the state of the industry. How has your company and your customers fared throughout 2024?  

In 2024, Konica Minolta witnessed significant growth, driving strong demand for digital printing and automation solutions. Our customers have seen increased efficiency and quality in their print jobs. Looking ahead to 2025, we foresee continued adoption of digital technologies, an increased focus on sustainability, and growth in premium print segments like embellishments and personalised packaging. We are also witnessing an increased interest from offset printers to embrace digital for their short-run print requirements and automation.

Which has been your most popular press (most sold/ordered in the last 12 months), and why is it popular?

Naming one machine is difficult, as we have different categories of machines to suit the different segments of the customers. For high-value and embellishment, the MGI AccurioShine 3600 is the most popular press. For high-volume printing, the AccurioPress 12000, for mid-print volume, the AccurioPress C7100, for light volume, the AccurioPress C4065, for monochrome, the AccurioPress 7120, for photobook printing, the AccurioPress C84HC are the most popular models. All the models are leading products in their business segments. 

Each model provides unique value propositions to the customers to match their business requirements and have a good TCO and ROI. Konica Minolta also has a big support system to maintain the health of the machines. This is one of the strengths of Konica Minolta in maintaining our leadership and confidence of the customers in India.

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

Yes, overall volumes are increasing, particularly for the applications in the labels, packaging, personalisation, and embellishment segments. The overall demand for print remains strong, with businesses embracing hybrid solutions that combine digital and offset technologies for greater flexibility and efficiency.

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? 

Konica Minolta has been at the forefront of digital transformation, offering solutions like the AccurioPress series and AccurioShine 3600, which enable shorter runs, personalisation, and embellishments. For offset printing, we collaborate with customers to integrate digital capabilities alongside their traditional systems, ensuring a seamless transition. 

Konica Minolta provides the controllers which can be combined with the offset workflow. The controllers have capabilities to simulate different industry standards or different print environments using additional software like AccurioPro Color Manager.

Is the growth rate similar in the Indian market? Is that growth rate a good number or is there scope for improvement?

In India, the growth rate for digital printing is indeed aligning with these global trends, reflecting a strong shift towards digital technologies. The Indian digital printing market is continuously growing due to increased demand for customisation and shorter print runs, particularly in sectors like packaging and labels. However, while the offset printing market may see slower growth, there remains substantial scope for improvement through the adoption of advanced technologies such as automation and AI.

Overall, the growth rates in India are promising, but there is still significant potential for further enhancement, especially in tier-II and -III cities where digital adoption can be accelerated.

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?

Our focus is on bringing in innovation by -introducing new products like the AccurioShine 3600, AccurioLabel 400 and AccurioPrint C14010S, which provide high-quality, on-demand solutions for personalization. Our focus is on hybrid systems and advanced software solutions to integrate offset and digital workflows efficiently. 

Our endeavour is to provide solutions to integrate their basic requirements for the CMYK prints and create more opportunities to expand their business horizon by enhancing their capabilities to do more applications like printing on specials substrates like transparent, textured media etc. We have also introduced solutions to do Spot UV and foil using digital processes to create eye-catching effects and upselling the same application at a higher value. 

India is also witnessing a surge in labels & packaging applications because of increased personalisation and customisation. AccurioLabel 230 & AccurioLabel 400 are creating more business opportunities for the printers to expand to other business areas.

Sustainability is increasingly important across industries. How is your company integrating sustainable practices into manufacturing, and what steps are being taken to minimise the environmental impact of offset printing?

Konica Minolta is committed to sustainability through energy-efficient presses, eco-friendly toner technology (Simitri V), and reduced waste during production. We also support our customers in adopting green practices like recycling and sustainable media usage. We are also running a programme to collect empty toner bottles from major cities.

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?

The decline in traditional print media has led us to focus on growth segments like packaging, labels, and marketing materials. Our strategy includes offering advanced digital and embellishment solutions to cater to these high-demand areas.

Collaboration and partnerships often drive innovation. Can you share any recent collaborations or initiatives your company has undertaken to enhance your product offerings or explore new markets?

Konica Minolta has always been at the forefront of technology and we have technologies in digital laser and inkjet which are leading the transformation of the printing industry. We continue to develop and bring more products with our efforts to meet the customer expectations for their growth.

Advancements in technology are transforming manufacturing processes. How is your company leveraging emerging technologies, such as automation and AI, to improve efficiency and product quality?

Our presses incorporate advanced automation features such as AI-driven colour correction and media handling. These innovations ensure consistent quality while reducing manual intervention and increasing productivity and efficiency. Konica Minolta has introduced technologies like IQ-501 (Intelligent Quality Optimiser) which can do real-time colour correction, and media registration and can also be configured to read the VDP jobs for verification. The device can be configured to reject the prints which do not match the standard parameter set in the device.

What are some of the latest advancements in offset technology that are shaping the packaging segment? 

In the packaging segment, recent advancements in offset technology include tactile varnish finishes and digital embellishment technologies that enable high-value customised packaging solutions. These innovations allow for unique textures and visual effects, enhancing product appeal. Additionally, offset printers are adopting hybrid systems that combine traditional offset printing with digital capabilities, providing greater flexibility for shorter print runs and personalised packaging while maintaining high-quality output.

We are also seeing leading paper packaging players diversify into new areas of the packaging business. Your views of big companies diversifying into new areas, and expanding their portfolio?

Diversification into new packaging segments reflects the demand for innovative and sustainable solutions. It’s a positive trend that drives the industry forward; we support it by offering technologies that cater to specialised needs like labels and flexible packaging.

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? 

Key challenges include rising demand for sustainability, competition from emerging markets, and the need for constant innovation. Opportunities lie in automation, personalisation, and expanding into high-growth segments like packaging and digital embellishments. Konica Minolta is investing heavily in R&D to stay ahead of these trends.  Our focus is more on increasing the efficiency and productivity of the machines with predictable maintenance and auto-machine correction capabilities. Konica Minolta has already made steps in this direction with a host of workflow applications for customers and machine software’s to make them more predictable.