Ten tips for PrintPack - The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column
The Sunday Column offers ten common sense tips look at what to do at PrintPack; and how to separate the grain from the chaff when stall hopping. Plus an interview with K S Khurana about how IPAMA has focussed their efforts on packaging, digital and UV LED formulations.
03 Feb 2015 | 3122 Views | By Noel D'Cunha
1. Do proper research and don’t dismiss a print solution simply because you don’t understand it in the beginning. Or the person giving the demonstration was not up to the mark.
2. First window shop; and then shop.
3. Always consider a cheaper option before you invest but don’t let this affect the quality of your product or your service, as it will undermine the value of your business.
4. When overcoming problems, try to think outside of the box. Especially with digital print, there are always alternatives.
5. Look at total solutions. For example, packaging and UV inks are a growth area. Today, the UV LED market is strong, and many print firms are looking at the advantages of LED curing. With UV LED installations reportedly on the rise, how many ink companies have developed technologies that cure at the right wavelength?
6. Cut everything you don’t need. There’s no room for waste in a growing business.
7. While looking at an investment, include IT overheads, even if the costs are low, they do exist.
8. Customer service is king. Some people believe "cash is king". This is my mantra, too. But I think in India, service is king as well. Make sure your manufacturer or dealer has a formal service contract.
9. Keep an eye on currencies. For instance the Swiss government scrapped the ceiling last month. As a result, Swiss-made print products have become more expensive.
10. And finally, the print business is about a supportive team, because on the really bad days you need each other. Hence ensure your team has been briefed by you about your latest purchase.
| Welcome to PrintPack 2015 | KS Khurana, president, IPAMA |
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In spite of a tough period the Indian manufacturing industry has been evolving, adding new product categories which are cost effective and relevant for the printer. Today, the Indian web offset manufacturers and post-press kit are among the best in the world. Industry hubs like Faridabad and Amritsar and Ahmedabad and Navi Mumbai and Bengaluru and Coimbatore have poured their products into the show. Amritsar which is my janmabhoomi and karmabhoomi manufactures corrugated box making machines, die-cutting machines, paper cutting machines and small machines for perforation work. Around 125 die-cutting machines a month are produced which is 80% of India’s total production. Other centres have equally impressive numbers. Besides the traditional print, look out for digital printing which is blossoming. This is indicated by the players who provide print on-demand options, variable data, and inkjet. According to a print survey, on-demand printing is a about estimated Rs 13.2 billion (5%) of the Rs 264 billion print business in 2014. By 2018, the estimates are that it will grow to Rs 26.18 billion (around 7% of Rs 374-billion print business) in India. At the show, visitors will see software and machinery companies alike provide options. The big buzz at PrintPack over the next five days is: packaging. The Indian packaging sector is being reshaped as the humble carton becomes a vital marketing tool for brand owners and retailers, and a source of consumer information on the pack to aid the traceability of products. Most of the exhibitors are adapting to the widening scope of packaging in the marketing of products by broadening their own role in the supply chain, particularly in the area of services. I had a walk through the PrintPack halls in the past 24 hours and the trends I see: development of new packaging products; printed materials that are organic and biodegradable; the issue of migration of dangerous chemicals from packaging inks and coatings into packaged food; checking information from barcode scanners against data held in central databases. The mantra at PrintPack is innovation and more than 390 companies will be talking the tech about their capabilities in R&D and product innovations. Happy PrintPack to all of you. KS Khurana President of IPAMA IPAMA is a part of Global Print, an international federation of printing industry members created to further the interests of manufacturers of printing, paper-making and converting machinery, equipment and consumables. |