We have seen an uptrend in our volume after the pandemic

Rahul Kumar (RK) How did Sona fare in 2024?  

Sanjay Suneja (SS): The year 2024 has been a great year for us in terms of business, working with new clients and new domains. Especially when the industry is shifting its focus from commercial print to packaging and converting, we are also putting our emphasis on premium packaging. Our collaboration with Fedrigoni Paper Mill exemplifies our preparedness and commitment towards the industry. 

RK: Are volumes up?  

SS: We have always seen an uptrend in our volume graph after the pandemic. The last year saw exponential growth in a few segments like premium packaging, brochures, tags, etc.

RK: The printing industry is witnessing a significant shift towards digital printing technologies. How is your company adapting to this trend? 

Raju Suneja (RS): As the printing industry shifts towards digital printing, our company is actively adapting to this change by aligning our fine paper offerings with the evolving needs of both offset and digital printers. We are supplying high-quality fine papers that are optimised for digital printing under the brand “Togo”. With the increasing focus on eco-friendly printing, we are offering sustainable fine paper options, including recycled and FSC-certified papers, which cater to the environmentally conscious digital printing market. We are working closely with digital press manufacturers and commercial printers to test and develop paper solutions that enhance the performance of digital printing processes, ensuring consistent and premium print output. 

Understanding that digital printing thrives on short-run, on-demand, and personalised printing, we offer speciality fine papers that add value to high-end, customised print applications, such as luxury packaging, corporate stationery, and premium marketing materials.

By staying ahead of market trends and investing in innovation, we are ensuring that our fine paper continues to be the preferred choice for both offset and digital printing in this evolving industry. PrintPack 2025 saw a good number of transactions in the short run and the latest 15K purchase in tier II cities like Patna, clearly reflects the industry's shift towards digital printing. 

RK: As demand grows for shorter print runs and personalisation, digital printing offers distinct advantages. How is your company innovating to meet these changing demands? 

RS: We, at Sona, have always tried to be ahead and pioneering in terms of adopting the technology and policies that best suit our business and industry. Anticipating the need and demand of the short-run commercial print, we launched our own brand Togo for digital format print in 2018. This has been a great success in the short-run segment since its launch. Also its aggressive pricing and ready-to-go for print approach has been a great mantra for its success. 

RK: Sustainability is increasingly important across industries. How is your company integrating sustainable practices? 

SS: We are not into paper production; we are purely into paper trading. We ensure that we tie up and procure paper from those mills which have strong environmental practices. Whether it is Neenah Paper Mill, Cordenons Paper Mill, Fedrigoni Paper Mill, Hansol Paper Mill, or Lenzing Paper Mill, all of them are known for their environmental compliances and for producing papers which are not hazardous to the environment. We, as a paper trading company, got ourself FSC-certified in 2010, which shows our commitment and seriousness to environment protection. 

RK: The decline in traditional print media has impacted the industry. How has this shift impacted your business?

SS: We are in the domain of premium paper supply and premium paper needs and requirements have seen a sharp rise in the past years. The reasons are obvious — ‘touch and feel’ to achieve customer's attention. 

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

RS: The tags and premium packaging markets have always been a value addition to a product's life cycle. With our collection of papers, we are working closely with brands. In fact, we collaborate with the brand as a solution provider and not as a paper supplier. We understand the need for the brand's DNA and if required, we offer them a customised solution so that the brand gets the best out of our portfolio. Our Collaboration with mills like Fedrigoni, Neenah, Hansol, and Lenzing are helpful when it comes to creating a customised solution for brands in India. 

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

SS: Ever since we ventured into the fine paper business back in 2003, we have always been pioneers in terms of adopting technology and learning and development in our business process.

This has not only helped us to stay ahead of the competition but also proved to be a great help for customer service.  We were the early bird to adopt SAP and sales CRM in our system back in 2010. We pay utmost attention to the learning and development of our team. With AI at centre stage, we have recently introduced our WhatsApp chatbot Orri, the virtual paper consultant at Sona. This is done to create another customer interface for easy query handling. 

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

Sandeep Suneja (SS): I think you are referring to premium rigid box packaging and premium mono cartons. Brands in cosmetic, perfume, chocolates, etc are continuously exploring possibilities to increase the brand's lifecycle of products. For this a good quality, innovative and sustainable packaging solutions are the need of the hour. With our kind of paper offering, it is easier for the brands to get a sustainable paper with consistent supply. All our papers are FSC-certified and manufactured with pulp from managed forests. For brands, too, it becomes easier to create international-level packaging designs with less cost involved. 

RK: Looking to the future, what do you see as the key challenges and opportunities? 

RS: The printing industry is undergoing significant transformation due to technological advancements, sustainability concerns, and evolving consumer preferences. Both offset and digital printing have their unique roles to play, and their future will be shaped by key challenges and opportunities lying ahead.

There are many challenges, including sustainability and environmental regulations, compliances, cost pressures and raw material price volatility, digital disruption and shift to online content, Need for skilled workforce an automation, are some of the major challenges. At the same time, there are opportunities, such as growth in packaging and labels, personalisation and variable data printing, sustainability-driven innovations, and so on. 

At Sona we are ready to provide best of the solution in either situation, as we have a strong relation with our paper mills which are innovative and working with respect to the environmental safety.