Wikas Printing & Carriers poised for growth

Nashik-based Wikas Printing & Carriers has recently installed a new corrugation set up by adding a fluting machine (E- and B-flute) from Micro Engineers and a Lamify flute laminator machine from Suba Solutions.

Established in 1989, and located at Satpur MIDC in Nashik, Wikas Printing & Carriers is a division of the renewed Sakal Media Group, which has extensive experience in the newspaper printing business for over 90 years.

Since its inception, Wikas has been providing high-quality printing and packaging services to a number of popular brands and industry giants in India.

Wikas has two divisions, namely, commercial printing which is engaged in the manufacturing of books, brochures, calendars, periodicals, and the packaging division, which is engaged in producing mono cartons and corrugated cartons.

“The proficiency of our skilled expertise and the advanced infrastructure has allowed us to introduce focused strategies to produce a range of quality products,” Pratarao Pawar, chairman, Wikas Printing & Carriers said Wikas’s packaging product range includes window cartons, liner cartons; tray cartons; shelf-ready packs; corrugated cartons, and customized design cartons, among others.

Recently, the company also reshaped its infrastructure systems and QMS practices according to the current industry standards. The facility has also been awarded with the BRC issue 7 (A Grade) and ISO 15378 certification standards. “This certification has broadened our customer-base to FMCG and pharma clients,” Pawar added.

In a welcome development, post-Covid, Pawar said, the company has regained its sales position as per the pre-Covid days. “We have set an ambitious sales target for 2022-23 — to double the current numbers,” Pawar says.

He adds that the new corrugation setup will help boost sales. “This year, our focus areas will be acquiring pan-India clients and penetrating the corrugated carton market,” he said.

Towards this goal, the company has also installed a customised software for day-to-day packaging data entry, accountability of material consumption and cost.

Pawar says after the pandemic, the market demand is rising and the market is regaining its position. He adds that during the pandemic, the company produced around 35-lakh cartons of RAT kits for Covid test.

The company employs 85 people. “We provide constant training to our staff and operators. We send our senior team members to different printing and packaging exhibitions to keep themselves updated with the latest technology in the market. Our team members also attend webinars on technology upgradation,” Pawar said.

Besides the newly added machines, the company shopfloor also houses a KBA Rapida 75 PRO six-colour UV with coater; a KBA Rapida 106 seven-colour UV with coater; a Heidelberg 102 four-colour with coater and perfector; a Heidelberg 74 five-colour with perfector; a Bobst Ambition and a BobstExpertfold folder-gluers; two BobstNovaCut 106; and a Heiber + Schröderliner and window-patching machines, among others.

The major challenge today is the rising cost of paper and getting price hikefrom customer according to the increased paper price, Pawar concluded.