"Local machines can help newspaper houses save cost by 50%" says VS Raja

He was speaking at the seminar on web printing, organised by the IPAMA, in association with Chennai-based Vibes Academy, on the sidelines of PrintPack 2015 on 13 February 2015.

“For a leader, nothing is right or wrong. If your plans yield positive results, then you are successful. Otherwise, you are not. Leaders will always have to be open, because ideas can come from anywhere,” he said, adding, “India is an import market. The country is strong in information technology and in web offset presses.”

Prem Bandhu Gupta, KD Kohli and Sanat Shah were the three pioneers who initiated manufacturing of Indian machines for newspaper production. Sanjaya Gupta of 4C Plus has also played a key role. Manugraph, TechNova, 4C Plus and TPH are the key players.

From the perspective of a newspaper house, Raja said the key is to manage financials, contracts, relationships and performances. “Since we are in a capital investment business, buying is a long-term process and it contains concept freezing, commercialisation and implementation,” he said. He added that HT Media believes in the right size and economical asset utilisation. “Newsprint, ink and plates constitute more than 95% of the direct variable cost. We have only a few and permanent vendors who serve the entire industry,” he said.

For big production houses, Raja said ERP and SAP are the need of the hour. While the newspaper business is going down elsewhere, in Asia and Latin America, it is seeing a 10% growth, Raja said.

He added that by using machines developed indigenously, a newspaper company can save costs up to 50%.

Raja then listed the rules of the game. These include total approach to solutions, value for money propositions, creating a world class product, speed and reliability, clear and precise contracts, quality and consistency, innovation and localisation.

“If you can dream it, you can achieve it,” he signed off.