​Madurai readies for Print-n-Pack in July

Speaking exclusively to PrintWeek India, Lakshminarayanan said, "Madurai is the gateway to South Tamil Ñadu and Kerala. Normally this type of fair transpires only in Kochi and Chennai. This will be a rare opportunity for the people in the south to visit an industrial exhibition of this size. The earlier edition of this fair had attracted a big crowd not only from Tamil Ñadu but also from Kerala, Lakshadweep and Sri Lanka."

Explaining what is transpiring in Tamil Nadu, Lakshminarayaan said, "Once upon a time, manual skills were very much essential in jobs like colour separation, platemaking etc. Now with the development of technology every city and every town has become a centre for printing. However, cities like Coimbatore, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Erode, Tirupur have evolved as centres for both printing and packaging."   

He adds, "Ever increasing innovations will be a challenge for the printing industry in 2018. In order to meet the challenges, one has to update one's knowledge and awareness about the industry trends. Greatest opportunity will be in designing and pre-print and short-run prints."

Lakshminarayanan who is the chairman of Maditissa’s Print-n-Pack, heads an organisation of repute with a standing of more than four decades.

Maditssia organised a screen printing show. Lakshminarayaan reminisces how "several hundred young entrepreneurs chose that field and got self-employed." From that day onwards Maditssia hosted several shows and fairs in various fields. Apart from that Maditssia conducts seminars, workshops and conferences on topics like costing, designing, export opportunities, 5S, quality, cost reduction etc. This, according to Lakshminarayaan has given "a very deep understanding to the people in this trade. People from Sivakasi which is one of the traditional printing hub used to attend these programs."

Lakshminarayaan agrees that day after day, we see breathtaking examples of how print can capture the consumer's attention, imagination and emotion. He feels, in addition to the technology, our industry should "shout loudly about creativity and innovation". Which is why, Maditssia has instituted an award for best printing, good innovations and designing. The idea is to create awareness among consumers about the latest trends in the sector. 

He feels quality inputs and environmental-friendly printing are the two buzzwords in Tamil Nadu. He says, "People were not concerned about the base materials which were used for printing. Nowadays there is a lot of awareness and people are interested about the inputs. Consumers want to know if environmental friendly items are used for printing and packaging. Right from the paper to board used for printing to the inks, everything has to be environmental friendly."

Meanwhile, his own unit, Sree Vinayaga Screens, in Madurai has constantly updated with the change in technology. He says, "We have started spreading our wings by moving to other cities. Recently we have opened a new branch at Karur."