Amarpreet Kaur of White Horse Machinery and Arjun Pandit of Neeldhara Transfers

Amarpreet Kaur, White Horse Machinery

The pre-owned machinery market continues to have a growing influence in India, says Amarpreet Kaur, and the Heidelberg brand name remains at the forefront of industry-accepted standards. White Horse Machinery, she says, has been specialising in Heidelberg press and finishing solutions for the last 25 years. “We have supplied young and modern machines to big and established printers all over India,” she says. According to Kaur, the annual turnover of the market is USD 42.5m, and it will continue to grow through 2015.
 

Kaur believes that after the recovery from global recession, printers are being cautious. “As a result, many printers benefit from very modern presses and technology being available on the pre-owned sector, at a huge cost difference against new, without losing technical benefits. A, three to five years old modern press with the same technology as a new machine can save between 25-35% on investment,” he says.
 

Today, a company making a serious investment in pre-owned machinery accept that there is an element of risk involved. White Horse Machinery employs the services of the best technicians to firstly demonstrate the press and/or other equipment to the client. “This is done either at the site of the vendor or through live video link,” says Kaur.
 

Kaur agrees that Indian printers are no longer sceptical or afraid of technology. However, this does not result in the client spending money on a new machine. “The global recession saw many young machines come to the pre-owned market through company closures, mergers, acquisition, etc. We have the skill set and financial resources required to facilitate the purchase and supply of such equipment, whilst providing the knowledge and benefits to the client,” she says.

 

Arjun Pandit, Neeldhara Transfers

Brand does matter, as it has evolved to be a brand after years of technology upgradation, adding that in the Indian market, business has been consistent, but slow, says Pandit.
 

Even a pre-owned machine must fulfill a printer’s need. “Our core focus has been to choose good machinery from the very beginning,” says Pandit. “This is the reason, I oversee the inspection and trial runs of the machines abroad. If asked by our customers, we arrange special certifications by qualified engineers.”
 

Pandit believes a large chunk of the market continues to be pre-owned, even if Indian printers are showing their interest in brand new machines. “This is why we can still count the number of new machines installed in a city sector on the fingertips. Apart from ROI calculation, it’s really difficult to justify investment in a new machine when you can get similar quality one-fourth of the price.”