For decades, Indian expertise in print and packaging has developed in an ad hoc manner, with isolated areas of excellence which have been offset by large capability gaps in important fields. Ashok shared how organisations can coordinate a holistic development of its financial and business capability through a performance monitoring mechanism.

He advised the print CEOs in the BMPA Secretariat to stay empowered by coordinating and overseeing finance management. In addition, he highlighted how to develop the skills for being hands-on in terms of "maintaining fixed costs".

He suggested simple steps like a review system which includes daily monitoring through a display board on the factory floor to a monthly management review.

He said data is key. Herein, he quoted management thinker Peter Drucker to boost his point, and said "you can't manage what you can't measure." Drucker had said that you can't know whether or not you are successful unless success is defined and tracked.

Ashok explained how at Autoprint they implemented CRM in 2001; and ERP in 2007. This has meant greater levels of efficiency plus real-time data on the fingertips. Ashok said he got his P&L "on the third day of the month”.

In the second part of his presentation, CN Ashok defined the four roles for top management in an organisation:

1. Ninjas – People who can get flawless execution done without process violation within the time and budget constraints
2. Coach – People who can train and mentor people; and are always accessible
3. Thought Leader – People who can see ‘Day After Tomorrow’. People who are visionaries and connect dots which do not exist
4. Rainmaker – Every print firm needs Rainmakers – since they can get business. Every sales person should be a rainmaker

Ashok advised, "Every organisation needs a good mix of these roles to succeed. Organisations cannot be just Ninjas alone or Rainmaker alone.”

After Ashok’s presentation, Amit Shah and Tushar Bhotica felicitated Dr Rasheed Mistri of Comart for his tech-report which compares two spectrophotometers, the Xrite eXact and the Techkon Spectrodens.

The second half of the STB saw a show-and-tell presentation by Jehangir Surti of Prodon. He narrated the unique journey of Prodon as a boutique print firm which began with his father Don Surti, a lover of horses and now an amateur florist.

He shared samples which included art books and design catalogues. He said, “The tactile nature of print doesn't end with the stock choice and print. The way that pieces are folded or cut can add appeal, especially.” This, Surti feels, is important since “Tactility is becoming more important as we move to an increasingly online world".

Jehangir Surti added, “New media make people re-evaluate every medium’s strengths. The advent of the internet means people are reflecting on what print is for.” He said, “Designers and artists notice unconsciously. A brochure on uncoated paper feels good. The recipient probably won’t know why, but they know that it does.”

This is where the Surti family and a lean-mean Prodon team leverages on their super personalisation and customer connect.

Surti bought to the STB session his passion for print which included folklore about Don Surti travelling in a car with the print samples and typing out the invoices on a typewriter even as the print job was being hand delivered to the client.

He pointed out, the wide range of finishes and the complications of selecting the best one for the job means that it can take a long time to select the right paper.

“Generally people forget about how a job sits on press and the impact of the materials as they design and view so much on screen,” he said. “To sell texture you need to have test trials plus thought-through projection order to aid selection.” 

He felt, “It’s not just the paper that affects the feel of the job. Any subsequent processes will also have an impact. It is important to consider coating and laminating and bronzing. While it may have taken six months or more for a project to come to fruition, by the time it’s on press it tends to be the 11th hour."

“It’s the nature of things in India that after six months of development of a project; at the end the choice of paper and print are always made in a hurry,” concluded Surti.

Members of the STB concluded that "Jehangir Surti and Prodon are technicians and servants to fulfill artists’ ideas,” But photographers and designers see him as a master.

When PrintWeek India organised a Print Yatra to his tiny unit in Lower Parel — delegates said its “is almost akin to a visit to a church". The shopfloor has such a lot of creative energy.

"Jegangir Surti is like a couturier,” said one design agency head, who has published books with Prodon. “It seems he can peer straight into someone’s brain, and in ten minutes he gets the book. The thing he loves to do is dress it up. He’ll pick the size, the paper, the covers. He knows how to tailor a book, based on an understanding of the contents.”

The tallest compliment, one can pay Prodon is, the Surtis are "the Gerhard Steidl of Mumbai".

Meanwhile Faheem Agboatwala, president of BMPA stated, "Anyone wanting to become a part of the forum or wanting to start a STB forum in their city is welcome to contact us."

The eMail id is office@bmpa.org