A day in the life of Mahesh Karthik S

The best motivation comes from being able to achieve targets and providing incentives based on the targets achieved

When you read your early morning newspaper, besides half tones and colour reproduction you look for...

I like well registered print, be it in the form of a newspaper or any other readable material. Apart from the tech-specs, I would like to see my favourite actress's picture printed clearly in the paper.

When and how do you begin your day? 
I begin my day at about 8.30 am by checking my iPad for the previous night's production data received from our MIS database.

Do you plan your day meticulously? Or is it ad hoc? Or is there a blue print for the day?
It is my habit to plan the day by about the evening of the previous day and put a time-line reminder on my mobile phone. 

One person with whom you like to share your daily drive to office! Why?
I love driving alone with some light music playing and as of yet, no one has been good enough to replace that.

What’s the first thing you do on entering the office?
I first check if my pet fish has had his breakfast, followed by a chat with the key resource personnel.

How frequently do you interact with print production supervisors? What do you discuss commonly?
Once in the morning, afternoon and evening, I check whether the production is going as per the planned schedule and in case of any delays, we take action to solve them.

With the fierce competition, high cost of entry and above all - the increasing threat from other media, do you find that traditional ink-on-paper is facing a serious threat to its survival?
Diversifying and adding value to print has been quite helpful in countering these issues.

Which is the best printing press in India? Why?
I think everyone active in the industry is doing a good job in their own unique way, how else would they be able to sustain their business?

How do you rate your press as compared to leading printers the world-over?
Never compared it that way! Such comparisons are subject to locations. A press in the West will have an edge over ours, while our presses would have an edge over the less developed nations…

If you won Rs 10 crores through Playwin which printing equipment would you invest in? Why?
If I win a lottery or Playwin, I won't invest that in a printing press.

Today - we hear of innumerable printing presses closing down or being on the verge of closing down. Why is this happening? And - what does this portend for the future of the industry?
In my opinion, the reason why a press has closed down will differ from one press to another. There are many reasons and I am not really able to find a common reason which is like a viral to the industry. The future of any industry, I believe, goes by the age old mantra of the survival of the fittest and the print industry is no exception to that.

The best break-through in print technology in the past hundred years?
100 years is too long to choose from. In the recent times, I would say Benny Landa's Nano has impressed me as a concept more than anything ... but I am still waiting to see a working prototype.

Most printers, repro houses and graphic art professionals complain about the manner in which profit margins are being squeezed. The reasons they cite for this are: unfair under-cutting; increasing presence of canvassers; etc. 
I would rate this as a wide-spread problem, and I suppose everyone is affected to a certain extent. The reasons could be lack of knowledge and desperation for return on investments and ignorance of the facts and figures of the industry.

Are you encountering these problems? If yes, then why - and how?
How much am I affected!  Well like I said it affects different people at different levels, in my case it is not really viral yet.

For a working lunch if you meet ­­­­­­Johanes Gutenberg (the father of modern printing), what would you talk to him about?
How to concede ideas that will change history!

How do you motivate your sales and marketing team? Any new promotion strategy?
The best motivation comes from being able to achieve targets and providing incentives based on the targets achieved. It has worked quite well for me.

The most frequently used mantra in your organization! Your corporate philosophy!
There is no "mantra" as such, but we do believe in providing prompt service and working towards improving that with technology.

The craziest deadline, you've come across?
50,000 books of 48 pages stapled and finished in one day’s time. We met the deadline in less than 24 hours.

Your favourite excuse to your family when you’re late?
The list is too big and none of them work, so no favourites!

Has the domination of the printing industry reached a plateau with the arrival of new competitors?
I think in India, the domination is subjective to different types of print. There could be avenues for more players in certain types whereas a certain other might have reached its peak. It really depends on the kind of printing.

Please comment on the technology and machines (press / prepress / postpress / others) that you have invested in, in the past few years?
Our investments have been quite similar to commercial presses. We have made the investments in CTP, sheetfed, heatset and coldset web presses and a range of post-press bindery for books. Currently, the focus is on investments on value-additions starting from softwares to special applications in post-printing like foil.

In India – the two most important barriers are technology and cost! What advise do you have for the printer?
Invest in the technology based on sufficient market research and study, the investment should earn you the right amount of returns and it should never be a burden which leads to desperation to keep it running by any possible means.

How do you stay in touch with the technological developments? 
Print magazines like Print Bulletin. I do attend most of the talked-about exhibitions in India and overseas and constantly stay in touch with my friends, some of who are at key positions in print related manufacturing and software firms.

In this sense – please comment on your official view on CTP technology and digital printing.
CTP is much talked about already. Ten years ago it was an innovation which re-defined the the print output. Digital print is getting more interesting with the passing day. I am waiting till it becomes the next game changer.

Any person with whom you would like to have a ‘face to face’!Well I already have had "face to face" with many prominent figures in the industry, thanks to my father, R Suresh’s, network.

Final thoughts ...
Being in this wonderful industry, I really feel privileged to be able to create magic by putting colours together and create. Print is an art. I believe it should be done with passion and not desperation and one should enjoy what one does. I live by that.