20 Flexcels in India, with recent installation at Bajaj Processing

Significant advances in pre-press technology and flexo CTP systems have enabled print entrepreneur Neelkanth Bajaj to keep pace with pharmaceutical packaging and labelling. , Business

05 May 2016 | By Krishna Naidu

In 2014, Bajaj decided to set up a pre-press bureau, Bajaj Processing Industries, with investments in a Kodak Trendsetter CTP and Prinergy Workflow software.
 
This was part of a diversification plan. And it worked. Since the past two years, Bajaj Processing Industries has established a loyal client base in the pharma and cosmetic markets for label and corrugated packaging applications.
 
Today, Bajaj Processing has invested in a Kodak Flexcel NX Mid Imager (Hybrid) to increase the quality of the plates it produces and to take up new opportunities, like flexible package printing.
 
Neelkanth Bajaj, the director at Bajaj Processing, said, “Packaging printers have been looking for solutions to continually increase efficiency while also improving colour quality. As there are considerable business pressures owing to condensed cycle times and a renewed focus on savings."
 
Justifying his investments, he said, "We picked the Flexcel NX System considering our good experience with Kodak products. Kodak Prinergy workflow drives our pre-press by bringing in added reliability and productivity into the mix. Our workflow configuration is suited to meet customer demands and truly helps us to do more with less.”
 
The Glunz & Jensen processor is part of the pre-press setup installed at Bajaj Processing. Nigel Walsh, G&J area sales manager APR said, “Once again G&J has worked closely and successfully with Kodak India to provide Bajaj Processing Industries with leading edge solutions for flexo plate production with the Kodak NX System complimented by the G&J Concept 305 P inline plate processor and the Concept 302 EDLF exposure, dryer and light finishing combination unit to confidently and consistently produce high quality flexo plates for their customers.”
 
 
 
With the system in full operation, Neelkanth Bajaj next aims to provide his customers with a broader range of options for cosmetic and pharmaceutical label and packaging print applications. The level of quality made possible by the Flexcel NX system gives Bajaj's customers a competitive edge in the market, which ultimately helps this pre-press bureau solidify its advantage and grow its business.
 
As per a Kodak spokesperson, "With the Flexcel, Bajaj Processing can achieve gravure-class print quality on a wide variety of substrates. The secret lies in the dots created on the plates. Deploying the Kodak Squarespot Imaging Technology, dots as small as 10-microns are imaged onto the Kodak Flexcel NX thermal imaging layer. Laminating the thermal imaging layer to the Flexcel NX plate eliminates all oxygen between the layer and the plate, allowing stable, full-amplitude, flat top dots to form. The results are consistent, predictable printing, even of subtle gradations and challenging shadows and highlights."
 
Bajaj is targetting the country's high growth industries like pharma, beauty and cosmetics. "The pharma industry is expected to grow three-fold to notch up USD 55 billion in the next five years against the current size of USD 18 billion. Annual growth in the Indian beauty and cosmetics markets is estimated to remain in the range of 15-20 percent in the coming years, twice as fast as that of the US and European markets. As consumer demand drives this growth, the packaging sector will be a key beneficiary. Revenues from the Indian packaging industry is expected to reach USD 32 billion by 2020."