From smart print shop to pre-press and MIS concepts – a Heidelberg India online masterclass

Samir Patkar, president, Heidelberg India, significantly boosted the morale of students by stating that the print industry awaits fresh and innovative minds like theirs. “It is important to be future-ready with continuous skills-upgrade, to remain relevant in an evolving industry and capitalise on opportunities,” he said.

The event kicked off with the welcome note by Dr B Kumar, head of the printing technology department, performing brief introductions of speakers.

Ashokan Krishnamoorthy, general manager for Prinect and CTP shared information on how print establishments can get a maximum run for their money with a smart press on the shopfloor vs traditional OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) of just 25-35%; Lalitkumar Lamba, product manager, sheetfed solutions, shared his prowess on Heidelberg’s ‘Push to Stop’ technology, and the engineering behind it; Prabaharan Annamalaichami, DGM, post-press solutions, delivered an in-depth presentation on principles, drive mechanisms, automation and safety provisions deployed in cutting and folding machines to enhance productivity; Narendra Kulkarni, regional product manager – Gallus Asia, explained about the diverse technologies in flexo process and how inline printing presses deploying major printing processes can also convert in a single line; Upendra Rajadnya, territory manager - lifecycle operations, highlighted the role of Industry 4.0 in remote equipment servicing and predictive monitoring to enhance equipment effectiveness; Shankar Srinivaasan, head, human resources, provided pointers on confidence building and interview-handling.

A final year student speaking on the benefit of the webinar, said, “It was a complete package for any final year student. Discussions on present and upcoming technologies, academics-related topics, and life-skills helped tremendously. We look forward to more such sessions.”

According to a second-year student, this was the best thing to have happened during this lockdown. “Printing Industry 4.0 is exciting. Industry insights and technology updates were mind-blowing.”

A post-event evaluation saw the students give the webinar a nine-point rating on a scale of 10. “We are encouraged by the feedback, and plan to conduct more such knowledge-sharing sessions to other educational institutions as well,” said Kulkarni of Heidelberg India, who also coordinated the webinar with Anna University’s printing faculty JP Nirmala.