The future of printing: I feel print will have its own life, and growth and it will last as long as there are humans.  Because reading a book or a newspaper is always a pleasure ­– it is a very creative field.  And whoever is good at it will always make it.

One thing printers in Mumbai should do: It would be a good idea for six to seven printers to pool their resources and establish an organisation with the latest technology and equipment. This is better than going solo.

The disparate tax structure: The confusing tax structure is a huge challenge. This is an obstacle to growth. To overcome this hurdle, the printers need to unite and force the authorities in the government to keep taxation within payable limits. I must admit that this is a long journey and unity is the key word because unitedly we may be able to persuade the authorities in government to reduce taxation. If we appear as a divided house, the authorities will take advantage of this.

The Daman and Navi Mumbai experiment: The Daman and New Bombay experiment has been a success. I expect many more print centres to emerge. The investor should look at factors like family business, corporate strategy, financial background and even the age factor. This is one way to ensure the younger generation is a part of the industry by creating world-class factories that have scale and stature.

Printers closing shop: The printers in Mumbai have a history phase of 35 years. And most of the printers who have preferred to close down are part of this business cycle. There are two obvious reasons for this. One: the technology that was supposed to be purchased was not done in time. And two: the labour had gone top-heavy. Our industry has to automate smartly. 

Finance: Print and packaging firms suffer from limited and costly access to finance. Which is why they are unable to mature into large companies. We need to find a way to boost access to finance for working or fixed capital. Some of the big players will manage this by creating a brand and then opting for private equity investment or public listing.

One advice for master printers: Today, the customer demands a break-up of costing. The printer should refuse. No printer must get into the practice of showing the cost break-up. Basically, we are handing over our overhead data to a customer. This would mean the customers start intervening with your overheads and percentage of margin. This does not make good business sense. After all, what is the point in making losses? And if there are no returns on the machinery or investments, I do not see any sense in running such equipment or running a business that is not profitable.

Three mantras to succeed: In the city of Mumbai there are 7,000 printers and almost everyone has work.  In that case, what has gone wrong? Are they really making profits?  Are they abiding by the quality standards? If a survey is conducted among 300 corporate print buyers, one would realise approximately 50 printers are serving these buyers. These 50 printers are serving corporate buyers for three reasons: One, they are technically competent and possess the technical equipment to handle the job; secondly, because of their deep pockets, they can offer credit to the customers; and finally, the clients are certain these printers will not indulge in unfair practice or allow any duplication or counterfeit.  This type of trust has kept the bond between the customer and printer, intact.

Quality matters: If you stand by quality, and service and take care of your clients, you will get the recognition you need.  That is the main factor for the business to survive and grow.  But in modern times, expectations from customers are getting irrational, in terms of quality and production. This is why, one can expect new challenges by changing one's attitude and correcting oneself to the needs of the market.

The future: Ever since the advent of globalisation, international players have shown interest in our industry. Today, India and China are the most favoured destinations. Our industry has to ensure industry representation and a print and packaging ministry, or else we will lose the race to China.