Indian web press manufacturers ride on book growth

Five Indian web press manufacturers at Drupa have reported that a big number of enquiries have come from customers who are into book printing business. Most these, predominantly web offset manufacturers are now also diversifying or looking to diversity into the packaging segment., Business

08 Jun 2016 | By Noel D'Cunha

Pawan Tyagi of The Printer House said, “70% of the 15 enquiries have come from customers printing books.” The Printer House is a 70-year-old company with a plant in North India and a worldwide installation base of over 2,500 four-tower units.

These sentiments are echoed by three other web press manufacturers – the New Delhi-based NBG Printographic Machinery and Ronald Weboffset; and Mumbai-based Manugraph Industries.

Rahul Gupta of NBG, said, “50% of our machines being sold are in the book segment.”

Meanwhile, Manugraph has signed its first deal at Drupa. AGA Publications, Hyderabad in India will install a new CityLine Express press. AGA publishes the Telegu language newspaper, Vaartha.

The Cityline Express is Manugraph’s popular single-width H-type designed four-colour tower offset press equipped with brush dampening, pneumatic impression, and motorised registration control. The press to be delivered to AGA will consist of four four-colour printing towers, one F222 Jaw Folder, and four integrated autopasters. The delivery of the press is expected to take place before this year end.

Manugraph, NBG and The Printer House have planned to enter the packaging segment. “We have the capability of building presses and are using our manufacturing acumen to build narrow-web presses for label printing,” said Gupta of NBG.

Finally, The Indian web offset press manufacturer, Prakash Web Offset, has given its SG50 automatic splicing machine a global launch at Drupa.

The SG50, of which there are 12 units installed, is a shaftless reel changer with a maximum splicing speed of 460 metres per minute.