Inndus adds Monotech’s PixelGlow as it gets back to growth

Since Covid-19, Inndus has installed the Iridesse, upgraded one of our wide-format kits to HP Latex, and recently installed Monotech Systems’ PixelGlow – Digital UV and Foiling System.

“We are constantly upgrading ourselves in areas where there's a requirement for short-run because we see a lot of business only in short-run. It is also where we can keep healthy margins, and it helps us continue doing business,” said Sharma, adding, “Wherever there is a volume business, the margins drop drastically.”

Inndus claims to be the first fully integrated digital organisation in Mumbai, providing print solutions to financial consultancies, pharmaceutical organisations, big banks, medium retail outlets and small graphic design firms. “We are in the print business. Every value addition that we're looking at is with print in it. We offer wide-format UV prints, colour to monochrome and direct-to-garment (DTG). We try to build each kind of printing for shorter runs and then see how we can address the market. We also have an online presence with www.vareprintcom.”

Inndus uses print to value-add its business by setting up new verticals. The photo-frame business is one of them. Sharma said, “We deal with many print products, and hence we have suppliers supplying us with different substrates. So, we started using wood very strongly, and started giving frames to customers where they can keep changing posters, which is driven by our print business. In a way, that’s a print business, but it has helped us build a photo frame vertical to our business.”

Here Sharma said, he is engaging in a kind of print which is within the Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, where the price is not a concern to the customer because these are mostly boardroom items or items to be kept in the CEO's offices and such. “We see a big market out there. It’s not just about print. We found a niche in that area where we don’t have any competition.”

In the last three years, Inndus invested in a new Iridesse, an over Rs one-crore investment. Then in March this year, it invested in Monotech Systems’ PixelGlow, an entry-level embellishing kit.

PixelGlow is a drop-on-demand inkjet multi-pass engine capable of producing spot UV and CMYK+white+violet at a speed of A3 70sph at a resolution of up to 600x4,800dpi on substrates weighing 170-500gsm. Print service providers can add special embellishing effects to digitally printed output, which enhances the final output.

Sharma explained, “To begin with, we were unsure what kind of volumes drive the embellishment market. We started evaluating the market and understood that we should look at about 15,000 to 20,000 monthly runs for our business. Moreover, we were not looking to use the machine for outside business. We just wanted to engage with our customers, providing spot UV or foiling.”

And though it’s an entry-level machine compared to the bigger machines in the market, it was a perfect fit for the kind of volumes Inndus uses it for. “Currently, we feel our volumes will not cross 20,000 a month. Hence the PixelGlow was the best kit for us. We picked the top-end model.”

Sharma added another reason. “The machine is manufactured in India, so it is easily maintained. Monotech Systems is making a lot of effort to see that we are happy since they are also exploring the market with the new kit.”

When discussing embellishment, one associates it with wastage because of the required critical registrations. “Initially, when we installed the machine, there was some, but that was to understand the machine, which is normal. Now that we are accustomed, the first sheet is saleable,” answered Sharma.

The advantages of digital embellishment machines are that it doesn’t need dies to produce the desired effects. Sharma said, “The Monotech Systems’ software allows us to variable embellishments. We can print certificates with security features by creating a foil. We can create spot prints or whatever we want to add value to our pitch.” He added, “Our customers are happy with these embellishments on short-run prints. And it’s all real-time – by the time the print is ready, the file for embellishment is ready too. It is all on the go. The product is ready to be delivered within 24 hours, which is impossible with a conventional process.”

What about the longevity of the machine? “I don't think that is an issue because everything depends on the head,” said Sharma. “We can keep changing the head, and the machine will keep functioning.”