TOPA hosts international conference

Three speakers from Denmark, Singapore and Sri Lanka respectively shared knowledge and tips while deliberating on the theme of current challenges and opportunities in the printing and packaging industry. This was followed by a presentation from Kulakkada Pradeep of Future Schoolz who enthralled the audience with essential inputs on what printers need to practice without any additional financial burden to their presses. The event ended with an equally interesting panel discussion with women entrepreneurs.

In his welcome address, C Ravinder Reddy, president, TOPA, listed out the achievements and the steady progress made by the association since its inception after the bifurcation of the state. Reddy announced that TOPA is creating history with the ongoing construction and has recently completed the ground floor with the support of donors at the New Model Green Industrial Park. the building will house the Centre for Excellence in Printing and Packaging to fulfil the training needs of the printing and packaging industry to ensure a continuous supply of freshly trained, semi-skilled and skilled employees. He thanked the leading printers and others for their contribution in making TOPA realise the plan.

He also appealed to the printers in general and printers from Telangana, in particular, to donate liberally to help fulfil its objectives in enhancing the skills of print workers on a large scale with a focus on standardising the print processes on a continuous basis.

Morten Reitoft, an accomplished speaker who has delivered many presentations in Brazil, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, among other countries, traced the comparison with the print vs digital world.

Josephine Low, an experienced entrepreneur with over three decades of association with the printing industry, enlightened the printers on how to be innovative and how to face the onslaught of the digital world. Dealing with high-quality jobs for MNCs and other high-profile customers across the world, she explained as a keynote speaker, how Singapore is keeping abreast with the challenges and opportunities being faced by the printing and packaging firms.

She strongly believes in drawing a road map for any project. She described how she came up with a five-year road map for the printing and packaging industry in Singapore in coordination with the printers’ association there.

The speaker from Sri Lanka, Janaka Rathanakumara, proved that he is a 360-degree professional, being an expert in diversified areas, such as sustainable energy, finance and mechanical engineering. In his lengthy presentation, he kept up the tempo and motivated the printers to adopt such practices which need no infrastructure but rather a determined mindset on the part of the management as well as the workforce. He has driven home the point that in every segment of the manufacturing process, there is every possibility of saving, be it energy, materials, water, air, and chemicals.

TOPA took extra care in coinciding the Women Entrepreneurs Day on 19 November, with a panel discussion with women entrepreneurs from the printing and packaging industry, both from within and outside the country. Akhila B and Swathi K, entrepreneurs from Hyderabad and Lynette Ong from Singapore were part of the discussion moderated by Jose Thomas.

Lynette Ong narrated the gender experience in the Singapore printing industry and in her capacity as the director of Corporate Strategies at KPP Packaging, she traced her own growth and success in her career.

In her response to several questions posed by the moderator, Akhila B explained how as a second-generation family member and with her mother's moral and psychological support, she completed her graduation from the Rochester Institute of Technology, USA and later joined the family-owned Caxton Press in Hyderabad. She agreed that as a woman, she had to balance family and work and was full of praise for the family support, which is paramount for any woman to come up in life.

Swati K, director of Hyderabad Securities and Offset Printers, a graduate in engineering in computer science stressed the need for human relations and the importance of how to be in touch with employees and their families to understand their emotional quotient and also to empathise with what they go through while working on the premises and leading family life off the press. She also explained how she is beginning to understand the role of women employees in printing and packaging and was very hopeful that women have brighter and better days in this great industry, in days to come.

Ravindra Babu, vice-president of the southern region of the All India Federation of Master Printers facilitated the release of brochures pertaining to National Awards for Excellence in Printing and Global Awards for Excellence in Printing and explained the printers gathered there about the procedure of sending their nominations and underlined that such awards motivate the printers to produce high-quality jobs economically.

In his vote of thanks address, S Dayaker Reddy, national coordinator, TOPA, thanked everyone for making the conference a resounding success. He especially thanked the international speakers for immediately accepting to deliver lectures and presentations.