A tour to initiate networking among printers

Ludhiana-based Offset Printers’ Association launched the third edition of its Print Yatra initiative on 29 August. The idea behind the initiative is to network with the printers located in various parts of the country, who all work in constant isolation, given the fact that Indian print industry is still an unorganised sector.

03 Sep 2014 | By Dibyajyoti Sarma

With the current number of print shops estimated at 2,50,000, Indian printers still lack networking with each other. “With this visit, we will persuade printers to form associations so that there may be proper networking. Such networking is required to understand the common problems and to learn about the facilities and schemes available with the government, and it is also important for the growth of the industry,” Kamal Chopra of OPA said. “During the last Print Yatra, 34 new associations were formed. This time, we are working towards taking the number to 51.”

Kushal Jain, vice-president, OPA, officially launched the Print Yatra. Stressing on the fact that OPA is not just an association, but a mission, Jain said the organisation is working towards strengthening the printing and packaging sector. “There is immense potential. This is the only sector which is continuously showing growth despite competition.

He said since 1989, printing has been showing a growth of over 14%. “The Indian packaging industry is expected to reach $41 billion by 2015, to become the sixth largest market in the world, according to the study by ICD Research. There is need to spread the message and to form a strong national-level networking, which is necessary to get hold of the outsourced printing and packaging from overseas,” he said. “Through this Print Yatra, we are trying to guide the printers about latest machines and technologies and, at the same time, the formulae for the cost reductions.”

This year, there will be five legs of the tour, covering approximately 5,000 km. “The first leg will be start on 30 August to visit Khanna, Gobindgarh, Sirhing, Ambala, Jagadhari, Saharanpur, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Samana, Patiala, Nabha, Sangroor and Maleerkotla. The second leg will start on 3 September, covering Jagraon, Moga, Faridkot,  Muktsar, Bathinda, Mandi Dabhwali, Sirsa, Hisar, Rohtak, Mansa, Barnala and Mullanpur.

On its third leg, Print Yatra will cover South India, especially Tamil Nadu, with visits to Chennai, Salem, Coimbatore, Karur, Calicut, Sivakasi, Madurai, Pollachi, Bangalore, Erode and Krishnagiri from 6 to 8 September. Areas in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir will be covered in the fourth and fifth legs during the third week of September, Chopra added.