(L-R) Bent Serritslev, Xeikon managing director Asia Pacific; Rajeev Chhatwal, partner Kwality offset Printers India; Krish Chhatwal, partner Kwality offset Printers India; and Neeraj Jagga, Xeikon sales channel manager Asia Pacific
Indian label manufacturer Kwality Offset Printers has acquired a Xeikon 3030 Plus digital label press to embrace digital production and increase turnover by up to 15%.
The New Delhi offset and flexo operation caters mainly to FMCG companies, including spirits, food and healthcare. Clients include Pernod Ricard, Nestlé, GlaxoSmithKline and Heinz. The digital investment was prompted by an increase in shorter and varying job lengths, from 500-2000 m, which are time-consuming with conventional production technologies.
‘By moving these jobs to digital production, we are able to free up production on our flexo and litho presses for the longer runs for which they are better suited,’ explained owner Rajeev Chhatwal. ‘Xeikon label presses do not require any special coatings or substrates. This means we can take advantage of our normal inventory to produce these shorter runs.’
‘The first stage following installation will be the focus on moving smaller orders from traditional production to digital printing. Then at the second stage, we will talk to customers we haven’t really been interacting with because of the small volumes they were looking for,’ he continued.
Not making the investment was not an option, Mr Chhatwal said, ‘If we hadn’t moved into digital, our competitors would have. For the last six or seven months, customers have been talking about digital more and more. They are looking at shorter runs now, as well as variable print. Digital is the best way to respond to these emerging requirements, and we wanted to be on the forefront of offering those services in our region.’
The company is predicting a marked increased in turnover within two years. ‘For the first three or four months we will be learning about digital technology,’ said Mr Chhatwal. ‘We will also educate existing customers on the benefits of digital printing. Then next year, we expect to add five or six customers and grow our US$6 million turnover by 12% to 15%.
