PRESSIdeas March 2021 issue

21 vol-21 Issue- 03 March 2021

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Vol.21 Issue 03, 2021

Printers observe ‘Black Day’...........................04 Why paper prices rising ..................................10 COVID discount by IPAMA .............................14 1st HP Indigo 25K at Trigon ...........................20 Canon IP C710 at Nukkad...............................22

A monthly Publication from PRESSIdeas Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

Inkjet, next growth opportunity .................28 Kao Chimigraf’s India plans ...........................34 Konica-Colorjet global alliance ....................41

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Contents FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK..............................................................................................................................................................................................................3 ‘BLACK DAY’ Against Paper and Raw Material Price Rise.....................................................................................................................................................4 Printers’ ‘BLACK DAY’ proves a Success!.....................................................................................................................................................................................6 Apex delivers 3000th GTT to Netherlands printer................................................................................................................................................................8 Why exactly are the paper prices rising?............................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Register for the Conference Area program of virtual.drupa........................................................................................................................................... 12 Paper Price Hike increases industry woes ............................................................................................................................................................................ 13 IPAMA offers COVID discount for 15th PRINTPACK INDIA................................................................................................................................................ 14 Agfa announces Offset Plates’ price hike .............................................................................................................................................................................. 14 The newly launched Screen Printer by Umrao Automation hits a century............................................................................................................... 15 Xeikon Café TV 2021...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Digital Media India 2021: How technology can aid the “new normal”........................................................................................................................ 17 Morocco’s leading multimedia publisher installs QIPC IDS 3D...................................................................................................................................... 18 Asian Best in Print 2021 call for entries.................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Trigon heralds digital transformation with Asia’s first HP Indigo 25K......................................................................................................................... 20 Monotech to represent Ricoh’s Digital Production Printing Systems PAN India..................................................................................................... 21 Nukkad Printers: Kolkata’s friendly neighbourhood Digital Print Shop..................................................................................................................... 22 ConnectKey-enabled Xerox AltaLink C8100 & B8100 Series enable today’s flexible work environments.................................................... 24 Supreme Court upholds NCLT decision in key Minosha India case............................................................................................................................. 25 Kodak to present game-changing technology at virtual.drupa 2021........................................................................................................................ 26 Scodix Design Awards winners announced ........................................................................................................................................................................ 27 Why inkjet is your next growth opportunity........................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Seshaasai is Best Tech Brand...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Manabu Yamazaki is the new President and CEO of Canon India................................................................................................................................ 29 Smart Labels for Data Driven Business................................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Fast forward to fast food with Drytac Protac AMP............................................................................................................................................................. 31 Enviroflex by Flint .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 DuPont launches at virtual.drupa............................................................................................................................................................................................ 32 CII Packaging Expo and Conference 2021............................................................................................................................................................................. 33 New dates announced for Labelexpos in Europe and Americas.................................................................................................................................. 33 Kao Chimigraf looks at big packaging and textile market in India.............................................................................................................................. 34 Industry-first ‘Define Your Circle’ Initiative by United Caps ............................................................................................................................................ 35 SGO Team visits Orianna Decorpack....................................................................................................................................................................................... 36 PrintCity Alliance at virtual drupa............................................................................................................................................................................................ 37 Kornit Presto S with Softener Solution for versatile, high-capacity fashion production on demand............................................................ 38 Have a 3D visual browsing experience at Xeikon Virtual Innovation Center .......................................................................................................... 39 HP expands 3D printing presence in SE Asia ...................................................................................................................................................................... 40 ColorJet and Konica Minolta form global alliance............................................................................................................................................................. 41

Jasmeet D. Editor & Publisher (jasmeet@pressideas.com) Vineet K G. Associate Editor (vineetkg@pressideas.com) Jasvinder S. Sub-Editor (jasvinder@pressideas.com) Jacob George Marketing and Sales (jacob@pressideas.com) M.S. Mukundan Advertising and Sales Southern and Western India (aims@pressideas.com) Graphic Designer Anil Kumar

Networking/ Hardware Consultant Sukhdeep Singh USA Correspondents Tensi M., Preeti European Correspondent Rimi, Yadhu Morphine Production Thomas K Alex

PRESSIdeas March 2021 Vol. 21, Issue 03 Printed by Jacob George and published by Jasmeet Singh on behalf of PRESSIdeas Publishing Pvt Ltd. Printed in India at Hues and Colors 363, Industrial Focal Point, Phase-IX Mohali, and published at PRESSIdeas, 437-A 1st Floor, Industrial Area, Phase-2 Chandigarh-160002 (India) Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied.

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March 2021

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FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK Dear Readers, AIFMP and its affiliated associations organized a nationwide protest against ongoing uncontrolled rising prices of paper and material on March 22, 2021. On the call given by AIFMP, 250,000 printers of India observed a successful protest marked as “BLACK DAY”.

With a rise of approximately 100 percent, Kraft Paper was hit the hardest. Kraft Paper (the chief ingredient of master cartons) prices increased from Rs. 22.50 to Rs. 39.50 since October 2020. Duplex Board prices increased from Rs. 38 a kg to Rs. 55 per kg in a period of just a few months. The abnormal increase in prices is one burden; the bigger problem is the non availability of paper and materials even at these backbreaking prices. Kraft Paper is generally used for corrugated paper and boxes and therefore has severely hit the supply chain to have devastating effect on various other products and industries as well. Weighing up various factors leading up to the current soaring paper prices, is the piece exploring ‘Why exactly are the paper prices rising?’

Trigon heralds digital transformation with Asia’s first HP Indigo 25K. “We are on a mission to transform our business, achieving the most exceptional standard of print quality, sustainability, and quick service experience to our customers, and the installation of the HP Indigo 25K is an important step in that journey,” comments an elated Anil Namugade, MD, Trigon Digital on their latest acquisition.

Nukkad Printers is Kolkata’s friendly neighbourhood Digital Print Shop. The young company has decided in favour of a new Canon ImagePRESS C710 Digital Press to expand its product portfolio and better serve the clients through value addition.

Kao Chimigraf looks at big packaging and textile market in India.

François Aguilar, Chief Commercial Officer, Kao Chimigraf shares the company’s future plans in an exclusive interview.

DKSH’s detailed market intelligence combined with comprehensive digital marketing initiatives help HP to expand its 3D printing and digital manufacturing presence in the South East Asian region.

Mr. Manabu Yamazaki has been appointed as the new President and CEO of Canon India. Mr. Manabu Yamazaki takes over the baton from Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi.

ConnectKey-enabled Xerox AltaLink C8100 & B8100 Series enable today’s flexible work environments. The latest MFPs by Xerox enable businesses to accelerate their Digital Transformation as well as support hybrid workforce better.

The latest screen printer by Umrao Automation targets the small town markets catered to by small screen printing units. The extremely costeffective solution, crossing 100 order bookings is already a hit and opens new avenues for entry-level set ups.

Find all this along with our regular take on domestic as well as international happenings, events, installations, innovations, tie-ups and more in the March Issue of PRESSIdeas – The Graphic Arts Magazine.

Enjoy Reading!

- Jasvinder Singh, Sub-editor

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March 2021

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‘BLACK DAY’ Against Paper and Raw Material Price Rise AIFMP and its affiliated associations are organizing a nationwide protest against ongoing uncontrolled rising prices of paper and material on March 22, 2021. Prof. Kamal Chopra, President, AIFMP, in conversation with PRESSIdeas in an exclusive interview.

PRESSIdeas: AIFMP along with its affiliates has urged printers to observe 22 March as Black Day to protest against paper and raw material price hike. How bad is the price rise situation actually?

“The biggest hit is Kraft Paper with a rise of approximately 100 per cent. Kraft Paper is generally used for corrugated paper and boxes and therefore has severely hit the supply chain to have devastating effect on various other products and industries as well.” – Prof. Kamal Chopra, President, AIFMP

Key Notes : > Kraft Paper (the chief ingredient of master cartons) prices increased from Rs. 22.50 to Rs. 39.50 since October 2020. > Duplex Board prices increased from Rs. 38 a kg to Rs. 55 per kg in a period of just a few months. > The abnormal increase in prices is one burden; the bigger problem is the non availability of paper and materials even at these backbreaking prices.

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March 2021

Prof. Kamal Chopra: Anybody can measure the intensity of price rise onslaught on our industry with an example of Kraft Paper. Kraft Paper which was available at Rs. 22.50 in October 2020, is now quoted at Rs. 39.50. We all know that Kraft Paper is the main ingredient for master cartons. The situation is similar across other Printing and Packaging ingredients. If we consider Duplex Board meant for Cardboard Boxes, it is today priced at Rs. 55 per kg which was available at Rs. 38 per kg only a couple of months before.

Likewise, an increase of more than 40 per cent is noticed in White Paper and Art Paper etc. – the rate of Art Paper is increased from Rs. 63 per kg to Rs.85 per kg; and White Printing Paper is now selling at Rs. 60 per kg which was available at Rs. 40 per kg some time back. The abnormal increase in prices is only one burden; the bigger problem is the non availability of paper and materials even at these backbreaking prices.

PRESSIdeas: What would be the scale of protest and who would constitute the participating community?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: AIFMP is the largest federation of Printers in the world. The team AIFMP 2020-21 is managing the protest. The protest is being supervised by 85 affiliates of AIFMP and 310 GC members. Along with our members, we have urged

250,000 printers to observe 22 March 2021 as Black Day.

PRESSIdeas: What is the key aim of the protest?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: With this mild protest we are going to achieve two goals. First, to educate the customers and public about the negative consequences of price rise on their daily lives and its effect on the cost of products of daily use, for example, stationery materials. Second, to persuade the government to intervene and check unrestrainedly rising prices of Paper, which also comes under essential commodities in India according to prevailing rules.

PRESSIdeas: What essentially are the factors responsible for this continuous price rise?

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Prof. Kamal Chopra: It is probably because of lenient rules and procedures that Paper is being exported though domestic demands are far from being met. There are large scale exports taking place in form of Pulp Rolls; the product is otherwise not available to meet domestic needs. The shortage or non availability of Waste Paper is

responsible more domestic or global in nature?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: There are several factors – both domestic as well as international. Though Paper Mills can answer it better, yet according to the available indicators, less availability of Waste Paper is

to withstand vis-à-vis the new prices which continue to be revised regularly and rapidly.

The price calculated at the time of receiving orders is way too less than what comes out at the time of delivery, to say the least, even to sustain the business. Consequently, the Printers are suffering huge losses.

Printers’ ‘BLACK DAY’ proves a Success!

On AIFMP’s call 250,000 Printers from across the country observed BLACK DAY in protest against unprecedented price hike of paper and other raw materials. Widespread support makes it a success.

On the call given by All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) 250,000 printers of India observed a successful protest marked as “BLACK DAY” on 22nd March 2019. The protest, which was organized against the unprecedented price hike of paper and other raw materials, was a success.

Talking to news media, Prof Kamal Chopra, President AIFMP said, “The peaceful protest to observe 22 March as Black Day remained complete success.” Following the instructions of AIFMP, printers from almost all the cities tied black ribbon while on work, throughout the day. In some cities like Ambala, Pathankot, Madurai, Jabalpur, Mukatsar, Cochin, Salem, Latur, Jammu, Visakhapatnan, Vellore and many more, printers took out protest marches and

organized dharna in support of the call given

by AIFMP. Prof. Chopra informed that Presidents of Sri Lanka and Indonesia associations of printers issued press statements. The printers from Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Indonesia also became a part of the protest and came out in support of fellow Indian printers.

“The success of peaceful protest proves the miseries, and shows the togetherness of the printers,” said Prof. Chopra.

Describing the cause of concern, Prof Chopra added, “The rates of Paper and other Raw Material are being increased constantly in regular intervals, sometimes even twice in a day. These circumstances have turned into a question of survival for the printers. As we all know, due to the lockdown of almost a year, the printing and packaging units are already passing through a severe crisis.

Now, due to unprecedented hike in prices of the raw material, the industry is on the verge of closure. With the customers reluctant to pay enhanced prices, it may not be possible

also one of the many reasons responsible for the current price rise.

the biggest reason. China policies top other reasons.

PRESSIdeas: Which raw material has been hit the hardest by the price rise?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: The biggest hit is

PRESSIdeas: What measures do you think the government could have adopted to mitigate or check the prolonged price rise phenomenon?

Kraft Paper with a rise of approximately 100 per cent. Kraft Paper is generally used for corrugated paper and boxes and therefore has severely hit the supply chain to have devastating effect on various other products and industries as well.

PRESSIdeas: Are the factors

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March 2021

Prof. Kamal Chopra: The rates are being increased by the Mills without warning and almost arbitrarily. Paper consumers therefore are not provided with adequate buffer time or given a prior notice. On the other hand, Printers are being forced to supply the goods at the earlier quoted rates which are unable

for the printers to sustain this increase.

Therefore, if the rates of raw materials are not checked, the industry will plunge into the severest ever crisis.”

Thanking the 250,000 printers of the country, for coming together on AIFMP’s call, Prof. Chopra said, “With solidarity and networking we can achieve any goal. Hope the government will notice the misery of the printing and packaging industry.”

He especially thanked the President of Sri Lanka Association of Printers and Indonesia Printers Association for their support. He also thanked the printers of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Bhutan and Bangladesh for joining hands with Indian brothers for the cause of Printing and Packaging Industry.

“The BLACK DAY is observed just to highlight the miseries of the printers, so that the government and other agencies may take notice of it. It was a rare gesture to get the concerted and enthusiastic support of all the industry on such a short notice. United we can win any goal!” he cheered.

The Paper Mills must be cautioned that increase if any, must be intimated at least one month in advance. In accordance with the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (No 10 of 1955), 2 (a) (vii) paper, including newsprint, paperboard – and straw board comes under ‘Essential Commodities’. We feel this law is not being implemented properly. We wish that government should intervene to oversee it strict implementation. It will help in improving the quality and rationalisation of rates. I feel the government will take note of it and will take strenuous steps to stop stocking and check artificial scarcity and will persuade the Mills to give notice before increasing prices.

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PRESSIdeas: How is the industry being affected? What areas are worst hit?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: Though the worst hit industry is Packaging but Commercial Printing, Books, Newspaper and Magazines are also suffering; not only due to price increase but also because of digitization and COVID induced fall in demand of these products. We know school and colleges are not open and the industry is not running at full strength. It is evident that more than 85% of Printing Entrepreneurs are Micro or Tiny Units which are not able to sustain major jerks like these. After the lockdown, due to the pandemic which created havoc, now things have started improving, but the printers are facing loss of business due to the unprecedented hike in the prices of raw materials such as Paper, Plates and Ink. The Printing Industry is facing a crisis as prices of raw material have shot up by 50 to 90 per cent, threatening to turn the business unviable. In addition to the increase in Paper prices, all other input cost such as Manpower, Laminating Film, Freight and Other Overheads have also witnessed a huge increase of 60-70 per cent in last few years.

PRESSIdeas: How have the industry, industry bodies and players responded to curtail the effect of prices so far?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: We have been writing to the government and news about it has got published in media from time to time.

the authorities? Are there any complaints against some specific players?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: We don’t have specific complaint against anyone, as what is more to be blamed is the system, which is failing as a whole and has put us in such a terrible state. Printing and Packaging are chiefly intermediary products.

If the prices of such items start rising, it will get transferred to the cost of the products they create. Ultimately, the end customers will have to bear the burden by paying more. To save the additional costs, manufacturers can adopt alternate means of Packaging or less use of Printing. In both the conditions, Printer is going to suffer. We are going to demand that export of goods may be allowed only after meeting the domestic requirements; otherwise import of raw materials should be allowed with import duties revised in favour of the domestic industry.

PRESSIdeas: How do you expect the Printers can contribute to the protest? How can the affected parties make their voice heard in a unified and effective way?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: We are starting with mild approach and are observing 22 March 2021 as the BLACK DAY by just wearing Black Ribbons as a mark of protest for full one day. If our plight goes unnoticed

and our demands remain unheeded, we will go on strike for one day and if need be, may subsequently intensify our protest by stringent measures including indefinite strike.

PRESSIdeas: In what ways do you expect the outcome of the protest to help the industry?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: Apart from raising our voice to get industry’s problems heeded by the government, we think, with the protest, the print customers will be sensitized towards price of print products which are driven by rising prices of raw materials. It will also educate Printers about volatile material costs and help them plan accordingly while calculating their cost of production and cut unnecessary expenses to get more production.

PRESSIdeas: Any message you want to give the print community?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: Be United And Always Be Proud To Be A Printer!

PRESSIdeas: Is it majorly being attributed to COVID-19 period?

What are the other things that deteriorated the situation?

Prof. Kamal Chopra: Other things are the change, and shift towards larger industries. Printing is changing its shape due to digitization. Now Printers especially Commercial Printers are facing great hardship to survive. They need to adopt new methods or revolutionize printing. It is the time for change. On the other hand, to remain competitive, Printers, especially Packaging Printers, will have to produce in largest possible quantities.

PRESSIdeas: Does the Association plan to submit some demands to

March 2021

7

Apex delivers 3000th GTT to Netherlands printer Apex International delivers its 3000th GTT cost-saving offset anilox roll to VOB Hardenberg.

Apex International recently supplied its 3,000th GTT anilox roller for the Offset market to printing house VOB Hardenberg in the Netherlands. VOB Hardenberg employs two of the latest-generation fivecolour KB Rapida 164 presses which include coating towers for applying water-based and UV coatings.

VOB chose GTT for its increased quality, reduced coating consumption, and standardization.

“VOB has enjoyed technical successes that resulted in improved quality and subsequent cost reductions relative to our coating and lacquer requirements. To put it simply, the GTT roller delivers in production all the promised benefits.”

One of the markets VOB serves is food industry packaging, for which it produces printed sheets requiring the application of low-migration special inks and coatings. VOB’s customers have come to expect consistently high quality, thus VOB continually improves its processes and equipment to meet — and exceed — customer expectations.

The Importance of Coatings for surface protection of printed pieces as well as enhancement of image colour and intensity, demand for coatings continues to grow, especially in the competitive food/packaging market. Critical in determining the volume and consistency of the coating liquid applied — and thus the overall quality of the finish — is the anilox roll.

To employ the optimal anilox for any given coating, VOB and anilox manufacturer Apex International

formed a close relationship. “Over the years of working closely with Apex, we have enjoyed technical successes that have resulted in improved quality and subsequent cost reductions relative to our coating and lacquer requirements,” explains VOB Production Manager Vincent Wellenberg.

Based on methodical research and coating trials, VOB chose Apex’s innovative anilox engraving — the patented Genetic Transfer Technology (GTT) openchannel slalom engraving — instead of closed-cell engravings.

Continues Wellenberg, “To put it simply, the GTT roller delivers in production all the benefits that are promised.” Those benefits include homogeneous and consistent coating lay-down, decrease in coating consumption, and reduction in anilox inventory.

Together, VOB and Apex have created the best coating process parameters to meet VOB’s high customer standards.

Equalized the Coating Layer Mottling, pin-holing, orange-peeling, and uneven overall coating coverage can ruin a press run. But GTT technology evenly lays down homogeneous coatings with a visibly and

Key Notes : > VOB chooses GTT for its increased quality, reduced coating consumption, and standardization. > Critical in determining the volume and consistency of the coating liquid applied — and thus the overall quality of the finish — is the anilox roll. > To employ the optimal anilox for any given coating, VOB and anilox manufacturer Apex International formed a close relationship.

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March 2021

VOB Hardenberg takes delivery of Apex’s 3,000th GTT offset coating roll. Pictured at left, Apex European Agent Manager Wim Busch; right, VOB Production Manager Vincent Wellenberg.

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measurably higher gloss — or an improved matte finish — providing offset printers a genuine alternative to conventional anilox rolls.

With improved lay-down of water-based or UV coatings, significant cost savings on lacquer, reduced roller changes, and easier clean- up, GTT seemingly achieves the impossible: higher quality coatings at lower cost.

Observes Joris Cabri, Apex International’s VP Sales/Europe & Africa, “Due to its unique surface structure, GTT enables the liquid to be transferred in an extremely homogeneous coating layer over the full width of the printing sheet. GTT anilox rolls have proven themselves throughout the years and have been accepted as standard by all leading press manufacturers.”

More gloss, less coating. More consistency, less cleaning.

Gloss coatings are applied to create an added value. Water-based coatings are often used to protect the printed materials, or to process them faster afterwards. “For both applications, GTT technology offers significant advantages compared to the existing conventional anilox rolls,” explains Cabri.

“By using the correct GTT engraving profile, it is possible to achieve a measurably higher gloss level, while at the same time reducing the coating consumption, resulting in a true win-win situation of higher gloss at lower cost.” Adds Cabri, “Printers are left with the enviable choice of offering to their customers either a higher gloss level at similar production cost, or maintaining the same gloss level at a reduced cost.”

For offset coating applications, GTT has three key advantages over conventional

anilox: 1 Reduced coating consumption: Offset houses report coating liquid savings in excess of 15%, depending upon the coating application. GTT’s open-channel geometry makes this possible by availing more liquid surface area for transfer to the blanket roller, resulting in a thinner – yet more homogeneous — coating lay-down.

2 Measurably superior coating quality: GTT drastically minimizes mottling and pin-holing, with a subsequent gloss increase previously achievable only with larger anilox volumes.

Optically-improved matte/satin coating is also achieved.

3 Reduction in anilox roll changes: Apex has developed five different engraving profiles of GTT metering rolls to satisfy all the requirements of the offset coating market.

These engravings cover the broad range of offset coating needs — each delivering control, consistency, and cost savings: • GTT-S Designed for special coatings.

• GTT-M Suitable for gloss, matte, satin, and protective lacquers enabling excellent “drip-off” effect and cost savings.

• GTT-L Suitable for the majority of all water-based coating jobs.

• GTT-XL / XXL Designed for UV coatings, delivering the best results and significantly reducing the risk of “orange-peel.”

“As a result of its reduced coating consumption,” notes Apex’s Cabri, “the GTT-M roll is ideally suited to the application

of protection, matte, and satin lacquers. To achieve different levels of gloss, it is sufficient to replace only the lacquer — not the anilox roll — thereby resulting in significant time savings while reducing the risk of damaging the anilox rolls during the changeover process.”

Change easily from conventional to GTT Apex offers a convenient program to help offset customers make the transition from conventional anilox to GTT engravings as easy as possible. “From the initial transition phase from conventional anilox to GTT,” said Wellenberg, “the customer service and support has equaled the quality of the product, including Apex’s supplying VOB with a test roll for evaluation.”

Apex maintains a wide variety of banded GTT test rolls which are ready to dispatch for assessment trials at printing companies, allowing printers to determine for themselves which profile gives the best results. The most common OEM press models are currently in-stock and can be delivered to meet most printers’ needs immediately.

Apex International has built an unrivaled reputation in the offset and flexographic industry as a producer of highest-quality anilox rolls for coatings, corrugated board, flexible packaging, and labels. From its home in the Netherlands, this innovative, family-owned business has grown its international sales presence into more than 80 countries worldwide, as well as expanding its production globally with facilities in Italy, North America, India, and Brazil.

March 2021

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Why exactly are the paper prices rising?

Weighing up various factors leading up to the current soaring paper prices.

Defying all demand-price relationship rules, paper prices today know just one direction and that is upwards. It indeed is a very valid reason when printing and packaging companies wonder why the industry has been facing the brunt of continuously rising prices of paper and related products although its key deciding factor viz. demand has been dismally low during all these times. The prices are zooming uncontrollably over the last few months and leading experts in the industry have expressed their apprehension that this scenario will still take a couple of quarters to settle. We tried to find a reason for these presumptions by talking to the leadings lights in the industry.

Chinese government banned imports of all sorts of waste paper in January 2021. Almost 55% of global waste paper got recycled by Chinese mills for paper. With the mills in South East Asian countries including India converting waste paper into pulp to sell to Chinese mills at lucrative prices contributed in material shortage to lead to further shooting of prices unabated.

Key Notes : > Paper prices defy demand-supply rules – rise despite demand being dismally low. > Prices zoom uncontrollably over last few months; experts fear it will continue for extended period. > Both national and international factors play crucial role in shooting up of prices.

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March 2021

China’s waste paper ban Chinese government banned imports of all sorts of waste paper from anywhere in the world starting the 1st of January 2021. As we know almost 55% of the available waste paper from across the world was being consumed by Chinese mills to convert it into useable paper. With this ban in effect, and with no letting up in consumption of paper in China, it is obvious that the industry needs raw material to process it. And, with the mills in South East Asian countries including those from India starting processing the waste paper into pulp and supplying it to the Chinese mills in hordes – at prices which were much more remunerative than what they actually could get from the captive local market – the consequent material shortage led to prices shooting unabated.

International aspects To talk of the international aspects of price increase in

our region, it is known that in Europe, with three new 100% recycled paper mills having started production in 2020, an additional 3 million tons of waste paper will be consumed internally leaving a large vacuum in the export market to south East Asian countries including India. With environmental aspects being in the forefront of the European Union, recycled paper today use less wood, consume less energy, less water and emit less carbon dioxide, which position recycled paper mills preordained to grow more.

In America, Chinese companies have invested heavily into very large paper mill capacity to export to China and have even taught the Americans that blending recycled paper with prime wood pulp to make KLB make better commercial sense without too much of a change in the quality. Well, the Chinese paper industry has also invested in neighbouring countries like Taiwan and Vietnam by even erecting paper mills on war footing to beat the 1st January 2021 deadline and successfully too.

Biggies like Nine Dragon and Lee & Man are planning for massive mills on the China-Vietnam border. India happened to import a considerable amount of waste

pressideas/ commercial printing

a senior executive from the Indian shipping industry while speaking to us on condition of anonymity.

Covid-19 and its effect

paper from Australia but there has been a decline in availability from this region too.

Nine Dragons has already commenced the construction of a facility with the capacity of 7.95 million tonnes per year along China’s border with Vietnam. It is expected to require $4.6 billion (£3.3 billion) investment by the company.

Coming back to the wastepaper consumption, due to the Chinese mills’ getting pulp from the USA, the wastepaper consumption has increased there. Also, the quantity available for export has drastically come down, which has spread out the demand supply gap thereby increasing the price of waste paper. Mr.Amit Goel, MD of one of the leading importer of waste paper into India, Knam Marketing Pvt. Ltd., while speaking to PRESSIdeas on the price fluctuation of waste paper exclaimed, “AOCC which is not available readily and hovers around at 325 USD presently has come down from an unbelievable 125 USD about one year back; it is a perfect representation of the story today.”

The havoc COVID-19 created the world over has left none untouched. The damage is inaccessible and the pandemic has undoubtedly devastated the world economy to the tune of billions of dollars. The loss however is bigger in the western countries of Europe and America when we compare it with that of the Asian countries. The two most important Asian economies, China and India have seen V shaped recoveries, and this has created a huge surge in demand resulting in the spurt in prices across commodities. Due to the sporadic shutdowns in the western world, from where most of the waste paper comes into India too, the collection of waste has been severely affected. Consequently, exports to Asian countries dried up; waste from Europe to India has almost come to zero levels; and waste from USA, the best source of good quality fiber, almost dwindled to alarmingly low levels – all because of lower levels of collection, non-availability of containers, and increase in self consumption.

Coming back to China, the country used to produce close to 28 million tons of Kraft paper a year and did not export anything as its self-consumption was very high. They imported the highest quality of waste in the world to manufacture Kraft paper. Once the ban came into effect, the available local waste was not enough to meet the requirements of paper resulting in an

estimated short fall of about 15 million tons of paper per annum. This gap is now being filled by KLB imports from all across the world and import of pulp reels from countries like India. They import very low quality paper from India with reasonable fiber quality which is directly pulped to make better quality paper to meet their demand. China was paying Indian mills USD 270 pmt for this paper last June and today they are paying USD 510 for the same. “From zero exports of paper to China, today India is exporting close to 15 lac tons per annum to China in the form of pulp reels; the export is expected to go up to 20 lac MT in 2021,” says Mr.Amit of Knam Marketing.

What is shocking is the fact that the present exports by Indian mills constitute a sizeable chunk – about 30% of our local requirement.

With this kind of new demand, all mills in India are overbooked with orders and there is a big gap in the demand and supply – with demand out stripping supply. What is even more frightening is that with so much paper being exported, we are losing that much fiber from the system. With the fiber recovery cycle in Indian continuing to be very poor, we are left to overly rely on imported waste to fill the void that has been created. With the Indian economy expected to grow by 12-13% in coming years, this gap in demand and supply is going to persist for months to come.

It is truly a worrisome scenario for the paper consuming industry at least in the near future!

Shortage of containers The Covid-19 outbreak resulted in acute shortage of containers which played a very big role in the spike in wastepaper prices.

The shortage easily toppled wastepaper off-balance as even a slight change in freight cost had a direct and massive impact on the overall prices of wastepaper which has been a low value product.

With freight cost increasing between 3 to 6 times, the effect on the price of wastepaper has been more than drastic, to say the least.

It is also speculated that most shipping lines have experienced higher profits due to this and are now reluctant to introduce more ships and containers as that may result in balancing the demand-supply situation and lower prices. “It is bound to remain such for at least the near future,” divulges

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Register for the Conference Area program of virtual.drupa More than 2,700 minutes of concentrated know-how and knowledge transfer in the Conference Area.

From April 20 to 23, 2021, the Conference Area of virtual.drupa will feature a top-class, English-language program focusing on the global trends of Artificial Intelligence, Circular Economy, Connected Consumer and Platform Economy. International industry experts, brand owners and speakers from vertical markets will provide valuable knowledge transfer through best cases, keynote speeches and panel discussions.

Two parallel live streams will offer visitors the opportunity to participate flexibly in the conference presentations between 10 am and 6 pm CET. For participants around the world, these will also be available 24/7 on demand in a video library.

Outstanding keynotes every day The conference program will kick off with keynotes from three top international speakers on each of the four days: Two presentations by Wall Street Journal bestselling author and consultant Michael Gale will focus on Artificial Intelligence.

As author of the book “The Digital Helix,” he will share where companies can use digital potential, how to make it accessible to everyone and how to activate business growth with the help of AI. In his keynote speech, James Sommerville from Great Britain will illustrate the great importance of product design in driving innovation and fostering growth. The star designer played a key role in shaping the iconic Coca-Cola brand, is revolutionizing business and corporate goals and will inspire the print & packaging community with his creative approaches at virtual.drupa. On World Earth day, Dr. Gabrielle Walker will address sustainability issues. The lecturer, author and climate expert will discuss global challenges with a special focus on sustainability, energy consumption, circular economy and climate change. As a strategist, she advises companies on topics such as future investments and process optimization, as well as on the impact that changing business models can have on a company’s corporate identity, its external impact and acceptance.

Inspiring presentation content The morning keynotes will be followed in two streams by the English-language daily

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program of the five drupa special forums “drupa cube,” “touchpoint packaging,” “touchpoint textile,” “drupa next age” and “3D fab+print,” which will be accompanied by a professional team of moderators.

An international network of industry representatives, associations and competent partners guarantees a cutting-edge agenda.

With their combined expertise and impressive variety of topics, the speakers will highlight relevant content and growth potential in the various sectors, focus on global trends and provide exciting insights.

Individual scheduling Visitors can already organize their participation in virtual.drupa by getting an initial overview of the conference program as well as the exhibitors’ product offerings and presentations. They can add relevant conferences, exhibitors and Live Web Sessions to their personal agenda in order to

make their visit of the virtual event as efficient as possible.

The Conference Area program will be published shortly at the drupa website.

Over 6,000 visitors from 130 countries have already registered for the free of charge event.

Participants can register for virtual.drupa at https://virtual.drupa.com/

pressideas/ commercial printing

Paper Price Hike increases industry woes Conditions to worsen as prices are expected to rise more severely.

It is just one week into the month of March and paper prices across categories have seen a sharp increase in these few days.

With indications of further rise in prices, the badly hit paper user industries are sensing the worst to come. The prices of coated and uncoated papers have been increased by $20 (Đ1,456) a tonne this month with clear warning signals of further increase and that too to a greater degree.

The paper prices have raised the worries of corrugated manufacturers, who have suffered the most because of frequent upward revisions in kraft paper, raw material for corrugated or brown box. The corrugated industry has already been under immense pressure shaped by sluggish economy and pandemic impact. The main packaging material – corrugated or brown boxes – has its uses in anything from electronics to electrical, FMCG products, white goods and e-commerce items. Manufacturers are today concerned about the survival of their business as kraft paper prices have shot up by about 70 per cent since January last year.

This will surely have a direct bearing on consumers with prices of commodities to go up consequent upon the packaging prices going up. The corrugated box manufacturers are suffering because despite the double blow of supply disruptions during pandemic and raw material costs shooting up, they are still not able to pass on half of the extra cost burden to the customers. Indian Corrugated Case Manufacturing Association (ICCMA) has expressed its concern in this regard.

Besides, the paper cost, there is little or no respite from the cost of other operating expenses including labour and materials like wire used to pin the boxes due to steel price increase in the market. As per industry reports, manpower costs, starch, freight and other overheads have increased 60-70 per cent over the last couple of years.

Most of the corrugated box manufacturers are small and medium enterprises and cannot afford much variation in their bottom line as they often have to meet orders at agreed prices. The corrugated box industry in the country comprises 350-odd automatic manufacturers and over 10,000 semiautomatic units, primarily micro, small and medium enterprises.

Paper manufacturers, on their part, are suffering from increased prices of up to 70100 percent of pulp in the last 3-4 months.

What adds salt to the injury is the increase in ocean freight prices globally which has been recorded an exorbitant 200-500 percent up.

This increased the export of kraft paper to China from India manifold, as a result creating shortage of raw material for domestic consumption mainly corrugated manufacturing. China is reportedly using this kraft paper as raw material or pulp to manufacture paper. A sizeable portion of the total domestic kraft paper production in India is moving over to China presently.

With several paper mills already closing due to recent losses, many are facing extreme hardships and looking up to the government to intervene and come up with potent relief measures like checking exports or providing some economic package to mitigate the negative brunt.

The paper industry of the country is a vital force contributing to the overall growth of the economy. The industry generates crores worth of GDP and employs lakhs of people. It is one of the most sustainable forces and top environmentally friendly industries.

The need for price increase, according to paper manufacturers, is far more than the existing rise and that they would be forced to increase the price many times over. What best they can afford, they say, is introduce the rise in multiple steps.

Pulp prices are currently ruling at $640-650 (Đ46,600-47,300) a tonne. The rates have gone up from $440 (Đ32,000) in August last year. Analysts predict prices could rise further, topping $750 (Đ54,600).

The paper users are passing through a disastrous phase not only due to the above reasons but also because of change in Chinese policies like banning the import of waste paper from across the globe.

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IPAMA offers COVID discount for 15th PRINTPACK INDIA To lift the industry IPAMA extending COVID special discount in 15th PRINTPACK INDIA along with other discounts.

PRINTPACK INDIA is one of the most popular international exhibitions on the Graphic Arts Industry in India and also one to the most preferred exhibitions across the Globe. The Governing Council has revised the dates of its flagship event PRINTPACK INDIA as December 20-24, 2021. While doing so, the Council had considered at length the adverse impact of COVID-19 on the global industry.

After the announcement of the new dates of the Exhibition as mentioned above, the Members of Governing Council of the Association had deliberated at length with a view to extending maximum relief to the industry so that more and more companies could participate in PRINTPACK INDIA 2021 Exhibition. Accordingly, the 117th Meeting of the Governing Council of the Association was organised physically on 22nd March 2021 to consider extending relief to the Exhibitors in space charges to subdue the impact of COVID-19 and lockdowns imposed by the Central and State Governments from time to time which had crippled the Industry.

Keeping in view all the relevant factors, a

bold decision was taken by the Governing Council of IPAMA that the Exhibitors should be charged minimum space rentals, only to meet the basic requirements of the Exhibition. Accordingly, the Governing Council had approved the following discounts on the basic rates for participation in the 15th Edition: (A)

Basic Charges for Bare Space: Rs.8000/- per Sqm.

(B) Basic Charges for Shell Scheme: Rs.9000/- per Sqm. 1.

Early Bird Discount to all Exhibitors: Rs.1,000/- per Sqm, subject to payment by due dates.

2.

Membership Discount: 5% to 15%.

3.

Motivational Discount for Regular Members: Rs.1000/- per Sqm. 4.

Motivational Discount for Associate Members: Rs.500/- per Sqm. 5.

COVID-19 Special Discount for Regular Members: Rs.2000/- per Sqm. 6.

COVID-19 Special Discount for Associate Members: Rs.500/- per Sqm. Apart from providing the above-mentioned discounts, IPAMA may also favourably consider extending some complimentary services to the Exhibitors and Business

Visitors during the currency of the Exhibition.

IPAMA gratefully acknowledges Industry’s overwhelming response at this crucial period for participation in PRINTPACK INDIA 2021.

70% area has already been booked. Major players of the Industry have also remitted the requisite amount for 15th PRINTPACK INDIA. The Exhibitor’s & Visitor’s Registration Portals have also been developed for the convenience of the participants. In 15th PRINTPACK INDIA, all the services will be available online. Exhibitors can book the space after remitting the participation charges. After the remittance, the Exhibitor can select the Hall and Stall. They can download receipts/Invoices and can also place orders for additional services etc. Visitors can fixup their meetings with exhibitors online. The Portal will be functional on the website in a week time.

Agfa announces Offset Plates’ price hike Citing soaring input costs, Agfa announces global increase in prices of its offset plates.

Agfa has announced the increase in price of its offset plates globally. Citing soaring

input costs, the company said, have made the price increases unavoidable. Input costs particularly relevant to aluminum, energy and packaging materials, in combination with sharply rising freight rates due to global logistic constraints have impacted the company’s decision which means prices of offset plates will now be up between 5 and 10%, taking effect from April 1st 2021 onwards.

Despite internal cost reductions, the magnitude of rising prices is no longer sustainable. The price increase applied to our customers will be partly offset, as

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printers will benefit from higher aluminum prices when they recycle their used plates.

Agfa’s customers highly value our continuous investment in advanced prepress technology and related services – such as the ECO³ framework which stands for Economy, Ecology and Extra Convenience – which leads to substantial economic benefits in their print shop.

The Agfa sales teams will be in contact with their customers to discuss the detail and support the implementation, taking into account individual existing agreements.

pressideas/ commercial printing

The newly launched Screen Printer by Umrao Automation hits a century Umrao Automation’s new Mini screen printer – VP 1015 ECO has crossed the 100-mark in order booking.

Vasai based Screen Printing machines manufacturer Umrao Automation has launched a new Mini semi-automatic screen printing machine named VP 1015 ECO (10x15 inch Vertical motion Printing system).

The new machine is designed to meet the needs of small printing firms in small towns and small cities. The order position for this new screen printer has crossed 100-mark recently. The new screen printer is suitable for printing Ceramic Transfers, Printed Circuit Boards, Textile Transfers, Stickers, Metal Labels, Membrane Switch Printing, Commercial Screen Printing, etc.

The VP 1015 Eco printer features adjustable squeegee and flood speed via Linear Rodless Cylinder (pre-lubricated) coupled with AC frequency inverter. It has infinite variable and independent print and flood speed adjustable from 0 to max speed. Its Squeegee carriage is equipped on hard chrome plated solid steel shaft with linear bearing motion (IKO Japan). The machine is fitted with pneumatically adjustable squeegee and flood pressure, fine pressure adjustments with dial indicators. It has Adjustable squeegee angle from 0 to 30 degree.

making set up and necessary UV/IR dryers.

While 10 inch UV curing equipment is made available in a single phase, the 12 inch UV is available in single-phase/three-phase.”

The new VP 1015 ECO targets small screen printers and is already a hit with orders already exceeding over 100. The chief attraction is its pricing which is about INR 250000. “We have designed this machine keeping in view the requirements of the screen printing community from non-metro and remote towns where both affordability and feasibility of highly priced screen printing machine is less. It is an extremely economical machine designed to meet the needs of small space print units. To further keep the price under control we are currently selling it directly. This is a budget machine for small printers engaged in printing Wedding cards, shopping bags, stationery printing, stickers and labels, etc,” continues Rajendra Rajage.

“Despite the Pandemic, the order for this machine has crossed 100-mark. This reflects the suitability and acceptance of the new machine. Our new VP 1015 ECO is at par with our other high-end machines in terms of features; just because size and price is small, we have not compromised on anything and have passed on the advantages to small printers by offering them real value for their money. Our prices are competitive; while the quality and performance of our machines are a part of global standards and we are committed to offering satisfactory after-sales service, backed by our skilled team. As a matter of providing customer support, we have set up a training institute for customers who want to send their staff for skill development,” he concludes.

The printers comes with aluminum extruded squeegee holder & coater for even pressure, bed movement for registration X,Y, & rotary (+-) 10 mm, selectable print cycles flood first & then print or print first & then flood, emergency rod/stop for safety of the operator, castor wheels for easy mobility. The printing operation can be done by foot switch of the automatic cycle with dwell time 0~10 sec. Moreover, optional features such as auto take-off system and PLC (Programmed Logic Controller) with a man-machine interface are also available as per individual needs.

Commenting on the new machine launch, Umrao’s Founder-Managing Director, Rajendra Rajage: “We are improvising our existing products range in addition to the launch of the new mini semi automatic screen printer – VP 1015 ECO with print area of 10x15 inch. To meet the pre press and post press requirement of customers of this new machine, we will also offer screen

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Xeikon Café TV 2021 Presents 2 live broadcasts on book printing.

Xeikon Café TV brought to life Xeikon’s comprehensive digital printing solutions portfolio with a focus on high-quality book printing and on the current rise in online book sales.

Key Notes : > Demonstration of Xeikon’s SX30000 digital colour press for high end applications and presentation on Hunkeler from Bruno Vitalli of GIC. > Trends in the industry presented by Matt Baehr of Book Manufacturers Institute. > Open discussions about on-demand book publishing and finishing from Nick Graham of R&R Bindery Services (a Xeikon customer) and Andy Fetherman of Müller Martini.

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Xeikon Café 2021 is an entirely new concept. In its 11th year, this global and popular industry event has been completely overhauled, both digitally and on the ground, thus turning Xeikon Café into the largest industry event highlighting all aspects of digital print production. Digital printers can choose from a wide range of content including demos, workshops and round table discussions – both offline and online. They also have the ability to interact and share information. The focus is on the transferring of knowledge, exchanging of experiences and networking with Xeikon and its Aura partners. In addition to a newly implemented logo design, Xeikon Café 2021 has different venue formats gathered under the umbrella Packaging Innovations: Xeikon Café TV; Xeikon Café on Tour; and Xeikon Café Talks which include industry experts.

Xeikon Café TV 2021 continues with the following sessions: •

•

The first version dedicated to the French region took place on 24th of March at 2 PM CET time.

It included a demonstration of Xeikon’s SX30000 digital colour press for high end applications as well as a presentation on Hunkeler from Bruno Vitalli of GIC. The second version (also taking place on 25th at 10 AM EDT time/ 2 PM GMT time/ 3 PM CET time) was dedicated to the North American region. This session included trends in the industry presented by Matt Baehr of Book Manufacturers Institute, and open discussions about on-demand book publishing and finishing from Nick Graham of R&R Bindery Services (a Xeikon customer) and Andy Fetherman of Müller Martini.

These 2 versions of Xeikon Café TV were designed to be of high interest to all printers and book publishers

working in the graphic arts and commercial print sectors. Xeikon Café TV brought to life Xeikon’s comprehensive digital printing solutions portfolio with a focus on high-quality book printing and on the current rise in online book sales. During the broadcast, Xeikon demonstrated and discussed the power of its unique dry toner technology which is suited to these applications. The virtual event was designed to enable printers, publishers and brand owners to explore the business benefits of digital printing.

Dimitri Van Gaever, Market Segment Director for Graphic Arts states, “Our Xeikon Café TV sessions are live, interactive and accessible on any device.

Printers and publishers hear the latest observations on current trends such as how independent bookshops are overcoming the Amazon challenge.

Here we share a demonstration of the Xeikon SX30000 high-end digital colour press and our most recent addition to the portfolio, the Xeikon SX20000, both built for the graphic arts segment and based on SIRIUS dry toner technology. We had the opportunity to meet and interact with the book printing/publishing community from all over the world.”

The Xeikon Café concept is a series of unique industry-events designed to help printing professionals understand, evaluate and experience

pressideas/ newspaper

digitizing print manufacturing, and enabling them to consciously make a business decision. Through demonstrations, presentations, workshops and discussions, visitors receive first-hand actionable information and advice on industry innovations and trends, and how these can help improve their bottom line. How to profitably produce in a digital way, is showcased by worldwide industry leaders in software, workflow, consumables, media, digital printing and finishing solutions dedicated to digital manufacturing.

Digital Media India 2021: How technology can aid the “new normal” The conference, with the theme ‘Digital revenue and technology,’ covered a range of news publishing topics, such as digital transformation, subscription stories, newsletters, ecommerce, and settling in with the ‘new COVID-19 normal’.

The tenth edition of WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media India (DMI) conference was held virtually from 2 to 4 March, with more than 200 news media executives from over 15 countries in attendance. The Hindu Group was named “Champion Publisher of the year” on the occasion of the South Asian Digital Media 2020 Awards Ceremony.

The theme of the conference was ‘Digital revenue and technology’. It covered a range of news publishing topics, such as digital transformation, subscription stories, newsletters, ecommerce, and settling in with the ‘new COVID-19 normal’.

Day 1 of the conference opened with a keynote address by Edward Roussel, Chief Innovation Officer, Dow Jones & The Wall Street Journal, USA. Roussel touched upon five key trends on how tech companies are changing news consumption and how journalistic content must focus on brevity, community, audio, video and personalisation.

To say that the relationship between publishers and technology giants has intensified in the last few days, weeks or months is putting it lightly. Regardless of the way forward, the trends, developments and products pouring out of Silicon Valley should have publishers’ undivided attention, said Roussel.

The five largest technology companies in the US — Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon — currently hold a combined market value of $7.5 trillion, and publishers cannot afford to ignore the situation.

“News is one of the ways these tech companies can get their consumers to get back and use their products on a daily basis,” said Roussel. “Therefore, it is imperative for them to have news credibility.”

Roussel said this is both a blessing and a curse for the media industry. “It’s a blessing because if some of the largest global companies are entering news, it tells you something about its importance as an economic currency. It’s a curse because these companies could become very significant players in the media industry in the short, medium, and long term,” he said.

The first day closed with a session on how publishers should adapt to the end of third party cookies. ‘Identify users (collect data with their consent), segment them, target users with the right experience at the right time with personalised offer to register or subscribe, collect data over time gradually and monetise by advertisments or subscriptions unified around those identified users, said Michael Silberman, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Piano.

ceremony, which saw more than 80 entries from more than 20 media companies.

The Hindu, ABP, NDTV Convergence, and Network18 emerged as the top winners. The Hindu Group was adjudged the SDMA 2020 Champion Publisher of the year based on the overall number of gold, silver and bronze won by them at the awards.

The conference on the final day ended with a conversation between Krishna Prasad (Former Editor - In-Chief, Outlook, India), Mariam Mathew (CEO, Manorama Online, India) and Bharat Gupta (CEO, Jagran New Media) discussing transformation and growth of digital news business and the way forward for South Asian news publishers.

The conference was sponsored by Google News Initiative, Chartbeat, piano, Stibo DX and ppi. It was supported by Asian News Media Focus, All About Newspapers, gxpress.net, Indian Printer and Publisher, RIND Survey and PRESSIdeas.

The second day of the conference featured sessions on brand studio and digital advertising and also hosted the South Asian Digital Media 2020 Awards (SDMA2020)

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Morocco’s leading multimedia publisher installs QIPC IDS 3D Le Matin continues to rely on Q.I. Press Controls’ Press Automation; to equip its KBA Compacta 818 heatset press with closed loop colour control from the Dutch specialist.

The printing plant of the Morocco-based newspaper Le Matin has decided to re-invest in the press automation solutions of Q.I. Press Controls (QIPC).

This time the Dutch specialist in measuring and control equipment for the printing industry will supply IDS-3D closed loop colour control on the KBA Compacta 818 heatset press.

“Covid-19 affects our daily life, habits and also our activity. The market has become harder, narrower and more demanding. To be more effective we needed to change our existing automated system.” Kamal el Alami

Les Imprimeries du Matin, part of the Le Matin Group, was experiencing changes in the market, which were made even more significant by current circumstances. “Covid-19 effects our daily life, habits and also our activity. The market has become harder, narrower and more demanding. To be more effective we needed to change our existing automated system,” explains Kamal el Alami, Executive Director of Les Imprimeries du Matin. “Our client experience with QIPC meets the highest standards and we are very satisfied with previous automation systems we bought from them,” he proceeds. All the more reason to expand their investment with QIPC’s IDS-3D closed loop colour control on the KBA Compacta 818. Additionally they invested in the management reporting tool IQM. Les Imprimeries du Matin has been working with

QIPC’s solutions for quite some years and with great satisfaction. “In 2016 and 2017 we respectively installed QIPC’s mRC-3D colour and cut-off register on our KBA Continent coldset press and our KBA Compacta 818 heatset press. These investments proved significant improvement in print quality and reduction of waste. In addition, the equipment is highly available with low maintenance cost.” Kamal el Alami continues: “We expect the same for the most recent investment in IDS-3D colour control. The IQM will provide us detailed reporting on maintenance and quality management.”

Erwin van Rossem, Director of Global Sales & Marketing of QIPC-EAE: “Since 2017 this is the third order Groupe le Matin is awarding us, the best way to express their level of satisfaction. This order also confirms the market movement in Africa, which is becoming more and more quality demanding.

Together with our network of agents we are ready to meet increasing market demands.”

Le Matin Group is the leading multimedia publisher in Morocco with an editorial offer that ranges from the written press to digital content, including audio and video. With a structurally efficient and independent

Key Notes : > Le Martin re-invests in press automation solutions from QIPC. > IDS-3D closed loop color control to equip the KBA Compacta 818 heatset press. > Our client experience with QIPC meets the highest standards and we are very satisfied with previous Automation Systems we bought from QIPC, says Kamal el Alami.

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From L-R : Erwin van Rossem, Director of Global Sales & Marketing at QIPC-EAE, Kamal El Alami, Executive Director Les Imprimeries du Matin and Youssef Akhdar, Production Director at Imprimeries du Matin

pressideas/ newspaper

organisation, the group operates in four complementary and inseparable centers of activity: publishing, printing, distribution and advertising. Les Imprimeries du Matin is leading in the written press in Morocco with more than 10 million copies distributed per year, the group has the highest national audience rate. The printing plant of more than 26,000 m² is dedicated to innovation in offset and digital printing with cutting edge technology in machinery and printing techniques (e.g. biggest heatset press in Africa 72P A4 / The first Led UV sheetfed offset in Africa).

by its worldwide service network. These reliable systems are proven in the market of existing and new printing presses and offer

users better quality, automation efficiency and operational ease.

Q.I. Press Controls develops and delivers innovative, high quality optical measure and control systems. Being globally active in the newspaper and magazine printing industry, the company boasts a total solutions support

Asian Best in Print 2021 call for entries The next round of the Asian Best in Print contest is back with fresh changes. publication titles regardless of the printing technology.

The Asian Best in Print 2021 contest is back with a lot of freshness and few changes in the criteria for application. The award’s objective is to prove and improve print reproduction quality while seeding the competitiveness among the organisation’s workforce. The call for entries has been announced.

The upcoming edition of Best in Print 2021 has few significant changes in the process and approach that bring new flavours with a new category for small-sized newspapers.

New software and user interface enhance user access and a flexible print schedule that the participants can choose.

The contest is open for registration from newspapers and magazines in Asia, under three classes based on the participating

publication titles’ circulation criteria. WANIFRA would recognise the top three winners and award Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies in each of the classes.

• Circulation below 50,000 copies • Circulation between 50,000 to 150,000 copies • Circulation above 150,000 copies Registration for the contest is open. Contest result will be announced in mid-June 2021, and the winners of the categories will be honoured/awarded at “India Printing Summit 2021” scheduled for 25 August 2021.

The Best in Print Award’s objective is to showcase and prove newspapers and magazines’ ability to print at the highest quality according to international ISO standards and WAN-IFRA standards.

The print quality is judged in two aspects.

Firstly, a given print control element, the “Cuboid”, is measured by colorimetric devices for ISO 12347-3 standard targets, measured for five consecutive print runs.

Secondly, overall visual print quality is evaluated by the jury’s expert members according to established criteria. Publishers and printers can register one or more

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digital printing

Trigon heralds digital transformation with Asia’s first HP Indigo 25K Leading transformation of digital printing and packaging, Trigon Digital installs the first HP Indigo 25K.

“We are on a mission to transform our business, achieving the most exceptional standard of print quality, sustainability, and quick service experience to our customers, and the installation of the HP Indigo 25K is an important step in that journey.” - Anil Namugade, MD, Trigon Digital

Taking a new leap in digital printing, Trigon Digital will be using the HP Indigo 25K to meet the growing flexible packaging demand. This is the first customer installation of the flagship HP Indigo 25K Digital Press across Asia. A leading Print & Packaging solutions provider with an ‘all-digital’ set-up, Trigon Digital has been addressing the needs of customers from across India, Middle East, Europe & South East Asia. The ultra-modern HP Indigo 25K Digital Press installation with a 30-inch printing width will allow Trigon Digital to venture into customized pouch, shrink sleeves, IML printing on a large scale. The HP Indigo 25K installation features an inline slitting option, which will enable Trigon Digital to print label media of up to 30inch width & then slit it inline to smaller rolls for further finishing.

In a world where customers demand highly personalized solutions, the HP Indigo 25K Digital Press offers the agility to meet rapidly evolving customer needs, across all types of packaging requirements. With the HP Indigo technology, Trigon Digital will be able to support brand owners with innovative solutions in packaging while supporting them throughout the product development process – from prototype to marketing test samples to

production and shelf. Trigon is a long-standing partner of HP, having invested in the HP Indigo 6900 press in 2018.

Speaking on the installation, Anil Namugade, Managing Director, Trigon Digital said, “We have been servicing our customers with print and packaging solutions since 2007. With the industry evolving and growing exponentially, we required a solution to add value to our business and support the increasing demand of small and medium quantity packaging runs with NO MOQ. Today, the package is the messenger, the brand and storefront, all integrated into one. With our new HP Indigo 25K, we are ready to bring the power of the digital transformation to label and flexible packaging. Furthermore, we are on a mission to transform our business, achieving the most exceptional standard of print quality, sustainability, and quick service experience to our customers, and the installation of the HP Indigo 25K is an important step in that journey.”

A Appadurai, Country Manager, HP Indigo, HP India said, “India is fast becoming a hub for startups & small brands, especially in Food & Beverage sector.

It is crucial for brands and businesses to have high-

Key Notes : > HP Indigo 25K Digital Press – the preferred solution to meet the needs of a growing sustainable flexible packaging market. > Offers the agility to meet rapidly evolving customer needs, across all types of packaging requirements. > With the new HP Indigo 25K, Trigon Digital is ready to bring the power of the digital transformation to label and flexible packaging.

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Anil Namugade, Managing Director, Trigon Digital with HP Indigo 25K Digital Press

pressideas/ digital

quality packaging for their products to be placed on shelf for visibility. A high-quality printed package increases the brand value and gains trust from the consumers. Due to the nature of digital printing there is no MOQ concept with HP Indigo. Also plates or cylinders are not required to be made, so along with HP Indigo, Trigon can support such brands to launch their product in the market faster, digitally printed pouches can be turned around in as low as 5-7 days from

the approval of artwork to physical pouches.

With the first HP Indigo 25K installation in the region, Trigon Digital will be able to help its customers to get to market faster with their innovative services and products.”

HP technology has been providing safety in print packaging across a comprehensive range of applications, including pharma and food packaging. HP Indigo inks meet FDA, EU & Swiss packaging regulations for well-

defined conditions of use & are suitable for indirect contact applications. HP Indigo inks do not contain any UV curing substances or any photo initiators & meet the industry accepted definition of low migration inks.

Apart from printing on standard flexible packaging media, HP Indigo can also print on both recyclable & compostable media from partner media vendors.

Monotech to represent Ricoh’s Digital Production Printing Systems PAN India Monotech Systems begins a new inning by becoming Ricoh’s marketing, sales, distribution and service partner in Digital Production Printing.

One of the leading manufacturers and distributors of high-value capital equipment for the printing and packaging industry in India, Monotech Systems has signed up with global industrial conglomerate Ricoh for the distribution of Digital Production Printing systems. Under this association, Monotech Systems will become the marketing, sales, distribution and service partner for Ricoh’s complete range of Digital Production Printing Systems PAN India.

Ricoh products enjoy a formidable reputation globally in terms of robustness, reliability, efficiency and productivity of the hardware platform well supported by cutting edge technology to ensure a great customer experience. Monotech Systems has been at the forefront of the printing and publishing industry for more than two decades with leadership in several market segments by offering breakthrough technology solutions.

A strong connect and time tested relationship with Photo, Print on Demand /Jobbers, Corporate and Offset market segments will help Monotech Systems to position these products in the Indian market and enable customers to migrate to the Gold Standard in Digital Production Printing with Ricoh products.

“Team Monotech Systemsis very excited about this relationship which is like playing a second inning after a highly successful first inning. It raises the bar for us and we shall succeed with our commitment to offering products, solutions and support which exceed customer expectation,” said Mr T. P.

Jain, Managing Director, Monotech Systems.

Ajeet Pareek, Business Head, Digital Products and Solutions, Monotech Systems says, “We are confident that the RICOH product range will be a perfect fit for our existing and prospective customers. We are now able to provide our clients with more opportunities to differentiate themselves in their markets to deliver an extended range of capabilities and respond to the growing expectations and demands. With it, we will now have the most technologically advanced product portfolio, backed by superior sales and after-sales support.”

For potential customers, it will come as a welcome option as Monotech Systems has vast industry experience, strong sales and service network across India.

Printing systems in India market,” said Ricky Tan, General Manager of Production Printing Business Group in Ricoh Asia Pacific. “We can collaborate together helping customer enhance their digital capabilities with insightdriven and tailored solutions.”

Monotech Systems represents many worldrenowned companies. Established in 1999, the company has its corporate and registered office in Chennai and has extensive sales and service support across the nation.

For more than 80 years, Ricoh is one of the leading providers of document management solutions, IT services, communications services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in approximately 200 countries and regions.

“With Monotech System’s strong local presence, I believe it will bring an increased range of coverage and strength of representation of Ricoh’s Digital Production

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digital printing

Nukkad Printers: Kolkata’s friendly neighbourhood Digital Print Shop The young company decides in favour of a new Canon ImagePRESS C710 Digital Press to expand product portfolio and better serve the clients through value addition.

Nukkad Printers got established in 2015 to provide digital printing solutions and everything in and around it. It is a young company though earlier the trio of directors – Pawas Shah, Sanjay Joshi and Mayur Tibrewal – had been into the digital printing venture with the name of Transasia Fine Papers (TFP) since 2012. They began by offering complete post press finishing for digital printing. “It was just the beginning and from almost the inception, TFP has handled paper and print coordination with expertise to ensure best results,” says Mayur Tibrewal.

The ‘print consultants’ – a name synonymous with quality printing

The reputation of Nukkad Printers as providers of quality digital print products gets a further boost with their new Canon ImagePRESS C710 which will increase their range of fine paper and texture board printing; enhance range of products and value additions for their clients.

Key Notes : > Started by offering complete post press finishing for digital printing. > Grew stronger by increasing stores & manpower, providing special value added solutions and being ahead of the competition. > Adds another chapter to their success with the installation of a new Canon ImagePRESS C710.

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“Though Nukkad Printers is a young around six-year old company, we have grown stronger over the years, whether it’s been with increasing stores and manpower or celebrating a special value addition for a customer or being a step ahead of a competitor.

This is how we count our milestones,” he Mayur.

Acting as a ‘print consultant’ for their clients, Nukkad Printers today has earned a name for their quality printing. “Honesty, trust, convenience and reach are our core values,” says Pawas Shah.

“Nukkad means neighborhood where every shop in the street corner gives you a sense of relationship, belonging, trust and convenience; all the values which drive our business ethics too,” says Sanjay

Joshi sharing the philosophy behind the name Nukkad.

Exploring newer avenues with the new Canon ImagePRESS C710 The reputation of Nukkad Printers as providers of quality digital print products gets a further boost with their new Canon ImagePRESS C710. “We envisage increasing our range of fine paper and texture board printing with the new Canon ImagePRESS C710.

Its capability to print on versatile substrate of an extended range of grammage enhances the range of products and value additions we can provide to our clients. The capability comes in addition to the seamless auto-duplex functionality altogether providing us with an efficient platform to answer our client’s requirements in various ways,” explains an elated Mayur Tibrewal.

What made Nukkad Printers’ management decide in favour of their latest Canon machine was chiefly its excellent user friendly settings that makes printing an extremely effortless exercise. “Apart from making it easier for us to get things printed, another feature viz., the machine’s built-in software has ensured achieving expected results naturally. To sum it up, its good printing speed along with its capability to support diverse printing media, distinguishes the ImagePRESS C710 from its competitors,” asserts Mayur.

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The professionally managed Nukkad Printers has its biggest asset in its manpower.

Having a great mix of experience in the team coupled with young enthusiasm, the core team represents division heads of sales, production, quality control and accounts who, according to Mayur, are the four pillars of the company. “They have been with the company through thick and thin and have guided the younger guns to outperform,” he says.

Operating in diverse segments ranging from retail to B2B to corporate, Nukkad Printers has dedicated teams to cater to each segment. “We are happy to share that we have assisted more than 10K clients and our combined digital printing capacity is one of the highest in Eastern India,” says Mayur.

Apart from the physical stores in various locations where each store is a self-sufficient retail printing and cutting unit, they also have a workshop which has all the modern equipment required for bulk printing, cutting, lamination, fabrication and packing. “We also have facility for a lot of value added products like mugs, badges, calendars, T shirts and so on,” informs Mayur.

Nukkad Printers’ clientele is majorly from the city and suburbs, but they do cater to a diverse list of customers from all over India.

“Besides our domestic clients, we cater to the print requirements of offshore offices (in Middle East, US, Europe etc.) of Multi National and Transnational companies. We feel proud that we can adhere to the stringent guidelines provided by them. Our logistic team takes care of local as well as national deliveries,” shares Mayur Tibrewal.

medium in lot of products in industries,” he explains.

In addition to the pandemic challenge, Mayur Tibrewal sees QSP (quality, speed and price) as major challenges of present day printing business. “The challenge of QSP is aggravated by the huge unorganized sector present in this industry. We believe that the differentiator is the technological advancement both in hardware and software which can bridge some gap,” he observes.

In the ever changing digital printing industry, Mayur and his team have always embraced the future with open arms. They have always been braced for challenges.

“We acknowledge that the technology and requirement in printing industry is changing quite rapidly. To counter that and to be pro-active, we try to be as close as possible to our clients and suggest them futuristic solutions,” says Mayur. The printing software at Nukkad Printers is connected with an internal ERP where right from procurement to payment and feedback is keyed in and captured. Besides, they are working on modules where this ERP would be extended to their clients and they can have a virtual depository for their printable.

Another key issue being faced by the industry is the increasing paper prices. Nukkad Printers has offset the effect by astute planning and management. With a payment cycle of about 15 to 30 days, they keep funds

on a constant rotation with liquidity remaining largely uncompromised. “We balance our working capital cycle judiciously and never over leverage,” says Mayur. Sharing their approach on countering the paper price hike, he says, “We have managed this by optimizing stock levels; the increase got partly passed on to clients and partly absorbed by us.”

“Though we feel paper prices are in line with the increase in commodity prices, we expect the prices to soften in due course,” adds Pawas.

The urge to prove a point that print solutions could be managed professionally and with ease for clients, culminated in the birth of Nukkad Printer in 2015. The young business, Nukkad Printers strives to bring some method and corporate responsibility in this hugely unorganized sector. “For years I was a print buyer for my clients and had a trying time dealing with printers. None of the printers offered a solution, all they delivered was prints, that too always late accompanied with a rude surprise,” remembers Sanjay Joshi. “We believe in our people and our vendors and have tried to support them throughout. We are sure that the industry would evolve and grow and in turn want to continue our journey of serving the industry with the blessings and support of our partners, customers as well as employees,” concludes Mayur Tibrewal.

Sailing through the difficult pandemic times “We have managed to keep afloat due to our cohesive team and innovative marketing strategy,” says Mayur. “Our old clients showed trust in us as we kept the communication channel open with them throughout the pandemic last year. Despite the stringent health standards set, we managed to add many new corporate and retail clients. In 2020-21 our revenue from NTPs (New To Print) was close to 40% of our overall revenue. Currently, we are adding about 100 new clients each month and we expect the market to move north in spite of increasing claws of digital communications and print medium getting replaced by digital

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ConnectKey-enabled Xerox AltaLink C8100 & B8100 Series enable today’s flexible work environments Latest multi-function printers (MFPs) enable businesses to accelerate their Digital Transformation as well as support hybrid workforce better.

The advent of hybrid workforce has brought in a new way of working. And with this, the need for digital transformation to support the workforce has also increased. Some employees would be working from office while others would continue to work remotely.

In such a scenario, the businesses would need to ensure availability of suitable digital solutions that improve productivity through an intuitive user experience, mobile and cloud connectivity and comprehensive security.

Xerox has been synonymous with innovation since a long time and has brought several cutting-edge technologies to the forefront for the benefit of businesses and end users alike. To help businesses speed up their digital transformation journey, Xerox has launched AltaLink B8100 (black-and-white) and C8100 (colour) Series with ConnectKey Apps that prove to be the true Digital Workplace Assistants. These multi-function printers bridge the gap between physical and digital worlds with apps and solutions for every business.

The AltaLink B8100 and C8100 Series can better support today’s flexible work environment by assisting in complex business processes and workflow automation. In addition to its printing capabilities, the AltaLink 8100 series helps speed workplace digitization with ultra-fast scanning of up to 270 images per minute and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) that allows clients to extract more value from information. These ConnectKeyenabled MFPs support a range of cloud

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and mobile digital workflows, boosted by a broad ecosystem of Xerox and third partydeveloped apps.

A more flexible workforce has also brought forth heightened security concerns. Xerox has partnered with leading cyber security experts, such as McAfee and Cisco, to give AltaLink Series a comprehensive built-in security that protects both device and network. Integration with industry leading security solutions like Security Information and Event Management solutions from McAfee, LogRhythm and Splunk simplifies reporting and management of security events.

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Some of the key features of Xerox AltaLink 8100 Series are: •

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Copy–Expands the office document capabilities with speed upto 72 ppm and first-copy-out time (FCOT) as fast as 3.2 seconds from the platen Print – Offers speed of upto 72 ppm and resolution of upto 1200 x 2400 dpi with capabilities of printing from Cloud Repositories (Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive), secure print with timed deletion and Sustainability Features (Xerox® Earth Smart Settings, Duplex, N-up, Turn-off Banner and Print ID, Smart Sample Set, Hold All Jobs).

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Scan–Single-pass colour scanning at upto 270 images per minute (duplex speed) that enables faster electronic distribution of full-colour documents for more effective and impressive communications. Other scanning features include Touch Apps, On-box Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Searchable PDF creation, Secure PDF, Scan to USB device, Scan to Email Mailbox and Network, Scan to SMB and TWAIN Support along with option of scanning to cloud repositories.

Fax – Enhances workgroup productivity with features like Secure fax receive, Up to 200 password-protected folders, Integration with personal or shared LDAP phonebook (up to 1,000 entries).

The Xerox ConnectKey technology enables the AltaLink 8100 series to automate document workflows, seamlessly connect to the systems

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that run the business, provide comprehensive security and much more.

Intuitive User Experience – A10.1inch colour touchscreen provides a tablet-like experience with gesturebased touchscreen controls, easy personalisation, customizable layout, smart proximity sensor to conserve energy during inactive periods, embedded web server with search tool to get status information, device management and cloning for quick configuration across multiple devices.

• Mobile and Cloud Ready -More mobile with cloud-hosted services and instant connectivity to cloud and mobile devices right from the user interface.

Includes Wi-Fi Direct to bypass the need of connecting to the network for printing, Apple AirPrint, Bluetooth, Near

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Field Communication (NFC) tap-topair and Xerox Print Service plug-in for Android to streamline mobile printing.

• Comprehensive Security –Helps in preventing unauthorised access, detecting threats and protecting data and documents with built-in comprehensive security features like digital signed system software, Trusted Boot, innovative Configuration Watchdog for compliance with company security policies, Firmware Verification test, McAfee Whitelisting and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) • Enables Intelligent Workplace Services -Seamless integration with Xerox Intelligent Workplace Services (IWS) delivers next-level workplace efficiency, employee productivity and security against cyber threats.

• New Possibilities with Apps,

Partner Solutions and Customization –AltaLink 8100 series transforms the way you work with the apps in the Xerox App Gallery or a custom solution from one of Xerox’s partners. ConnectKey technology ecosystem can assist in creating customized workflows, automating complex tasks and printing/ scanning directly from the cloud with services like Connect for Box, Connect for OneDrive, Connect for Google Drive, Connect for Dropbox, Connect for Office 365 and Connect for SalesForce.

With these features, the Xerox AltaLink B8100 and C8100 MFPs can help in doing more than just print – automating workflows seamlessly and with comprehensive security to support businesses as they shift from physical to digital enterprises.

Supreme Court upholds NCLT decision in key Minosha India case Supreme Court restores NCLT order in Kalpraj-KIAL case; upholds CoC decision accepted by a thumping majority of 84.36%.

Upholding the ‘commercial wisdom’ displayed by the Committee of Creditors (CoC) in the Kalpraj Dharamshi versus Kotak Investment Advisories Ltd (KIAL) case, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India on 10th March upheld the decision of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

Noting that the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) acted in excess of jurisdiction, the apex Court observed that both NCLAT and NCLT cannot overstep CoC’s decision, since the matter doesn’t fall within the limited scope of section 30 and 31 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), thereby dismissing the NCLAT order which was in favour of KIAL. Earlier, Minosha India Ltd. (formerly Ricoh

India Ltd) had appealed against the NCLAT judgment while supporting the conduct of the Resolution Professional (RP) in bringing about a quick insolvency process approved by the majority of CoC. The resolution plan submitted by a consortium led by Mr. Kalpraj Dharamshi & Mrs. Rekha Jhunjhunwala was approved

by NCLT in November 2019, and the implementation had commenced. While the case was being heard and the order was reserved at NCLAT, there was no restraint on the implementation of the resolution plan

by Mr. Kalpraj Dharamshi & Mrs. Rekha Jhunjhunwala.

The decision of CoC was accepted by a thumping majority of 84.36%, while

dissenting KIAL was favoured by the lone Kotak Bank with only 0.97% voting rights. Subsequently in 2020, Registrar of Companies issued a certificate of the change in name from Ricoh India Ltd. to Minosha India Ltd. Elated with the judgment, Mr. Atul Thakker, Managing Director of Minosha India Ltd. said, “Truth has prevailed. Our respect and faith in the judicial process has been vindicated.

The decision upholds the primary of the commercial wisdom of the CoC. With this judgment, all doubts about our ownership and continuity have been put to rest. Post this Judgement, we will set in motion a course of action to vigorously implement our growth plan.”

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Kodak to present game-changing technology at virtual.drupa 2021 Kodak technology to help commercial, publication and packaging printers boost their profitability at virtual.drupa 2021.

Kodak’s portfolio of breakthrough offset, digital and software solutions will be on display to the global print community at virtual.drupa 2021 from April 20 to 23. Kodak products to feature at the show include: The KODAK PROSPER ULTRA 520 Digital Press – the press redefines inkjet production printing and boasts of closing the gap with offset. Utilizing KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technology, this web press is capable of printing near-offset quality images at speeds which can be two to three times faster than many competitive products in the same category. Utilizing cost-effective and efficient water based KODAK inks, it prints across a broad range of commercial print substrates.

The UTECO Sapphire EVO W Press – the press is powered by KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technology. It is a highly capable digital press for flexible packaging which combines the productivity of flexo and the quality of gravure. Kodak will also highlight the Sapphire EVO M Press, powered by KODAK Stream Technology, which is a preferred product for printers catering to growing packaging market.

The KODAK NEXFINITY Digital Press – the press boasts next level versatility which enables printers to handle a wide range of

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jobs with maximum productivity. NEXFINITY offers unmatched sheet-fed flexibility regarding substrates, sheet sizes and thicknesses along with production using a wide selection of special inks in its Fifth Imaging Unit.

KODAK PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions - the printing industry’s fully integrated and managed business software portfolio including MIS/ERP, E-commerce, and collaboration applications is scalable as well as automated end-to-end solution.

It gives customers a single platform to work from and one vendor to work with, eliminating hidden costs and finger pointing.

SONORA XTRA – these next-generation process-free plates by Kodak deliver faster imaging speeds, stronger image contrast and improved handling robustness.

Sustainability and waste savings in prepress and on press are other key benefits of the plates.

The KODAK MAGNUS Q800 Platesetter with T-speed – the world’s fastest 8-page CTP device, which is capable of imaging up to 80 plates per hour.

The KODAK MAGNUS Q4800 Platesetter – a new solution for extra-large format (XLF) plate

imaging, which offers the fastest throughput for XLF size plates for 96-page presses.

“Kodak provides a full portfolio of offset, digital and software solutions designed to deliver print that pays, and this virtual event will provide a perfect showcase for our latest innovations,” said Jim Continenza, Executive Chairman and CEO, Eastman Kodak Company.

Kodak will hold three interactive web sessions: • A single Platform Workflow Solution: One vendor. One Workflow. Fully managed. – Tuesday, April 20, 15:20– 15:50 CET • Digital Agility for a Changing Market– Wednesday, April 21, 15:20–15:50 CET • New Process Free Plate Technology Makes Going Green Easy for All Printers – Thursday, April 22, 15:20–15:50 CET Attendees can sign up free of charge on virtual.drupa.com, where they can also learn more about the diverse services and features envisaged for the online show. Kodak will welcome visitors to virtual.drupa in its exhibitor showroom at: https://virtual.drupa. com/vis/v1/en/exhibitors/drupa2020.2680912.

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Scodix Design Awards winners announced The awards celebrating 10 Years of Digital Enhancement featured customers demonstrating the power of digital enhancement capabilities of Scodix.

Scodix announced the winners of its Design Awards competition celebrating 10 years of digital enhancement. Scodix customers worldwide submitted over 150 jobs representing the global printing industry.

The panel of judges selected winners based on design quality, application excellence and ingenuity. This contest raised the bar even further by showing unique creativity and innovation for print products that can be produced on a Scodix Digital Print Enhancement Press.

Eli Grinberg, Scodix CEO, states, “The Scodix Design Awards is a moment of great pride to witness the collection of so many Scodix customers work at once. New boundaries are always set by our customers implementation of their vision into physical print and the evidence of this innovation is evident by the work submitted for the annual contest. This year’s contest, celebrating 10 years of digital enhancement, is by far the most impressive yet, not just because of the number of submissions, but the quality of submissions. Even with the postponed awards announcement due to the COVID-19 cancellation of drupa 2020 and 2021, we are excited to now announce the winners, but first I must personally thank every customer for their participation, loyalty and exceptional work.”

And the winners are: General Commercial Print (GCP):

Press (India) for their Jaguar Anika Motors Personalized Kit

Self-Promotion Print: First Place –

Second Place – Visions Inc. (United States) for New Year’s Eve Invite

Second Place – Jujin Packaging (China) for Packaging Poster

Honorable Mention – Procolor (Chile) for Vina San Pedro Tarapaca Labels

Honorable Mention – Wihabo (Netherlands) for Christmas Gift Boxes

Folding Carton/Packaging: First Place – P+E Galeria Digital (Brazil) for Articulated Avengers Box for Cinemark

Technology: First Place - Haxan (Hakusan Printing)(Japan) forMercedes-Benz Art Scope

Second Place – Nanjing Subu (China) for Chinese New Year Gift Box Set

Second Place - Printing by Innovation (PBI) (Canada) for Ice Wine Festival Ticket

Honorable Mention – TBB, a.s. (Slovakia) for Brandy Box

Honorable Mention – The Anstadt Company (United states) for Packaging Insert

Publishing: First Place – TBB, a.s.

The winners have been notified directly, and their recognized submissions, as well as many of the other competing entries will be displayed online, at public industry events and Scodix-sponsored activities.

(Slovakia) for Selma Book Cover Second Place – Bennett Graphics (United States) for Hospitality Product Guide

Dfus Omanim (Israel) for Music Calendar

Honorable Mention – J Point (Bulgaria) for Grand Millennium Catalog

First Place – Printonica Sri Sivarama Digital

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Why inkjet is your next growth opportunity

By Sander Sondaal, Director Commercial Print Sales, Commercial and Industrial Printing Group, Ricoh Europe.

Digital inkjet is the fastest growing print process and it will perform more strongly than any other technology over the next few years.

This is according to market research consulting firm Mordor Intelligence. Its Inkjet Printing Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026) report valued the global inkjet printing market at E34.29 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach E41.36 billion at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 3.11% between 2021 to 2026.

Driving this growth is the huge investment being made in inkjet technology and the enhanced quality and productivity that today’s high-speed inkjet devices deliver.

Innovative concepts and technological inventions featured in colour inkjet products provide the right balance between image quality, image durability, print speed, purchase price, and operational cost.

This combination became attractive for early adopter commercial printers enabling them to adapt their application offering and cost effectively transition analogue print to digital.

The marriage of high quality colour print, media flexibility and the ability to add variable content delivers a compelling business case and it is broadening digital inkjet’s effectiveness across different sectors.

Book printing, magazines and catalogues were all highlighted by Mordor as growth opportunities while Smithers reported all inkjet sectors were enjoying growth in its The Future of Inkjet Printing to 2025 early last year.

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It said this was because inkjet suits the changing demands of print buyers because it can be more responsive to the preferences of consumers than analogue alternatives.

The continuing technological developments, together with the greater experience of print service providers (PSPs), combine to make inkjet competitive against offset, flexo, gravure, screen and digital toner printing.

And while the pandemic will have had an impact on investment in the technology, the report’s statement remains true that as inkjet press performance improves, the economic crossover moves to longer runs. This makes it an ever more interesting opportunity.

It also futureproofs your operation by placing

you at the forefront of this growth. It allows you to expand your application capabilities supported by the technology’s continuing evolution.

The report also pointed to inkjet’s ability to help PSPs become more agile and responsive to client requirements, deliver total variability cost effectively, and print only what is needed on demand to cut waste and enable production and supply chain efficiency.

To learn more about these growth opportunities, how to transition from analogue to digital and what else inkjet offers, please contact your local Ricoh representative.

Seshaasai is Best Tech Brand Seshaasai wins the Best Tech Brand In The BFSI Sector award from The Economic Times.

Seshaasai has received the award for the ‘Best Tech Brand In The BFSI Sector’ from the The Economic Times.

The company had been working to achieve this vision since 1993 and considers the

coveted award as an apt encouragement to continue their work of empowering customers’ transaction, communication, digitisation, and compliance needs with integrity and data security.

Seshaasai’s innovative technology adaptations have helped create proprietary solutions in solving complexities and making a difference among its BFSI customers.

Seshaasai is a privately-owned company focused on secure and versatile technology driven solutions. Founded in 1993, Seshaasai has a unique footprint across the country with 12 strategic locations. Committed to developing high-quality tech-based solutions such as omni-channel communication systems and smart payment solutions, Seshaasai has actively led India’s digital

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Manabu Yamazaki is the new President and CEO of Canon India Mr. Manabu Yamazaki takes over the baton from Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, who was at the helm for 9 years leading growth in the India market.

Global Imaging technologies provider Canon India, has announced the appointment of Mr. Manabu Yamazaki as the new President & CEO for Canon India, effective April 1, 2021.

In his new role, Mr. Yamazaki will be spearheading Canon’s business strategy and operations in India. Before his new role, he was working as the Chief Regional Officer for the brand in Eastern China, overseeing various functions in the APAC region. Mr. Yamazaki has been associated with Canon since 1989 and has also been a notable contributor in business management across European, Middle Eastern, Russian, and African markets.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Manabu Yamazaki newly appointed President & CEO said, “I am delighted and excited to join Canon India and to work closely with a team of highly skilled professionals here.

As a vibrant nation, India is brimming with entrepreneurship and holds vast potential for exploring newer creative avenues. We,

evolution. From transactions to identification, its proprietary software programs prioritise data security. Through cutting-edge technology such as AI, robotic automation, big data, IOT, and various communication systems & protocols, it converts sensitive customer data into diverse personalized products and trans media communication.

Their solutions help reduce risk, accelerate speed and increases business capacity.

From financial institutions and healthcare to education and government, Seshaasai helps transform business challenges into

at Canon, are fully committed to the Indian market and I am looking forward to building on Canon’s track record of success and innovation and continuing to deliver value and delight to all stakeholders. Considering the vast reach and diversity, we will continue with our endeavour of expanding product propositions and presence across different parts of the country.”

A seasoned leader, Mr. Yamazaki has worn multiple hats throughout his storied career.

He will be overseeing the strategic operations of Canon India and is tasked to strengthen the existing core businesses and bolster the growth in the brand’s imaging expertise in newer multiple areas in India.

During the pandemic, Canon led through uncertainty, adapted to changing customer needs, and took its customer service to the next level. Canon successfully weathered the storm caused by the pandemic. Canon has been constantly adding new products to its portfolio and has also expanded its regional

competitive opportunities.

The Mumbai headquartered Seshaasai Business Forms was founded in 1993 and its specialties include: smart cards and tags, cheque books, FasTag, customer statements, course material, compliance, loyalty cards, loyalty coupons, NFC, RFID cards and tags, deliverables management, mail room management, GST compliance, customer onboarding , payment cards, insurance policy documents, inventory and order management , and smart wearables.

outlets in the past year. It emerged as one of the pioneering brands in the imaging industry that enabled customers to create memories that last a lifetime and help customers simplify their business infrastructure.

Canon India Pvt. Ltd. is a 100% subsidiary of Canon Singapore Pvt. Ltd. Set up in 1997, Canon markets over 200 comprehensive range of sophisticated contemporary digital imaging products and solutions in India. The company today has offices and warehouses in 14 cities across India and employs over 1000 people and over 850 channel partners.

Canon India till date has opened over 250 retailer stores accredited as “Image Square” across 100+ cities in the country. Canon India’s service reach extends to over 597 towns covering 18,978 PIN codes across India - which comprises of 200+ Camera collection points, 16 Camera repair centers, 276 Printer repair centers, 191 Copier, Scanner and Large Format Printer Sales & Service dealers.

Providing world-class technology, Canon boasts an extended product portfolio, including copier MFDs, Managed Document Services, Printers, Document and Cheque Scanners, Digital Cameras, DSLRs, Cinematic Imaging Products catering to the multiple market segments of consumer, SME, B2B, Commercial, Government & PSUs.

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Smart Labels for Data Driven Business Nordic Label – adding digital value for brands with Xeikon Smart Label Solution ‘Track and Trace’.

Nordic Label Oy in Finland is attracting new business and widening its product portfolio using Xeikon smart label technology. The success and uptake of Xeikon’s ‘Track and Trace’ smart label solution is helping to reposition the successful label printer and set them apart from the competition. Since investing in digital five years ago, the over 100 year old company is now at the cutting edge of digital label production in the Nordic regions.

“With the cooperation of one of our key customers, Vellamo, we were proud to participate in a recent Xeikon Café project working together with UPM Raflatac, Magic Add and Xeikon to demonstrate the powerful and multiple advantages for brands using smart labels.” - Marko Rintanen, Nordic Label

Key Notes : > Globally there is increasing demand from brand owners for smart labels. > Enlightened brand owners are using smart labels to differentiate themselves and protect their brand. > With Xeikon’s smart label solution brands can track their products at every step from production to the consumer.

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Marko Rintanen, Production Director at Nordic Label explains, “As a leading label manufacturer in Finland with many years of experience in all kinds of printing methods, digital printing is fairly new to us and we have been on a learning curve. However, since we partnered with Xeikon we have seen our business leap forward in new and very exciting ways.

Xeikon’s smart label solution is ground breaking and so easy to install and utilise. Our customers, the brand owners, are now as excited as we are at the potential that smart label production offers. With the cooperation of one of our key customers, Vellamo, we were proud to participate in a recent Xeikon Café project working together with UPM Raflatac, Magic Add and Xeikon to demonstrate the powerful and multiple advantages for brands using smart labels.

Jeroen Van Bauwel, Director Product Management at Xeikon states: ‘Globally there is increasing demand from brand owners for smart labels. Fighting to stand out from the competition, enlightened brand owners are using smart labels to differentiate themselves and protect their brand. There is a specific need for security applications like our ‘Track and Trace’ in the supply chain to help battle counterfeiting which is big business on a global scale and poses a huge threat to brands. With Xeikon’s smart label solution brands can track their products at every step from production to the consumer. Brands can also initiate direct marketing communications using the data behind the smart label to measure success and engage and build relationships with consumers who are looking for authenticity and trust in the brand.”

With Xeikon’s Track and Trace, each and every package and label is given its own digital identity by means of a unique image, text, number or bar code. The latest version 7.0 of Xeikon’s powerful X-800 workflow enables the integration of the unique information and the printing of a high security,

variable printed code. The Xeikon press automatically and securely prints the unique code, which can be scanned with any standard application. Xeikon has developed a ground breaking, cloud-based

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application that puts the ‘smart’ into label design and helps brand owners bring packaging and labels online to measure the success of their campaigns and protect brand image.

One of the ways that brand owners can effectively and efficiently gain insight into the needs of their target audience is by collecting data on the movements of their products. For sustainable brands for example, interested in auditing their carbon footprint and product safety, smart labels are an efficient solution to track and trace products through the production and logistics phase. Giving the consumer a personalized and contextual digital experience and offering safety, reliability and timely delivery, smart labeling offers immediate access to valuable and relevant product information on any device.

Smart Labels and how they work

‘A smart label’ activates a response in realtime through a digital interaction between the label and a users’ device. ‘Smart labels’ incorporate and integrate technology that extends the functionality and content of the label beyond traditional print methods.

This can be done in a variety of ways using QR codes, RFID tags or near field communication (NFC). These types of labels rely on an interaction with a consumer device like a smartphone and support data transmission and collection for sales and marketing and security and inventory purposes. Smart labels and tags can affect the retail experience in a variety of ways and allow for new and beneficial interactions between consumers and products.

Rintanen concludes, “Our industry is quite conservative but new things excite us so challenging ourselves to think in new ways was a big step forward. Xeikon took care of

everything - the automation, the installation of the software, the digital label press and the training – it was all very smooth. Now with Xeikon’s smart label application up and running, we can download the variable data straight from the cloud. Its all automatic.

All the codes are set up for us.The key to our successful operation has always been the customer relationship and customer satisfaction, so the truly exciting part of all this has been talking with our customers about the possibilities and opportunities for them – sharing ideas and trying to find value together. Xeikon’s smart label solution is helping us position ourselves at the cutting edge of technology. I would highly recommend to any label printer to look at Xeikon’s smart label solution as an exciting new venture which can only build value into their business.”

Fast forward to fast food with Drytac Protac AMP Shaun Holdom explains how products imbued with antimicrobial technology can help fast food outlets protect surfaces from bacteria, fungi and mould in between cleaning.

With the food, beverages and hospitality sectors having been hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, Drytac has sounded out how its Protac AMP antimicrobial protection film can help restaurants reopen as the world begins to edge back towards normality.

Protac AMP antimicrobial protection film.

This flexible, self-adhesive product can be easily applied to a wide range of high-touch surfaces – including counters, door plates, touch screens and tables – helping to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria and microbes.

Covid-19 restrictions meant many fast food restaurants and eateries were forced to close for large parts of 2020, costing them millions in lost income and resulting in many staff losing their jobs. However, with the pandemic now starting to subside, and vaccination roll-outs ongoing, restaurants are looking forward to welcoming visitors back through their doors.

Protac AMP features Microban antimicrobial protection, meaning when harmful microbes meet Microban reservoirs in the film, the cell walls of the microbes are disrupted and they are unable to reproduce, which significantly reduces the risk of any bacteria spreading.

Aside from the stand-out benefits of helping cut the risk of bacteria on surfaces, Protac AMP film also ensures that they are protected from stains, odours and premature degradation caused by bacterial growth.

Such is the strength of Drytac Protac AMP with Microban technology that the film will help protect against other bacteria in the long-term, including those that cause the most issues for restaurants such as E. coli and Salmonella.

While this reopening is fantastic news for restaurants and other catering venues, they will still face a number of strict social distancing and safety measures before they are allowed to get back to business.

Thankfully, there are products on the market that help businesses adhere to these strict requirements by protecting surfaces from bacteria, fungi and mould, in between cleaning. One such solution is Drytac’s

without putting the health and safety of their staff and customers at risk, Drytac Protac AMP offers a cost-effective and highly reliable solution for hospitality businesses of all sizes.

-Written by Shaun Holdom, Global Product Manager, Drytac.

At a time when restaurants and other venues need all the help they can get to reopen

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Enviroflex by Flint - A biodegradable range of cleaning products for the flexographic industry by Flint Group Image Transfer Technologies Division.

Flint Group Image Transfer Technologies proudly has introduced Enviroflex, a complete suite of biodegradable products for superior cleaning of flexo presses, anilox rollers and rotogravure cylinders, flexo plates and flexographic printing facilities.

The Enviroflex biodegradable product range delivers a safe work environment whilst performing daily maintenance or weekly/ monthly deep cleaning. The range also delivers high print quality and optimum Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). “Our biodegradable cleaning range has minimal or no VOCs and balanced pH levels, providing a safe environment for employees along with looking after our planet,” says Stephan Doppelhammer, Vice President Commercial EMEA. Enviroflex virtually eliminates the need for soda blasting and delivers reliable cell depth on anilox rollers and rotogravure cylinders.

This significantly reduces downtime and the need for ink adjustments, saving on ink consumption and costs.

The Enviroflex cleaning range provides solutions for use with UV, Solvent and Aqueous inks: • Enviroflex Aquawash – ISEGA approved general purpose cleaner for aqueous inks and coatings. Suitable for cleaning ink metering systems, anilox rollers, plates, ancillary cleaning equipment and most press room surfaces.

• Enviroflex Solvwash – an extremely powerful ink removing solvent for the easy removal of solvent based inks and coatings. Suitable for cleaning ink metering systems, anilox rollers and ancillary cleaning equipment.

• Enviroflex UV Wash – a low hazard plate and roller cleaner for UV ink removal.

• Enviroflex Daily and Deep cleaning systems – very efficient, low pH cleaner.

Virtually eliminating the need for soda blasting, saving downtime and costs.

Reducing cleaning time by up to 40%.

• Enviroflex Powerclean AL – ISEGA approved specially formulated for automatic machine cleaning of anilox rollers with aluminium parts. 100% safe

and does not tarnish aluminum.

Flint’s biodegradable range of products can be used for a variety of applications on and off press including: OEM drum cleaning, Flexographic plate cleaning, Deep cleaning maintenance, Specialised non drip cleaners to prolong anilox rollers, Cleaners for removing lacquers, varnishes and for use in glue systems.

Michael Kellen, Vice President Commercial North America and Global Chemicals says, “Our ISEGA approved biodegradable product range provides sustainable cleaning solutions to support the packaging markets with responsibly built products and sustainable solutions.”

DuPont launches at virtual.drupa DuPont to participate in virtual drupa; to launch new products and present latest innovations.

DuPont will be participating as a Gold Event Partner in the virtual drupa show from April 20th to 24th. It will present the latest innovations for the Cyrel Solutions flexographic systems and launch new flexo plate and platemaking equipment offerings. Artistri Digital Inks will present its large portfolio of inkjet inks for commercial, packaging and textile applications in the show room and during interactive web sessions.

Sam Ponzo, Vice President, DuPont Industrial Solutions, has confirmed DuPont’s commitment to the virtual show, “As a key supplier to the graphic industry, DuPont has always enjoyed the personal interaction with customers and the industry at drupa.

Furthermore, the exhibition served as a platform to introduce the latest technology

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developments. This time, drupa will be all virtual and we will miss meeting in one place and interacting in person with our industry peers and colleagues, but this does not change our focus. We are happy to be part of the first virtual drupa ever and interact with our customers and colleagues virtually.”

In addition, Eric Beyeler, Marketing Manager, Artistri Digital Inks will present in the Touchpoint Textile session “Make sustainability fashionable, make fashion sustainable.” In this talk, Beyeler will discuss how pigment inkjet printing in particular can deliver beautiful, durable printed fabrics, a low environmental footprint and a short supply chain to the world of fashion and garments. His session will take place on April 22nd at 1:20 p.m. CET.

DuPont’s show room gives insights into the latest technology and offerings of DuPont.

DuPont’s web sessions will serve as platform for new product launches.

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CII Packaging Expo and Conference 2021 CII Hive from May 18 to 25, 2021 – Virtual Exhibition, Digital Conference & One-to-One Interactions.

The Confederation of the Indian Industry is organizing Packaging Expo and Conference – a focussed digital initiative on a secured, inhouse platform – CII Hive from 18 to 25 May 2021 under the Chairmanship of Mr Piruz Khambatta, Chairman & Managing Director, Rasna.

CII Packaging Expo and Conference 2021 will facilitate the industry by promoting business, fostering partnership, and encouraging the exchange of ideas to boost growth trajectory.

It is supported by the Plastics Machinery Manufacturers Association of India – PMMAI.

The initiative will feature: Virtual Exhibition that will enable participants to display the prowess of their products, create partnerships, and conduct business in a professional setup. The advanced features on the virtual platform shall promote faceto-face interaction with business prospects

and will help participants to connect with the stakeholders beyond boundaries.

Digital Conference which will facilitate rich deliberations on various opportunities, challenges, and best practices pertaining to the sector. Owing to its rich content, the conference shall witness the presence of leaders from the Industry, Government, and Academia and will provide an opportunity for the participants to network with these key players.

One-to-One Interactions: The dedicated meeting lounge at the virtual event will enable participants can set up B2B/ B2G meetings with visitors from varied domains in a professional set-up.

The Expo and Conference shall focus on all the aspects related to of the Packaging Sector and will be visited by top-level

executives & decision-makers. The event will also provide an opportunity to network, understand, and present the latest solution to industry requirements.

For cost of participation and other information regarding setting up a booth at the expo, visit the expo website. The application form for participation as an Exhibitor at CII Packaging Expo 2021 can be submitted at the website: www.cii.in

New dates announced for Labelexpos in Europe and Americas Labelexpo Europe will take place in April 2022, Labelexpo Americas in September 2022 and a new US Label Congress is announced for September 2021.

Tarsus Group, organizer of the Labelexpo Global Series of exhibitions and summits, has announced that Labelexpo Europe will now take place at the Brussels Expo Centre on 26-29 April 2022.

The next edition of Labelexpo Americas, meanwhile, will take place on 13-15 September 2022 at the Donald E. Stevens Conventional Center in Rosemont, Chicago.

At the same time Tarsus announced a new event, Label Congress 2021, which takes place 29 September - 1 October, also at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center.

Label Congress 2021 includes conference sessions covering all areas of label and package print technology and markets, an educational stream, Label Academy Live, and an exhibition of new technology, with leading suppliers displaying their latest equipment, software and services. The congress and educational sessions will also

be broadcast to a global audience.

Commented Lisa Milburn, managing director of the Tarsus Labels, Packaging and Brand Print group: ‘Due to continuing uncertainty about the speed of the vaccine rollout in Europe and the ability of our global visitors to travel to Brussels, we have made the decision, in consultation with our exhibitors, to postpone Labelexpo Europe until April 2022. Label Congress 2021 will be our first physical gathering for the US label industry since the pandemic began, and we look forward to welcoming attendees to this keynote event.’

Labels & Packaging group and president of European label federation FINAT, commented, ‘It is definitely the right decision to move Labelexpo Europe to April 2022, when we should have returned to some sort of normality as regards international travel and social mixing. I for one cannot wait. I am really missing the buzz from walking the aisles of the world’s leading label show, seeing first hand new technology from the world’s leading suppliers, meeting with old friends and making new contacts.’

Chris Ellison, managing director of OPM

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Kao Chimigraf looks at big packaging and textile market in India François Aguilar, Chief Commercial Officer, Kao Chimigraf shares the company’s future plans in an exclusive interview.

Kao Chimigraf technology is widely used in the world of printing. The company has already established local presence and all set to explore new possibilities with fresh partnerships. It is looking for cooperation to develop solutions based on specific Indian needs and also develop business model around customer requirements.

One such area is the UV market, where the company has proven market expertise and may prove a vital segment of future growth opportunities.

Since its beginning in 1970, Kao Chimigraf has always had a strong commitment to quality; to find the most efficient option in printing inks and coatings for packaging. This remains same today.

Kao Chimigraf is a global company of reference in the production of paints and coatings for flexographic, rotogravure and digital printing systems. And they are not big by chance: their success is the result of their effort, continuous work and contribution to the sector of quality inks and coatings for printing on packaging.

“It was in 1970 when Kao Chimigraf started in the world of graphic arts. A sector in which, step by step, we have been specializing in different areas which all ended by being one of the key players in Europe when looking into Inkjet inks,” says François Aguilar, Chief Commercial Officer, Kao Chimigraf.

“We think India is a key market for our operations in the future, but also in the present. India has a big packaging and Textile market,” adds François, speaking about Kao Chimigraf’s plans for Indian market.

Textile and packaging are the markets that are planned to be explored by Kao Chimigraf.

“We would like to offer the highest quality inkjet inks to good valuable partners,” François.

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Kao Chimigraf has offices in 6 European sites: two in Barcelona, and one each in Madrid, Valencia, France and Italy. What keeps their products above competition is their control over the complete process while they develop their own ink dispersions.

“At Kao Chimigraf, we control the complete process. It is our key strength. It gives us the competitive advantage of being more flexible on creating new inks. It keeps us free from difficulties of adapting to predefined properties used by other ink providers,” explains François.

Kao group has more than 37.000 employees around the world. Within the Kao Chimigraf company, there are 180+ employees around Europe (Spain, Italy and France). François Aguilar (Chief Sales Officer), Esteve Granada (Chief operations officer and Armand Marcé (Chief Financial Officer) are the key people managing the affairs at Kao Chimigraf.

Inks being a vital ingredient of printed products, a customer chooses a particular brand or ink because of its reliability. “The most important factor determining the choice of a particular ink over others is the reliability of the ink between batches,” says François.

“Whenever we discuss about inkjet ink, the most important thing is to be sure that our ink would not be damaging the printheads.

Therefore, at Kao Chimigraf we have a close control of every batch we produce to be sure there will not be any sedimentation of the pigment happening inside the printing circuit that would damage such an expensive part as the printhead is,” he elaborates.

High standards translate into quality products

by Kao Chimigraf. “We closely control the particle size among the time, optical density, viscosity, surface tension and other parameters that are key in the printing process,” adds François.

Calling the changes in industry conditions due to COVID outbreak as temporary, François hopes travelling will resume by early 2022.

“Hopefully the vaccine will ease the market situation and we hope also the

tradeshows to start again and we can meet all each other very soon. COVID has shown us the need to have a powerful local industry and smaller batches productions. We believe digital printing will be the key in this success as it is the most effective technology when talking of short-run and customized products,” he emphasises.

“We hope that, due to the pandemic situation, digital market will growth really fast if we compare it to previous years. It is true that this pandemic time has given the OEM and ink companies to improve their technologies so digital is becoming more and more competitive through the time,” adds François.

Packaging, especially food packaging and pharma have ever stricter norms with ink manufacturers facing the challenge of creating environmentally friendly products every passing day. In this regard, Kao Chimigraf’s ESG Strategy is designed to serve people’s needs, behaviors and desire to live sustainable lifestyles that contribute to a sustainable world. “We call this the Kirei Lifestyle, and we call the vision, commitments and actions that contribute to that lifestyle the Kirei Lifestyle Plan. Kao will strive to create a long-lasting impact to society through the Kirei Lifestyle Plan,” reveals François.

Kao Chimigraf has developed BIO-Based inks for both flexographic and Inkjet applications. Our LUNAJET WB solution is also the eco friendly solution the OEM would like to take a look at when printing on paper, flexible packaging and textile etc.,” says François.

Kao Chimigraf has obvious plans for India in coming years. “First, we have established a local person who is looking into new possibilities for us. We are now establishing some strong cooperation agreements that we hope will help us to grow in the Indian market,” concludes François.

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Industry-first ‘Define Your Circle’ Initiative by United Caps - Simply life cycle sustainability metrics by combining elements of Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability Certification.

United Caps, international manufacturer of caps and closures, has unveiled a new initiative, ‘Define Your Circle’. ‘Define Your Circle’ is designed to provide United Caps customers and their customers a simpler way to calculate full life-cycle environmental impact of their products, from before the materials enter the plant right through to its performance in the hands of the end user. As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, the initiative offers a means to customers of contributing to the development of a truly circular economy, in which plastics are too valuable to waste, and are wasted when they are considered single-use.

“At United Caps, sustainability has always been at the core of our values,” said Benoit Henckes, CEO. “We are constantly looking for actions we can take to reduce the environmental impact of our caps and closures – how they are made, the materials they are constructed from, their weight, how they are sold and how they are distributed.

With our industry-first ‘Define Your Circle’ initiative, we have extended that ability to our customers, providing easy-to-use tools that allow us to help them calculate their carbon footprint more accurately, taking actions where appropriate to reduce their life cycle environmental impact and make data-driven informed decisions about their products. We consider this to be a responsible approach to doing business in this era of climate change and negative human impact on the environment.”

What Makes ‘Define Your Circle’ Different?

United Caps are seeing a growing interest in the use of sustainability certified bio-based and recycled resins as part of an approach to product composition. At the same time, both customers and consumers have been seeking to better understand the weight of decisions they make in the realm of sustainability.

One way to measure environmental effect beyond just making assumptions about impact, which is probably the most frequent approach, is through a process called Life

Cycle Assessment (LCA) that assesses the environmental impact of food packaging, including material used, end of life (waste), as well as other environmental impacts, such as the overall effects of fossil-fuel-based or bio-based feed stocks. The process also shows the impact on the overall carbon footprint by using lighter-weight (but equally as effective) caps and closures, smaller neck sizes and more.

There are many misconceptions about the lifecycle environmental impact of various types of plastics, including those manufactured from fossil-fuel feed stocks and those manufactured from bio-based feed stocks.

“Our goal with ‘Define Your Circle’ is to give our customers a tool to make informed choices in consideration of their environmental impact and to compare our products with each other and with competitive products to reach the most sustainable solution possible,” Henckes explained.

Instead of depending on the complexities of a full LCA assessment, United Caps has chosen to leverage one of the industry’s largest life cycle assessment databases, GaBi, which is constantly updated as new technology and new insights come to the fore. It’s been working with goal of easing the process of life cycle assessments. The United Caps ‘Define Your Circle’ tool gives customers access to this extensive database, delivering insight and guidance that leads to better sustainability decision making.

Competitor X, we can see that KINDCAP is more than 20% more environmentally friendly in pretty much all aspects. “From Water Scarcity to Climate Change and Resource Use, it is verifiably better for the planet,” says Henckes.

It is a common belief that bio-based feed stocks that can be used for making plastic resin, such as corn or sugar cane, are the most sustainable approach.

“If we further compare a typical PE snap cap made in the normal way versus a KINDCAP made with 50% bio-based resin, we can now have much greater understanding of the trade-offs involved in that decision. For example, the effect of reducing climate change would be substantial but the use of fertilizers and other chemicals can contribute to drinking water contamination.”

The end-user solution adopted was to work with ISCC Plus Certified bio-based and recycled resins. Suitable for food applications, this certification allows brands to communicate the partial use of certified resin (less than 100%). So, for example, a closure may have been produced with ISCC Certified Resin but the bottle was not. In this example, the closure certification can be displayed on the packaging, aiding the consumer in making an informed choice.

“We often talk in terms of caps and closures that have to perform in the plant and in the hand; it is our hope that ’Define Your Circle’ will also encourage people to talk about performing for the planet as well”!

As part of this holistic approach, ‘Define Your Circle’ allows customers to analyse the environmental footprint of caps, closures, and the containers they are used with, making better decisions about many aspects of product manufacture and distribution.

KINDCAP by United Caps is for infant nutrition products. Apart from being one of the lightest products, when comparing KINDCAP closure using the GaBi indicator with a standard 99 PE snapcap from

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SGO Team visits Orianna Decorpack Team of Chennai based SGO Premedia visited Orianna Decorpack facility in Gujarat as a part of their Industrial Training Programme scheduled from 19th -20th March 2021.

Orianna Decorpack is a leading name in Labels, Print and Packaging Industry. A first of its kind of attempt in the industry, by facilitating Industry Visits, SGO aims at providing opportunities to its employees to strengthen their calibre and knowledge about real print output with variant substrates and variant print process to provide impeccable service to its customers.

Established on 10th January 2021, SGO had a grand induction ceremony for its team on 6th March 2021 at ITC Grand Chola where it inducted its 5 Gems. Employees Comfort and Employees Growth is a priority at SGO. To empower its team with latest industry insights and to render more smiles to its clients, SGO has initiated Industry Visits for its team to provide them opportunities to gain practical exposure, experiences and training about various printing process.

Since induction, SGO Team’s first visit was at Nilpeter Chennai – from 10th March & 11th March 2021 to gain insights about latest trends in Flexo printing.

Visit at Orianna Decorpack Pvt Ltd was a good opportunity to gain exposure of 10 colour Rotogravure printing machine and 10 colours European narrow web Flexo machine and enhance skills in labels, shrink sleeves, heat transfer labels.

Team Members who visited Orianna Decorpack – Vadodara, Gujarat: Ms Ramalakshmi Nizam (Director, Operations); Narayanan (Profile Specialist); Jagan (3D, Studio Lead); Raju, Simon, Ramkumar, Ajesh, Dinesh & Ambrose (Team Lead); and Richard & Anand (Trainee) – All from SGO. Premedia plays a pivotal role in delivering perfection in final output of print and packaging. SGO is not only a dream space for perfect packaging premedia and prepress services for the industry but also a dream space to work for its staff, where they get enormous opportunities to explore latest industry trends, enhance industry insights and enrich their competency towards customer’s delight. Ample growth in print and

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packaging industry in India along with voice for Local has opened a plethora of growth opportunities in premedia sector in India.

So far there are plenty of Global premedia houses along with their branches operating in the industry. Brand owners, converters and other stake holders in India are either dependent upon them or have to outsource them which makes the process lengthier as well as time consuming.

effective operations for premedia needs at customers’ doorsteps. SGO not only strives to reduce outsourcing dependency of businesses but is also a ‘make in India’ initiative to meet the growing industry needs.

SGO also operates from global locations at US, UK and Australia.

SGO premedia is a YesGo initiative to provide 360-degree solutions for packaging and printing needs along with local and cost effective premedia services. Equipped with inhouse solutions – skilled manpower, high-end infrastructure like Esko, end-to-end workflow automation – it delivers cost-

Mr. Yogesh Shahani – MD Orianna Decorpack (Chief Guest); Mr. Jai Prakash – MD Veepee Art Studio (Guest of Honor); Mr. Fredrick John – Sales Manager ESKO; Mr. Balaraman – Principal (Rtd) IPT; and Mr. Ashokan – Lecturer (Rtd) IPT & DOTE.

The guests at the SGO Team Introduction on March 6th 2021 included:

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PrintCity Alliance at virtual drupa Drupa and PrintCity – A partnership with a long tradition.

The PrintCity Alliance will be exhibiting at virtual drupa in April with a focus on premium eco-friendly packaging. This subject is gaining significance worldwide and will be addressed in two web sessions hosted by the Alliance.

New Better Human samples

“We’re very pleased drupa is still taking place at least virtually! We hope visitors respond positively to the new, online format and we’re optimistic that the web sessions will be well attended.” - Rainer Kuhn, Managing Director, PrintCity Alliance.

The members of the Alliance met for the first time at drupa in 2000 under the slogan “Connection of Competence”. Since then they have developed a close and productive partnership. Last year, their 20th anniversary celebration at drupa 2020 had to be canceled.

“We’re very pleased drupa is still taking place at least virtually! We hope visitors respond positively to the new online format, and we’re optimistic that the web sessions will be well attended”, says Rainer Kuhn, Managing Director, expressing the aims of the Alliance and its members for the event.

The broad-based Better Human project has been extended and continues to demonstrate how environmental goals can be reconciled with highly finished premium packaging. The new samples are again based on a plasticfree design and incorporate sustainable, recyclable products (substrates, inks, varnishes, iriodines, thin layer decorations).

They were produced using energy-efficient UV LED technology.

(premium lightweight folding boxboard, food service paperboard and white kraftliner made from fresh fibre), WEILBURGER Graphics (varnishes, adhesives and water-based flexo inks).

Additionally involved in the Better Human project: KAMA (embossing, cutting, gluing), Merck (special effect pigments), Zeller+Gmelin (UV inks and coatings).

Web sessions: Eco-Friendly Premium Packaging The two web sessions, both with identical content, will be held on 21 April (8:40 a.m.

-9:40 a.m. CET) and 22 April (4:40 p.m.

-5:40 p.m. CET) in English. The times were selected to give interested participants from all over the world a chance to attend.

Members participating in virtual drupa: IST Metz (UV curing systems), LEONHARD KURZ (hot stamping, cold and digital transfer applications, holograms), Metsä Board

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Kornit Presto S with Softener Solution for versatile, high-capacity fashion production on demand Creazioni Digitali, Como-based fabric provider to high-end fashion houses cites sustainability, single-step process in adopting new direct-to-fabric print technology from Kornit Digital.

Kornit Digital, a worldwide digital textile printing technology provider, has installed a Kornit Presto S with Softener Solution at Creazioni Digitali, an Italian printing service provider to high-end fashion industry. The Softener Solution enabled Kornit Presto S is most suited for rapid, pigment-based production on demand involving multiple fabric types in any quantity.

In addition to sublimation and acid and reactive dyes, Creazioni Digitali was the first textile provider to bring pigment printing to Italian fashion houses. In addition to providing more eco-friendly production processes, a shift towards pigment-based production is key to their expansion and industrial plans for 2021 to 2025.

Print-on-demand business models and pigment-based production are both effective means of reducing water use, and empowering fashion brands to align with international sustainability imperatives.

“We believe eco-friendly, pigment-based printing offers a wealth of possibilities for high fashion, and selected the Kornit Presto

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S based on its ability to deliver brilliant, high-quality imagery using the broadest colour gamut, without need for pre- and post-treatments,” says Roberto Lucini, Owner and CEO of Creazioni Digitali. “We intend to grow our business as brands see what this technology can do, with the old calculations of quality versus responsible production practices giving way to a new landscape in which you can truly have both. This installation is one of more to come.”

“Creazioni Digitali is a recognized leader and innovator in Como, arguably the epicenter

of the modern fashion world,” says Chris Govier, KDEU Managing Director. “They’ve established that sustainable, durable pigment impressions provide a genuine path forward for that most demanding of retail markets, and Kornit is proud to be their technology provider on the new frontier. Regardless of the fabric involved, the products they’ll be empowered to offer will look outstanding, feel right, and maintain their character, while buyers can rest assured they meet the highest possible standards for safety and sustainability.”

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Have a 3D visual browsing experience at Xeikon Virtual Innovation Center The Virtual Innovation Center for Wall Decoration offers an exciting new virtual advisory service.

Xeikon is set to launch an exciting new virtual advisory service using a unique 3D visual browsing experience. Responding to the dramatic increase in online exploration printers seek for new and creative ideas, Xeikon’s new virtual platform creates a unique user experience. It will become the ultimate advisory hub for printers and converters searching for the latest innovations and advice on everything digital. The first 3D rendered showroom will be dedicated to Wall Decoration. This will become a unique online space for the company to demonstrate its digital production portfolio of hardware and software for these creative and fast-moving markets.

The new and innovative 3D visual browsing experience provides everything printers need to know about digital print production: • A comprehensive selection of different types of applications and digital printing solutions • A wealth of ‘know-how’ and in-depth advice on how to get started when considering digital production • Background information on the many different and varied markets and segments that Xeikon covers • In-depth knowledge from the experts on digital production workflows and automation tools • Access to a full set of materials on Xeikon’s Service and Training Programmes

Decoration Suite and is designed to ‘bridge the gap’ and connect the physical world to the virtual world. We’re very excited to let everyone discover our solutions 24/7 at their own convenience, no matter where they are on the globe.”

Danny Mertens, Xeikon’s Corporate Communications Manager goes on to explain, “Our new virtual showroom experience follows a set navigation path through Xeikon’s machine hall where visitors will find all they need to book a demo, access and download product brochures, watch a selection of videos as well as print samples on ‘seetheproof.com’. Users will have easy access to connect with Xeikon’s product experts. Content will be regularly updated and there will be facilities to download the

latest information on the power of dry toner technology, technical specifications and the latest product updates.”

Mertens concludes, “Our advisory service is an integral part of our offering. We know that a successful and cost-effective investment works best after consultation at all levels.

The drive to customization is extremely high in many areas in which digital production is the key technology. Xeikon will also use these tools during our ongoing programme of live events to ensure customers have a consistent supply of information at all times.

With over thirty years’ experience, Xeikon has an in-depth understanding of all digital technologies and we are looking to further build on this platform for other markets.”

Dimitri Van Gaever, Market Segment Director for Graphic Arts explains, “We are seeing continuous growth in the number of wallpaper printers and large format print service providers looking at digital Wall Deco printing. But also adjacent businesses such as architects, interior designers, retailers and instore communication professionals are looking for creative ideas and want to explore the possibilities of digital printing. In the last few years this market has already been experiencing a fast moving transformation and this evolution has not impacted by the current pandemic circumstances but it is actually accelerating. Therefore, our first virtual showroom contains our Wall

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HP expands 3D printing presence in SE Asia DKSH’s detailed market intelligence combined with comprehensive digital marketing initiatives help HP to expand its 3D printing and digital manufacturing presence in the region.

HP Inc. (HP) first introduced its productionready commercial 3D printing systems HP Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions in 2016.

These printers are productive enough to handle volume production runs with a significantly lower cost per part. The printers are also reliable with minimal downtime and were recently upgraded to adhere to injection molding standards.

Challenge The HP Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions are a perfect match for Southeast Asian markets which are predicted to see substantial growth in the additive manufacturing space. Honing in on the growth opportunity, HP decided to augment its existing coverage in the region.

systems and a third party’s market data, HP identified the markets with the most potential as initial market entry points.

They held dedicated co-joined marketing events with DKSH for selected industries like education and medical that resulted in exceeding sales target and helped establish a strong pipeline.

Approach

They conducted several digital marketing efforts including local language websites, webinars and email campaigns to promote and reach new users of 3D printing technology.

HP leveraged a proven distributor with a multi-market presence, established market coverage, existing infrastructure and distribution network to expand its foothold in the market quickly and efficiently. This helped them to maintain stringent cost control while expanding into new markets.

Using DKSH’s application engineers and expertise, customers were presented with complete turnkey solutions, which bundles upstream process such as software and downstream solutions such as post-printing process, instead of standalone equipment.

Using market intelligence gathered from DKSH’s customer relationship management

They established a Center of Excellence in Thailand and Malaysia to facilitate the

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development of applications and produce benchmarks for testing.

They leveraged on DKSH’s service network.

This proved to be a crucial factor during the challenging travel and movement restrictions of COVID-19 as the local partner successfully fulfilled all repairs, installations and commissioning work.

They benefited from DKSH’s warehousing infrastructure to ensure the best delivery time and convenience for customers, and they worked with customers to forecast future needs of consumables to ensure a fast and efficient delivery time.

Result HP was able to quickly expand their geographical coverage and establish a strong presence in the Southeast Asia region. Moving ahead, they have identified several large projects, particularly in some Asian markets that have a high demand for high-value printing production systems.

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ColorJet and Konica Minolta form global alliance Konica Minolta to promote Colorjet digital textile printers through its global network.

Konica Minolta, the Japanese optical digital print giant and Colorjet, India’s key digital inkjet printer manufacturing player, have formed a strategic global alliance. As part of the agreement, Konica Minolta would promote Colorjet digital textile printers through their global sales network. This marks a big step in the decades-old strategic partnership of Colorjet & Konica Minolta.

Colorjet is digital printer manufacturer well-known for delivering smart solutions of digital large format printers that enable users to enhance their business proposition and maximize their ROI. For years Colorjet Digital textile Printers, for example, VastraJet and Metro, have been designed around Konica Minolta’s cutting-edge printheads

– a testament to the long-standing and established a business relationship between the two companies.

This strategic partnership between Konica Minolta and Colorjet would make it possible to offer comprehensive solutions to the digital textile print industry all over the world, using the combined technological and commercial channel leadership of both companies.

Colorjet has been delivering enhanced business values to the most demanding of customers over 25 years with more than 4500 Colorjet printer installations. The philosophy behind Colorjet products has been “Smart Indian Engineering”, for sustained long-term profit. MS Dadu, Chairman and Managing

director of Colorjet India, said, “This is what our diverse customers want.”

With the new arrangement, both the companies aim to gain 15-17% market share in their target markets. For this, they plan to come up with increased product range that would appeal to a much wider range of textile & apparel industry entrepreneurs. The alliance would also enable them to deliver an optimized value in terms of product and service.

Initially, the strategic sales collaboration will start in China and Pakistan and will subsequently extend the partnership to other countries.

Events Calendar Printing South China 2021

Screen Print India

Labelexpo India

Date: 04 MAR -21 to 06 MAR - 21 Venue: China Import and Export Fair Guangzhou, China

Date: 18 MAR -21 to 20 MAR - 21 Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre Goregaon(E), Mumbai, India

Date: 16 NOV -21 to 19 NOV-21 Venue: India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, India

Media Expo Mumbai

Virtual.drupa 2021

Date: 04 MAR -21 to 06 MAR - 21 Venue: Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre Mumbai, India

Date: 20 APR -21 to 23 APR - 21 Venue: digital event (online)

Fespa Global Print Expo

China Print 2021

Date: 09 MAR -21 to 12 MAR - 21 Venue: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Date: 23 JUN -21 to 27 JUN-21 Venue: New China International Exhibition Center, Beijing, China

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