Monarch Graphics in Noida in Delhi NCR is a leading label manufacturer. An innovator in the industry, the company has been focused on using best business practices to manufacture labels that meet global standards for several years. The organization has been promoting the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices like the use of food-grade inks, APEO NPEO free adhesives, and FSC certified materials.
Monarch Graphics mainly uses flexo printing technologies to produce product labels and specializes in making security seals and anti-counterfeiting labels. Monarch’s customers comprise leading FMCG, cosmetic, nutraceuticals, automotive, electronic brands to whom it provides bespoke and specialty labeling solutions. Monarch Graphics’ motto is ‘Crafting Smarter Labels.’
We recently visited Monarch Graphics and met Bhrigav Jain, its techno-commercial director. Talking about label inputs and pressure-sensitive label stocks, Jain said that customers increasingly focus on sustainable solutions. “The brand owners are asking for FSC-certified materials to achieve their sustainability goals. The industry also seems to be looking to diversify its product portfolio between paper-based materials and film-based materials to reduce its carbon footprint.”
He also feels the brand owners need to also look into the finer subjects like inks being consumed in their labels, the possible reduction in a number of colors, and the use of REACH compliant raw materials by convertors.
When we asked him about the Covid-19 impact or what challenges Monarch Graphics faced during the pandemic, he admitted, “Last year was a bit challenging for us, but the kind of product portfolio we have and the kind of team that has been with us over the last ten years, helped us to be resilient in this challenging period. And, as for the sales, these have been good for sure.”
The menace of counterfeit products in the economy
An experienced supplier of various smart label solutions, Jain shared his thoughts on counterfeiting, which has become common in several segments of consumer industries. Today, leading brands are affected by this counterfeiting practice and don’t know how to protect their brand identity, and some don’t even want to talk about it for fear of encouraging the counterfeiters publicly. To protect their brands and emerge from this adverse dilution of their market, they prefer anti-counterfeiting labels.
However, Jain pointed out that anti-counterfeiting labels and measures are not only about having expensive materials, printing inks, and digital technologies – it is about combining all these into the right solution and giving the customers the right product at the right price.
“Nowadays, very few people have the right knowledge of the domain and rarely know how to go about launching an anti-counterfeiting solution. It can’t simply be a label, and they also need to examine their marketing strategies. We supply the right kind of products where customers won’t feel overcharged, and our focus is on sustainable, scalable, transparent solutions where the customers understand the ROI.”
A challenging time for the label industry
Jain was forthcoming with views on the Indian label industry’s future, “The label industry is right now in the midst of a very challenging time as multiple players have entered into this industry accompanied by the unforeseen inflation in raw material prices. And, several mid-level players will mainly have to face these hyper-competitive challenges because they have to maintain their exceptional quality.”
“Simultaneously they need to look into the investments in the latest technologies. Experienced label printers like ourselves would need to find a niche where we identify and solve our customers’ problems so that they appreciate our solutions and not look at our product only from the price point of view. Ideally, the organization should be well-prepared to grow, sustain, and survive against multiple challenges.”
