At the last LMAI conference held in Jaipurin July 2015, although the label equipment suppliers and the printers were not so sure about the exact growth rate achieved by the Indian label industry, there seemed to be an industry wide consensus that there is a positive growth – that the industry is generally on the path of expansion and modernization along with sustainability.
One of the ambitious young label printers in the Delhi NCR and director of Sai Com Codes Flexo print Harish Gupta was there in Jaipur but in hindsight takes exception to this general optimism. Having shifted his label plant from Delhi to a bigger plant just North of the city in
Sonepat, Gupta says the industry growth is slowing down and not growing at the pace it should have not even at the rate that he himself expected. According to Gupta, the government policies are not helping either.
Gupta says that label industry has flattened and is facing stagnation, and certainly growing at an acceptable pace. We ask that if this is the case why are so many printers planning to enter and expanding in this segment? “It’s more like a rat race than an interest,” says Gupta. “The margins are shrinking day by day due to overcrowding and the pace has slowed down further,” he says.
Nevertheless with the shift from Delhi to a bigger premises in Sonepat and new label presses installed, Gupta retains some enthusiasm in the hope that the slowdown will be over soon and the Indian label industry will regain its former high growth levels. Sai Com currently has three Nilpeter FB 3300 presses – two 8-color presses and a 10-color press. Gupta is hoping for some serious attention from the government and relevant local bodies for effective measures that help relatively smaller industries like his who are keen to upgrade and innovate with modern technology and equipment.
Sai Com’s mantra is to increase production, capacity and efficiency. “We plan to expand our volumes as well as the overall efficiency by reducing wastage. The key to growth for a printer like us is to stay competitive and deliver the best results for our customers keeping costs as low as possible. To achieve these results and efficiency, we need to periodically upgrade our equipment and facilities. We are planning to go in for two new label presses in the next financial year – an 8-color and a 10-color. Although I have decided on the press manufacturer, I wish to keep it a secret for the time being. I may also go in for a new Rotoflex slitting and inspection machine,” Gupta concludes.
