SELL

26 | L&L
RP: What are the major issues facing
Indian converters?
RC: The biggest issue is it’s hard to get
good operators, and staff training as a
whole is an issue. It is difficult to retain
people and 20 percent wage inflation is
demanded a year – even up to 50 percent
for good staff.
RP: How do you train and motivate
your sales team?
RC: Not many Indian printers run dual
incentive schemes, but we do have one
for repeat orders and a higher one for
new business. Because we know most of
our customers personally, sales people
have a different role here – more as client
service managers.
RAJESH and Aditya Chadha with their Rotatek Brava 440 press
to hold 40-50 days, but have been cutting
it down.
RP: How do you handle label finishing?
AC: We were the first narrow web company
in India to install AVT (100% defect
detection systems) and every label
produced at Webtech will always
undergo 100% auto inspection. We also
have some presses with online 100%
Inspection systems. For final finishing we
have a few Rotoflex and Prati machines.
We dispatch more than 300 different items
every single day and have very strict
protocols to make sure jobs are not mixed
up. Of course, we also make our own
labels for use in packaging and dispatch.
RP: Do you make your own plates?
AC: We brought platemaking in house
since nearly two years now and it’s
certainly made a big difference. We
don’t depend on outsourcing our prepress
needs.. and also don’t need to
share customer details with anyone else.
RP: What are your future plans?
AC: For the immediate future, there is a
lot to do just in labels. Core for us is to
set up more factories across India. We
will also set up a new factory in the same
location as currently, and this will be
much bigger than the size of the current
building.
In terms of new hardware we intend
to upgrade our printing equipment in
a phased manner.. also might try out
rotary offset for folding cartons as well
as mid-web flexo for unsupported films.
Things are not just about printing labels
anymore – you need a complete packaging
solution, a one-stop shop.
Ultimately, we would love to venture
into the developed markets like Europe
and USA. We are confident of repeating
LABELS&LABELING
our success in those markets too with
our focus on continuous innovation and
high quality.
UPDATE PRINTS – RAJESH CHADHA
RP: Describe your business?
RC: We are a family business employing
70 people. Our main market is FMCG,
and our highest margin is on cosmetics
and personal care, although we also get
a good margin on pharma. We work on
two shifts. We normally have just
completed a new 10,000sq yard
manufacturing plant with five acres of
land. Our idea eventually is to have
everything under one roof.
RP: What has been your most recent
technology investment?
RC: We most recently acquired a Rotatek
Brava 440 with an in-line combination of
silk screen and hot foil stamping along
with the ability to do offest and flexo
printing, embossing, cold foil stamping
and lamination. The Rotatak is a good
offset press, solid. Its semi- and full rotary
modes both have advantages, and it runs
at a good speed.
This is a 90ft machine, so we installed
automated BST inspection in-line, which
is particularly important for pharma,
along with barcode scanning and color
monitoring. When printing labels it is
better to resolve any problems there and
then, rather than looking once printed. It
saves money.
MIS is high on our agenda, and we
are working towards it. We are already
lean in that we only keep seven days
stock, as overstocking ties up money.
Our suppliers are good at planning,
invetory and maintain adequate stocks
at their end.
RP: Are you happy with current developments
at the LMAI?
RC: The LMAI has certainly improved
over the last four to five years, and is
doing good work, especially at the recent
congress. It is good to have our name on
the global stage.
RP: Where do you see future
opportunities?
RC: We are looking into package printing
and in the near future may start a
new offset press which can handle multi
substrates. Runs are coming down in the
carton and card markets – carton has the
same issues as labels so the opportunity
is there for the label converter.
Security also needs looking at, as there
are lots of opportunities for anti-counterfeiting
and brand protection, and this is all
added value work.
In the beverage sector it is mainly
whisky, rum and beer, although vodka
has been picking up recently. Whisky is a
big market but still the labels have a lot of
scope for improvement ! On beer it is still
mainly wet glue and PS has only a small
penetration. For whisky PS is only 20
percent, so there is a huge potential.
RP: What is your view on digital printing?
RC: Digital is a complimentary technology
and not stand alone. Inkjet is cheaper,
but still a big decision considering the
investment – and what are the opportunity
prospects? We will look for complete
combination printing, but digital is too
slow at the moment. It will be the right
thing when the investment is slightly less.
RP: What are the future prospects
for the Indian label sector?
RC: We are currently growing every year
by around 20 percent, but we expect
100 percent growth five years from now.
This is because the big supermarkets are
coming into India: Tesco and Walmart
will come in. They will want local printers
– Chinese printers did not adapt so
international printers came in to service
the multi-nationals.