Positive response to stack flexo prototype makes case for serial production
“We exhibited our latest technology-driven Naphlexo 804 stack flexo printing machine and new wide slitter rewinder equipment at PrintPack. We were fortunate to have focused clients on all five days and many visitors met us at this event,” said Ashu Bharaj, director of Technical Sales at Naph Graphics, on the last day of the Printpack India event in Greater Noida.
Naph’s display at Printpack was highlighted by its Naphlexo 804 stack flexo press which was its prototype machine shown in 800 mm width and with 4-colors. Shopping bags, paper cup stock, milk pouches, and wrapping paper are among the products that can be printed on the Naphlexo 804 machine. “Our flexo press prints on both film and paper-like wrapping papers for quick-service food chains such as Subway and McDonald’s,” he added.
The upcoming packaging trend for Naph is seen as a growth phase because it manufactures equipment for producing materials and containers for out-of-home and on-the-go food products that are required in large quantities and represent significant branding opportunities. “Every day and every time, a person wants a new paper cup to drink water, tea, coffee, a cold drink, or a new packet of chips, so the industry cannot stop,” said Bharaj optimistically.
The new and wider slitter rewinder shown by Naph was shown in 1300 mm width and there are plans to make it in a still wider configuration. It is meant for converting jumbo film and paper rolls into smaller widths and its USP is that it can convert to rolls of the same diameter as the input jumbo rolls.
Five years ago, the erstwhile web offset press manufacturer for newspaper and book printing started diversifying and making slitter rewinders for flexible packaging. After growing its market share in that segment, Naph has made a stack flexo printing machine and is fine-tuning and conducting trials on the first press for a customer. “We have inquiries from the visitors at this show, and on that basis, we are going to customize our machines. For now, this is our expansion plan,” concludes Bharaj.
The Covid-19 pandemic led to the country-wide lockdown on 25 March 2020. It will be two years tomorrow as I write this. What have we learned in this time? Maybe the meaning of resilience since small companies like us have had to rely on our resources and the forbearance of our employees as we have struggled to produce our trade platforms.
The print and packaging industries have been fortunate, although the commercial printing industry is still to recover. We have learned more about the digital transformation that affects commercial printing and packaging. Ultimately digital will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future.
Web analytics show that we now have readership in North America and Europe amongst the 90 countries where our five platforms reach. Our traffic which more than doubled in 2020, has at times gone up by another 50% in 2021. And advertising which had fallen to pieces in 2020 and 2021, has started its return since January 2022.
As the economy approaches real growth with unevenness and shortages a given, we are looking forward to the PrintPack India exhibition in Greater Noida. We are again appointed to produce the Show Daily on all five days of the show from 26 to 30 May 2022.
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