Navdeep Lakkad, managing director and CEO of Surat-based AIM Corporation, shared insights into the company’s rapid growth, its technological edge, and its long-term goal of becoming a one-stop solution for packaging at CMPL 2025 in Mumbai.
Founded just two years ago, AIM Corporation has quickly made a mark in the Indian label industry, offering both short-run digital and high-volume flexographic label printing. “We are located on the outskirts of Surat, and provide end-to-end labelling solutions. From small to huge volumes, we deliver with speed and precision,” Lakkad said.
Speed and flexibility have become AIM’s key differentiators. “If a client confirms the design today, we can deliver the labels tomorrow. And for large orders, we have printed up to five million labels within 12 hours on flexo,” he noted.
The company’s client portfolio spans sectors including construction, agrochemicals, and cosmetics, with names such as Hilti India Manufacturing, Haramba, and Perfect Crop Science among its regular customers.
AIM has invested in both flexo and digital printing, operating a 10-color flexographic press and a Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 400 (AL400) for digital. “Before finalizing on digital, I surveyed every option available. We chose Konica Minolta because digital printing is all about uptime and service. Their team in Surat is strong, and they ensure our productivity remains uninterrupted,” he said.
“Konica Minolta has been very transparent. We know the per-meter charge, the ink consumption, and maintenance costs in advance, allowing us to price our labels confidently,” he added.
While flexo remains dominant in the Indian market, Lakkad believes digital is the future. “Jobs with batch numbers, MRP, or manufacturing dates are better suited to digital. Flexo doesn’t make sense for such short runs due to high plate costs. Today, our ratio is 70:30 in favor of flexo, but I expect it to be 50:50 soon.”
Looking ahead, AIM Corporation plans to run its digital press round the clock and eventually expand into digital embellishment. “We are exploring MGI options for foiling and varnishing. Our goal is to offer complete packaging—from pouches and boxes to labels. That’s the vision,” Lakkad concluded.
Lakkad said AIM Corporation’s presence at CMPL 2025 underscored its ambitions to scale beyond labels and establish itself as a comprehensive, design-led packaging player in India’s expanding FMCG and industrial markets.
