Jaipur-based Nisha Enterprises, established in 1980 for the manufacturing of corrugated boxes, diversified to making offset printed monocartons in 1995. Today, the business, owned and managed by the Palaria family, mainly produces monocartons, which comprise 90% of its produce. Corrugated cartons make up the remaining 10%. With the recent entry of the next generation, the company is emerging as a structured monocarton supplier with modern and automation printing and converting equipment that was recently acquired and installed.
Nisha Enterprises has installed a pre-owned modern and automated Manroland R 706 6-color plus coated offset press in the first half of March. The company also has a Komori Lithrone 6-color plus coater, which was purchased on the basis of good reviews in the market for support regarding the technical aspects of the Komori machines. The company has a Kodak trendsetter Q800 CtP for prepress.
For post-press operations, it has a Bobst SP104E die-cutter, a Bobst Ambition A2 folder gluer, and a dry lamination machine from Zhongke, the SR108. The Bobst Ambition was purchased last year at the India Corr Expo. Sanjay Palaria, CEO of the company, tells Packaging South Asia, “The exhibitions held in Delhi and Mumbai for packaging machines were quite elaborate. We will be visiting drupa in 2024 as well.”
The senior Palaria says, “As our main function is board printing, we needed another good machine for printing and opted for the Manroland R 706 LV, a 2006 model 6-color offset printing machine with coater and extended delivery without UV system.” The press uses an end-of-press infrared dryer.
“For board printing and packaging uses, the Manroland Sheetfed machines are considered very good. All leading manufacturers in our line of work are using these machines. If we see worldwide, all carton manufacturers and packaging manufacturers are very keen and sure about the Manroland machines. Komori is cheaper in price as compared to the Manroland but quality-wise, what we have heard and what we have studied, Manroland is considered to be the best.”
On his decision to choose the Bobst machines, Palaria explains, “There are a lot of machines available in the market and we did an in-depth study on them. We found out during our research that the Bobst machines provide stability for a longer duration of time, and thus, the quality can be ensured in these machines. Initially, other machines also give good quality but after five to six years, functional issues start cropping up. Bobst is well-established in the market and the technology it uses is very crucial for a die-cutter. No other manufacturer has been able to copy this technology to date.”
His son, Kartikay Palaria adds, “It makes a lot of difference when you are using a Bobst machine instead of a Chinese machine. At the end of the day, the Chinese cannot replicate the metallurgy of the Bobst machines. When it comes to the die-cutting function, we don’t regret making this decision so far.”
Palaria senior adds, “Bobst is a pioneer in die-punching machines and folder gluers. Its after-sales service and support are also very good. There is the easy availability of spare parts. Even if we have a very small issue, it is very promptly taken care of by Bobst.”
Nisha Enterprises is centrally located with its 5,000 square-meter plant in the Vishwakarma Industrial Area, a prime location in Jaipur. It is close to all markets and very well-connected to all highways. “Logistically, we are at a very well-suited place,” asserts the senior Palaria.
The firm supplies monocartons to dairy, food, medical appliances, ceramics, and engineering companies. The monocartons are supplied within Rajasthan and outside the state to Uttarakhand, Delhi-NCR, some areas of Gujarat, and the southern states.
Outstanding service
According to the Palarias, the company’s service is what distinguishes it from its competition. “We don’t spare any efforts in timely supply or product quality or research and development. We do our best to assist our customers in R&D, whether it is the structural or designing part of the cartons,” the senior Palaria says.
The monocarton industry in India is growing very fast, he says. “According to our capacity, we are always loaded with orders and we were not being able to cater to the requirement through our existing machine, which is another reason why we have opted for the Manroland. Apart from the quality, increased demand and possibilities in the market are other reasons for going for Manroland.
In the monocartons industry at present, there is substantial use of metalized polyester laminated sheets for providing metallic effects to cartons. The Palarias feel that in the coming years, cartons will be more directed toward UV printing and the demand for polyester laminated cartons may decline.
The next-gen adds new energy
Sanjay Palaria’s sons Kartikay and Vinayak Palaria joined the business recently. While Kartikay is educated in business management, Vinayak is a design graduate. The senior Palaria is thrilled to see his sons taking initiative in the day-to-day business operations of the company. “After their joining, I feel a lot of new energy and new vision coming to Nisha Enterprises. In the last two years, we have completely changed our setup from traditional machines to the latest machines available in the market. With their energy being added to the business, I am pretty sure we will be growing very fast in our work.”
Nisha Enterprises plans to diversify into labels in the near future as they feel that there is a very good market for that in India. “Label manufacturing is a less complicated process with good margins. While there are many label players in the market – we feel like we are missing out on something at the moment. Soon, we will be touching base with label manufacturing as well,” Palaria concludes.
