Martin Automatic, just like many others, was of the perspective that the Labelexpo India show was better organized this year. The footfall at the show, according to a company spokesperson at Martin Automatic, comprised purely of the audience it targeted and apart from existing customers, they even managed to tap new ones. Although there was no machine on display, many customers came to check on the solutions offered by Martin Automatic.
Commercial printers have lately evolved to label printing and this migration to packaging in light of flattening demand in mainstream printing has benefited the packaging machine manufacturers. Label printers are looking to invest in label printing presses and ancillary equipment for automation and productivity. Martin Automatic is experiencing the demand for its automatic non-stop roll changing system. “The Indian market is quite big. The potential is huge. I think in the last two years, including this year, we have received many enquiries and have also bagged several orders. Overall, we sold pretty well in India,” said Hope Hu, regional manager for Asia-Pacific, Martin Automatic.
The company’s solutions are not limited to labels; it also sells machines for aseptic packaging, laminate tube printing and woven industries. Recently, the weakening of the Indian Rupee against the US $ has impacted demand with many of the machine and equipment buyers become a bit cautious regarding solutions offered by overseas manufacturers. “The US Dollar was too strong against the Indian Rupee. In the wake of this recent turbulence in the value of the Indian currency, our sales in India have taken a hit. Customers are now hesitant to invest in our machines. However, at Labelexpo India 2018, we have received a lot of enquiries, more than expected to be honest. I think our efforts to improve our footprint in the Indian market will pay off in the future with the improving value of Indian currency,” Hope shared.
Over the last six months, the company has sold two non-stop reel splicers to Indian label printers also received an order for an aseptic packaging project from a Guarat-based company. “Indonesia and Thailand are also booming markets for our company. These two countries have been a tad better in comparison to the Indian market. There is another behavior that may be easily noticed in Thailand; the customers in those countries invest bravely. In India, people are more calculative and have a different approach; it is a little difficult to sell here. Nevertheless, things are catching up. The country has a huge population and the young minds are always interested in investing in new technology and hence, hopefully the future looks bright for us,” Hope concluded.
