Italy-based Rossini, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of rubber rollers, sleeves and mandrels for flexography, rotogravure and lamination presses, having seven production facilities world over, has been aggressively focusing on localizing its operations in India. In 2013, it started off at its 8,000 square meter plant in Chakan near Pune. It started with making rubber rollers at the Chakan plant and then moved to Speedwell sleeves and now it has begun manufacturing mandrels and polyurethane based sleeves/rollers in India as well.
The journey has been a successful one. With the quality of Indian machine manufacturers having gone up tremendously in the last decade or so, the need for high-quality sleeves, rollers and mandrels made available locally and in quick time had become the need of the hour and Rossini was quick to realize this by setting up a factory in India.
“There are multiple benefits of manufacturing in India instead of importing. There is ease of logistics, shorter lead time, quicker service and technical support. Moreover, Indian customers can pay a fixed price in local currency instead of fluctuating foreign exchange in case of imports. In today’s time of short run jobs, quick change-overs being close to customer count big,” says Ashvin Hebbar, sales director of Rossini India.
Hebbar, who was at Rossini’s stand at Plastindia 2018, said that at the expo the company was promoting a variety of solutions for the flexo, gravure and laminating industries. It has been a good platform to showcase new products to our existing customers.
Maturing of Indian flexo market
Popularity of flexo technology has been increasing in India with a large number of CI press installations every year and the base is growing at a fast clip. A number of Indian companies were also seen aggressively marketing their flexo presses at Plastindia, which is
a testimony to where the market is headed. Hebbar says that the flexo segment is something in which Rossini is always developing new and patented products based on feedback from flexo press manufacturers with whom Rossini works very closely.
“The Indian flexo market is maturing very fast and Rossini going ahead surely plans to start production of flexo sleeves at their Indian operations as and when the market is ready,” Hebbar concludes.
