The installation of a DGM SmartFold 1100SL folder-gluer has emerged as a pivotal growth driver for Ashok Offset Printers, enabling the packaging specialist from Ambernath, near Mumbai, to overcome long-standing finishing bottlenecks, stabilize quality, and scale up its corrugated outer packaging business.
Installed in April 2023, the SmartFold 1100SL was not added as part of a conventional press-first expansion strategy. Instead, Ashok Offset took the less common route of investing in finishing automation ahead of printing, targeting the most critical constraint in its production workflow—folding and gluing of large, complex corrugated outer cartons.
“For us, pasting was always the biggest struggle,” says Nilesh Ahuja, director, Ashok Offset Printer. “Printing can be outsourced, die cutting can be managed, but corrugated side-pasting, lock-bottoms, and large cartons were extremely difficult to get done reliably outside. That’s where we were losing time, quality, and confidence.”
The SmartFold 1100SL addressed this gap with its ability to handle large-format cartons, corrugated e-flute and micro-flute structures, and complex applications such as lock-bottoms and four- and six-corner cartons. Features such as a long delivery section, integrated lock-bottom systems, and high stability proved particularly valuable for Ashok Offset’s core business of outer packaging.
Today, corrugated outers account for nearly 60-70% of the company’s output, largely serving the confectionery, sweets, garments, and select FMCG segments. According to Ahuja, the machine delivers an average output of 30,000-40,000 corrugated cartons per day, depending on flute structure and job complexity.
“Initially, like any automation investment, there was a learning curve,” he says. “It takes at least one to one-and-a-half years to truly understand what kinds of jobs a folder-gluer can handle optimally. Once we understood that corrugation is very different from folding cartons, expectations became realistic—and that’s when the real benefits started showing.”
Before automation, pasting was largely manual, resulting in inconsistent glue application, pressure variations, opening issues during transit, and heavy dependence on skilled labor. “Quality was always a concern,” Ahuja explains. “Now, output is consistent, delivery is controlled, and rejection levels are significantly lower.”
The finishing upgrade has also had a cascading impact on business growth. Ashok Offset, which began operations in 1990 as a small family-run unit in Ulhasnagar, has transformed rapidly over the past few years. After moving into a purpose-built 15,000 square feet facility in 2022, the company has doubled its turnover in the last two years.
The SmartFold investment has supported this expansion by allowing Ashok Offset to confidently accept larger volumes and more complex structures—jobs that many printers avoid due to low margins and operational difficulty. “Most printers don’t want to touch these jobs,” says Ahuja. “With SmartFold, this has become our strength.”
In addition to the DGM folder gluer, Ashok Offset has one automatic window patching machine, installed to handle high volumes of window-patch jobs, die cutting machines for carton conversion, a lamination machine and a corrugation setup.
Further expansion
The company’s finishing-led strategy is now being complemented by capacity additions upstream. A new 25,000-30,000 square feet unit is under construction opposite the existing facility and is expected to be operational within six months. The expansion includes plans for a six-colour plus coater press, bringing printing in-house to improve control, turnaround time and logistics.
“When you’re doing eight to ten jobs a day, outsourcing works,” Ahuja says. “But when volumes rise to 15 or 20 jobs daily, managing printing outside becomes extremely difficult. In-house printing is about control, not just margins.”
Both units will operate in tandem, with corrugation, printing and punching housed in the new plant, and post-press operations such as window patching and pasting continuing at the current site. Further investments are also on the horizon. By 2027, Ashok Offset plans to add another window patching and folder-gluer line, with DGM remaining the preferred choice, albeit in a smaller format.
Beyond machinery, Ashok Offset differentiates itself through in-house design and product development. Nearly 80% of its jobs are designed internally, covering everything from carton structure and sizing to branding and market positioning. The company currently consumes around 100 tonnes of board per month.
While Ahuja acknowledges that scalability in printing remains challenging compared to other manufacturing sectors, he believes focused automation in critical processes is the key. “Revenue growth in printing is tough, but margins are healthy if you manage operations well. SmartFold has given us the confidence to invest, grow and plan the next phase.”
For Ashok Offset Printers, the DGM SmartFold 1100SL has not just improved finishing—it has reshaped the company’s growth trajectory by turning its biggest operational pain point into a competitive advantage.
