Demand for filmic labels has been growing in India over the last decade and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years as customers opt for materials that are sturdy and robust, Rahul Kapur, one of the directors of Mumbai-based JK Fine Prints, told Packaging South Asia.
“Compared to a decade ago, the share of filmic labels has increased in the overall market because brand owners are now ready to pay a premium for materials that are long lasting and offer better strength. In other words, they are now looking for solutions beyond paper. However, this does not mean that paper is not a good solution. It is; just that it does not offer the kind of strength that filmic labels offer,” he says.
Demand for filmic labels had been especially strong in segments such as food and beverage, FMCG and other consumer-facing industries. “Brands now realize the importance and value of labels as a medium for brand promotion and look for sturdier materials. Also, this shift towards filmic labels helps label printers as well; they can explore further and provide more ideas and solutions to their customers,” Kapur says.
According to him, the share of paper labels in the overall label market is still much higher than filmic labels, but the latter has gained significant market share in the last decade or so.
Commenting on some other trends in the label industry, Kapur says that brands are now focusing on metallic labels, which offer appeal and style, and labels that offer brand security. Some of the anti-counterfeiting solutions that are experiencing heavy demand include void labels, holograms, invisible inks and self-destructible labels, among others.
Talking about the overall label market in India, Kapur says that the industry has been witnessing stable double-digit growth and this trend is expected to continue for another decade or so as Indian economy grows.
“With per capita label consumption still very low compared to the developed world, scope for growth in the industry is huge. Food, pharmaceutical and consumer goods segments are expected to boost usage of label in coming years as spending grows,” argues Kapur.
Capacity expansion with the new Gallus EM 280
JK Fine Prints recently went for its latest round of capacity expansion by adding a new label press to its arsenal. The company operates from its manufacturing plant in Taloja in Navi Mumbai.
The company has bought a new Gallus EM 280 6-color press, which was commissioned in November 2018. The company has enjoyed a very fruitful and long relationship with Gallus. This is the third Gallus EM 280 at JK Fine Prints – the first, a 7-color version, was installed in 2006. The second – a 10-color version was an upgraded press that has features such as auto re-register, dual camera inspection, full servo press, electronic plate mounter ink pumps, electrostatic unit cold foil lamination and embossing debossing screen printing corona. This press was commissioned in 2013.
The latest EM 280 6-color press is a fully loaded press as well and has features very similar to the 10-color version. It has India’s first IST MBS 7 UV system, shares Kapur.
With the commissioning of the new press, the company’s capacity in the financial year 2019-2020 will be almost 30-40% higher than that in 2017-2018. It will now have a label converting capacity of 8-10 lakh square meters per month.
Along with the Gallus, the company has also bought an inspection system from Prati. Now, in addition to the three Gallus presses and the Prati, JK Fine Prints has two Orthotec label presses, three Omega inspection systems, one hot stamping machine, fully automatic core cutting machines and box strapping machines, among others.
“We believe in sustainable growth and our philosophy is not to go overboard while buying machines. We have never believed that we must keep on buying presses one after the other. When we get to a point where we really need a press, we buy a press,” he says.
JK Fine Prints is an established player in self-adhesive labels and has been in the label printing business for almost three decades. The company is ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001 accredited. It is managed by three young directors: Rahul Kapur, Karan Kapur and Himanshu Kapur.
