Packaging will continue to be a very important focus area for HP India in 2019, building on the impressive growth that the company has witnessed in the packaging side of its business in the last couple of years. This was clearly enunciated by A Appadurai, country manager, Indigo and Pagewide Web Press, Graphics Solutions Business, HP India during Labelexpo India 2018 held in Greater Noida in late-November.
HP India is confident of capitalizing on the fast growth of the Indian packaging industry by offering new and innovative products. In the last few years, the share of packaging in HP India’s overall business has grown from single digits to 30% at present. Appadurai is confident this share will grow further in coming years.
Carton deal for Indigo 30000 possibly before Printpack
“We are very optimistic about the packaging side of our business. Within this, till now we have mostly focused on the label segment but now we are paying a lot of attention to the carton segment as well,” said Appadurai at HP India’s stand during Labelexpo India 2018. Although some HP customers in India have been using the Indigo 6900 for carton work, the Indigo 30000 is the press that the company expects will significantly change the nature of the game, according to Appadurai.
“We are in talks with a pure play carton customer for the Indigo 30000. It is expected that the deal will close before Printpack 2019,” he said. The Indigo 30000 will give folding carton converters far greater efficient operational capabilities resulting in lower costs and increased productivity, he added. Apart from showcasing various technologies at Labelexpo India, HP again showcased how these technologies are being used by its customers. Five customers who are using HP Indio presses demonstrated how they applied the technology by displaying their work at the HP stand. These five were Trigon Digital, Huhtamaki PPL and Skanem Interlabels from Mumbai and Hora Arts and Leap Digital from Noida.
“At Labelexpo India, 60% weightage was on application and 40% on technology. People have appreciated this approach. The fact is that if someone wants to know about a press, they can go to HP’s website. There is no need to come to an exhibition. However, if a person wants to see how that technology has been used then they have to come to an event like Labelexpo. This is where we tell stories of our successes or rather our customers talk about their success. This you cannot get on the internet,” Appadurai argued.
In terms of the technology on display, HP showcased the HP Indigo 6900 digital press with new applications and special effects. It also launched silver ink as well as its new security inks. “The response was really great from the visitors,” Appadurai concluded.
