Bhiwandi, Mumbai based Star Offset has entered the digital label printing segment with the installation of a brand new Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C71cf label press. Star Offset had since 2012 employed two narrow web flexo presses, one 6-color and one 7-color, for label printing and this would be a sort of diversification for the company in terms of the technology employed. This is the first C71cf label press to be installed in the western part of India.
“Because of severe competition in the label printing and converting segment, there has been a huge pressure on margins. We saw our market share drop due to this phenomenon. That is when we decided to venture into the area of digital label printing to cater to short-run jobs,” says Ajit Suvarna, the owner of Star Offset.
According to Suvarna, there is a scope of healthy growth in short-run digital label printing business because brand owners are now focusing heavily on aspects such as customization and personalization.
“If you go around a metro city like Mumbai, you will notice that even small brand owners in sweets, snacks, cosmetics and many other industries now are focusing on customization and personalization. They are changing their designs according to the season and according to festivals. This is owing to a demand for the same from end consumers. I feel this is where a solution like Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C71cf label press will come in handy,” says Suvarna.
Suvarna believes that by the end of 2019, about 30% of Star Offset’s volumes should be coming off the digital press and the remaining 70% from the traditional narrow web flexo presses. “It will take us a few more months to fully understand the new technology but we expect to get a good share of our business from the short-run segment over the next one year,” he says.
Operating on dry-toner electrophotography, the bizhub PRESS C71cf is capable of producing image quality of 1200 dpi and at a maximum speed of 18.9 meters per minute. It can be used to print on a wide range of media, including plain paper, gloss-coated paper, matte-coated paper, synthetic paper, PP, and PET (stretched type), and is capable of handling paper thickness of up to 176 gsm (for non-tack paper) and 256 gsm (for peeling paper).
The Star Offset facility in Bhiwandi will also be doubling up as a demo center for potential customers who want to see the C71cf label press in action. “This is the first C71cf label press to be installed in western India and we want to showcase this installation to all the potential customers who are interested in digital label printing. Star Offset will act as a demo center for customers who visit from west and south India,” says Vijay Kamat, product manager IP – PP & IP marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India.
C71cf label press at Star offset is sold by Insight Print Communication, who is sales partner for Konica Minolta. “In the developed markets digital label printing has taken off but in India that is still not the case. We believe the C71cf label press will help change that,” says Sunil Thakeria, director, Insight Print Communication.
