In the Southern part of India many printers are expanding their business with the installation of world-class printing and converting machinery. Founded in 1991, Kochi-based Five Star Offset Printers is a family-owned business that meets the demands of commercial printing including leaflets, brochures, catalogs and reading books for government, institutions and corporate clients. Sabu KP, owner of Five Star, says, “We have made few investments on converting machinery. As commercial print margins shrink and hypercompetition grows, many printers are venturing into packaging printing. We have plans for the carton segment and have placed an order for a Bobst Novacut 106 diecutter and Visionfold 80 A2 foldergluer in order to meet the demands for quality packaging.”
In 2015 Five Star invested in a Komori Enthrone 426 press for better productivity with faster turnaround of orders. “Our production unit is around 12,000 square feet and we wanted a compact machine that could easily fit in a limited space. Apart from the Komori Enthrone 426, the unit is equipped with a Heidelberg CtP in prepress, CD 102 and PM 74 presses and flatbed diecutters. We even contemplated buying a Heidelberg press but cost was a major deterrent. The strengthening of the Indian Rupee against the Japanese Yen and attractive financial schemes aided us in the buying the Komori Enthrone 426,” states Sabu. Speaking about his company’s performance, Sabu points out, “2015 has been a difficult year which saw marginal growth. In the previous years we have managed to clock some progress. However, work has shrunk significantly due to the slowdown. Hence, we are more interested in the markets in Africa and USA. Another outcome of the go-slow is the sharp drop in margins.
