Double Iwasaki investment shows interest in offset from Indian printers

Iwasaki signed a strategic association with Vinsak last year, as reported here, to offer its complete range of letterpress, offset and flexo label printing presses in India, the Middle East and parts of Africa.

This relationship has now started to bear fruit, including the two TR2 offset press installations in India.

The first has gone to Seljegat Printers of SIvakasi. Seljegat Printers produces labels and shrink sleeves from its 80,000 sq ft manufacturing facility. It is said to be a leading pressure-sensitive label manufacturer in the country.

‘We have a long history of relationship with Iwasaki’, said V S Raveendran, Seljegat Printers managing director. ‘Starting from the first series of VSD and RUH flatbed and semi-rotary machines that we purchased when we began our journey into labels, we have grown together over the years with Iwasaki.’

The TR2 intermittent offset press allows Seljegat Printers to offer high quality litho printed labels in short to medium runs.

‘With the lowest cost of origination for offset, the intermittent process offers unlimited repeat sizes and low set-up web waste,’ continued Raveendran. ‘We find this process a complementary technology to our flexo presses and it lets us compete against short run digital work as well. The ability to print on textured substrates is also a great advantage in many markets.’

A second Iwasaki TR2 has been installed at Wintek Flexo Prints in Bengaluru (Bangalore), capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Wintek Flexo Prints produces self-adhesive labels on paper, film, paper laminates and vinyl substrates.

‘The Iwasaki TR2 has been our latest investment in expanding our label printing capacity,’ explained Gururaj Ballarwad of Wintek Flexo Prints. ‘After a series of trials with intermittent press manufacturers, we chose the Iwasaki TR2 specifically for its ability to offer very high quality offset prints with all finishing processes in-line, and its ability to use both convention wet offset as well as waterless printing plates.

‘With the lowest cost of origination for offset, the intermittent process, which offers unlimited repeat sizes and the lowest set-up web waste, is our answer to the demands of short run labels in the market without the high running costs of other technology.

‘The offset process allows us additionally to print on textured papers, which opens new markets of high end cosmetic and wine labels for us. The in-line cold foiling, as well as die-cutting, ensures that we get a completely finished label without the need of a second pass of finishing which in short runs entails additional wastage of time and material.

‘With Vinsak taking over the sales and service of Iwasaki equipment in the region in the last year, our confidence has been further strengthened in the technology and the company,’ Gururaj concluded.

Vinsak said the Iwasaki TR2 UV offset press has garnered a ‘huge response’ from its customers because of its high quality and stable printing, with Vinsak executive director Neeraj Sharma adding: ‘We thank these two customers for their trust and support in the Iwasaki technology and the support being provided by Vinsak.

‘This is only the beginning of a long and beautiful journey that we hope to have with Iwasaki in the years to come as we bring offset technology to the discerning label printers of the region.’