Productivity, quality and
affordability featured together
- with Prakash Webtech Pvt Ltd on enhancement
drive to live up to the newspaper printers’ requirements
in single width/circumference web presses
In the changing scenario of print industry, the newspaper establishments have been choosing those venders who can ably enhance production competencies through their state-of-the-art machines and innovative technologies in cost effective manner. Newspaper printers also expect the web presses to be suitable for book printing and semi-commercial applications. With this, ‘productivity or efficiency, quality and affordability coming together’ is becoming a unique selling point for most of the venders offering web presses, especially in India where investment in new presses continues due to obvious reasons. In this phenomenon, to live up to the newspaper printers’ requirements, Prakash Webtech Pvt Ltd continues their enhancement drive offering exactly what their customers expect. Ajeet Singh, asst editor, All About Newspapers, who recently visited their manufacturing facility located in Faridabad, briefs their readiness to fulfill these commitments.
Operating with adequate strengths to offer suitable printing machines for newspapers, books and semi commercial printers, an ISO 9001:2008 certified web press manufacturer Prakash Webtech Pvt Ltd continues enhancing their market share in single width/circumference web presses. Under the astute guidance of Prakash Gupta, founder and managing director, assisted by his two suave sons Saurabh Gupta and Naveen Gupta, who take care of production activities, and sales as well as technical responsibilities respectively, the company has accumulated a diverse base of over 500 installations worldwide including India.
Larger market share…
“Since beginning of our manufacturing operation, we have been succeeding remarkably, with average growth rate of around 20-25 percent per year and expecting to further grow on an average by 30-35 percent in the next three years. Presently, almost seventy percent of our total sales goes to domestic market, but we are endeavoring to convert this domestic and overseas ratio to 50:50 in the coming years,” conveyed Saurabh Gupta, while explaining strengths and accomplishments of the company. “Now we are aggressively exploring overseas markets, with focus on Russia, Mexico, Bangladesh, Africa and Latin America. On this line, we shall be participating in drupa 2012 (stand 15 D55) displaying our 4-high tower Speedster 36000,” he added, seeing adequate potentials of growth. With relentless efforts to offer affordable web offset presses, Prakash Offset has already added several leading newspapers to their clientele such as Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajsthan Patrika, Navbharat, etc, and the expansion continues, with more orders in the pipeline.
From newspapers to book printing…
Effectively following the trends, the company is also focusing on promoting their presses’ suitability for book printing application. In this segment, they have already marked around 50 installations and several are in the pipeline. “Several book printers have been leveraging the advantage of our printing machines which make book printing smooth and cost-effective, enabling printers to fully satisfy their customers. Additionally, our machines can also be used for semi-commercial applications, enabling to expand business in a diversified manner,” said Saurabh.
Rewarding innovations…
Advanced technology meets with an easy-to-operate attributes of the machines. Robust construction, precision engineering and quality raw materials differentiate Prakash press from others in its class. They provide an unequalled combination of highest print quality and cost-effective operation, enhancing competencies through machines and technologies. “Including 4 high towers, mono units, three-colour satellites, and folders in their product portfolio, we always care for the customers’ requirements and offer technologies accordingly. As such being offered on optional basis, three ink forme rollers, integrated roll stand, and remote inking and automatic registration are the technologies which can provide our customers what they additionally expect from us,” said Saurabh.
The company has developed 10 rollers ink train with three ink forme rollers of different diameters and water cooled oscillators, which are ideal for newspaper and semi commercial printing. “While maximizing print contrast and solid density, three ink forme rollers minimize dot gain and ghosting to provide sharp dots and perfect dot reproduction. This technology is being offered on all our machines of 30,000 or above speed, as an option,” explained Saurabh.
Another innovative technology available in all their web presses as an option is the integrated roll stand technology providing state-of the-art vibration free design wherein tower load is uniformly distributed over roll stand for smooth running. Tension control is offered to reduce print waste; un-altered drive line height allows the machine to be installed in existing press line; and multi level platform makes the work easier. “With integrated roll stand, our customer can save around 43 percent space of print centre. It also enables to ensure better print registration due to less web travel, apart from making webbing up of press easier,” he emphasized.
The company’s four high tower (to print 4+4) comprises four nos. blanket to blanket printing stack mounted one upon another, for four-colour printing on both side of a single web or two-colour printing on double web. It ensures perfect registration because of vertical web lead, RCR’s and side registers provided in each printing stack. Their three-colour satellite (to print 3+0, 2+1) press comprises of three printing couples surrounding a common impression cylinder which facilitates three colour printing. The three-colour unit provides extra multi colour facility with no loss of page capacity. Prakash Mono Unit (to print 1+1) is available with inbuilt reel stand for minimum web travel and gives excellent print quality. It is also available in separate stacked unit, which can be mounted on reel stand. Their folders (to cut and fold) can produce broad sheet and tabloid newspapers with optional attachments for magazines/quarter fold and double parallel/direct fold (with cross slitting/perforation) for book production. These machines can perform with speed from 16,000 cph to 36,000 cph.
Infrastructure to ensure reliability…
In addition to the main manufacturing plant, the company also owns three other units (located just around 3-4 km from the main plant) to produce critical components (around 80 percent) in-house for maintaining utmost quality, while remaining components are outsourced from reliable suppliers. From frames to cylinders to sleeves, tolerances within microns are adhered strictly to give our presses unmatched reliability. Using stress free casting metal ensures that there is no impact of WEATHER on the components. The main manufacturing plant has two major sections, one for machining and other for assembly. “As accurate machining is heart of any engineered machine, we manufacture products on new-generation CNC machines, mostly imported from Germany, Japan, and USA, allowing us to specialise in producing cylindrical, cubical, and specialty components to precise tolerances,” stated Saurabh, adding, “Our most of the components being produced on these top-of-the line CNC machines, boost productivity, efficiency, and reliability of the presses."
“In our press manufacturing processes, appropriate inspection facility is also as important as machining and assembling, before making the machines ready to ship. Apart from strictly and rigorously inspecting at each step of production, every press unit has to undergo from static inspection to the actual printing tests, based on our own unique evaluation systems. We use Coordinates measuring machines (CMMs) at every component to ensure quality required to run a press flawlessly over the years,” mentioned Saurabh.
“Besides, the strengths of our R&D section enable us keep launching new innovations to enhance efficiency of our machines. We keep in touch with the customers to provide new technology with the existing machines. Our facility is also equipped with state-of-the-art CAD/CAM software to streamline product development and relentless value addition to the design,” he said.
To make their functioning sophisticated, the company has adopted Japanese working style, differentiating the needed items from unwanted to eliminate the latter from the workplace, setting everything at proper place for quick retrieval and storage, keeping the workplace neat and clean, standardizing the way of maintaining cleanliness, and practicing '5S' concept (standardizing, sorting, stabilizing, shining and sustaining) in routine. “Relaying on this concept of functionality enables us to ensure optimum use of infrastructure in terms of both productivity and quality,” concluded Saurabh.
