MONOCARTONS z Path to recovery
Like many other printers in the country , Ravi Graphics , too , has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns . Its commercial printing operations have been badly hit while the packaging division has been pretty steady . According to Sharath , the overall business of the company is on the path to recovery . “ We have managed to get back to 70 % of our pre-pandemic volumes . Commercial printing has seen a bigger hit compared to the packaging printing operations . However , we have managed to hold our own during the last one and half years . We see a steady recovery in the business and hope to get back to normalcy by the end of the 2021-22 financial year if there is no third wave ,” he says .
Talking about further investments , Sharath says that the company plans to further add to the converting section . “ Our printing section is pretty solid at the moment and we are more or less satisfied with our capabilities . However , over the next one to two years , our focus will be to boost our capabilities in the converting sections ,” Sharath concludes . z
The Masterwork Easymatrix 106 CS diecutter z Diecutter and folder gluer from Robus added
RKMB Packaging boosts capacity at its converting department
Sonipat-based carton specialist RKMB Packaging has strengthened its converting department by adding a brand new diecutter and a folder gluer from Robus India in the last six months . The company operates from its 80,000 square feet manufacturing unit and supplies monocartons to customers in industries such as alcohol , automotive parts , pharmaceuticals , and footwear .
“ We have bought a diecutting machine with an online blanking feature . We were among the very first convertors to have opted for this machine . In addition to the diecutter , we have also installed a folder gluer from Robus ’ Rapid series . This is one of the fastest folder gluers in the market . We are very happy with the performance ,” says Madhur Bathla , managing director of RKMB Packaging .
After commissioning the latest machines , the company now has two diecutters , one from Robus and one from Suba . It also now has two folder gluers , again one from Robus and one from Suba . The company operates three Komori offset presses in the press department : one 5-color , one 6-color with UV , and one 7-color .
“ When we started operations in 2018 , we started off with a single offset press . Now we have three . All the three presses are pre-owned ,” Bathla says . RKMB Packaging converts around 1000 metric tons of paper and paper board every month . About 90 % of its business is from the mono cartons segment , and about 10 % is from the corrugated segment . It has a single fully automatic corrugation line .
z Future plans of RKMB Packaging
RKMB Packaging has managed to withstand the impact of the lockdowns as it was supplying to industries such as pharmaceuticals and alcohol . It expects the current financial year to end on a strong note . The company has plans to make some more investment this year . It is planning to invest in software , a samplemaking machine , and a flute laminator .
“ We want to invest in software as well as a sample-making machine . Having a cutting table is necessary , and due to rising volumes , we can ’ t afford to use our presses to make samples . Having a cutting table will make our operations easier ,” Bathla says . The company is also planning to get a new flute laminator . Bathla says that the market for corrugated boxes is expanding . “ There is a clear trend that customers are moving away from rigid boxes to corrugated boxes . The move is happening because of the cost-effectiveness of corrugated boxes ,” he concludes . z
Robus India ’ s Automatic Die Cutting Machine MHK -1050CE installed at RKMB Packaging