PRINTPACK INDIA 2019 IPAMA BULLETIN
IPAMA BULLETIN
2018-19
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018
PUBLISHED BY IPP CATALOG PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD ON BEHALF OF IPAMA FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY RN NO. UPENG/2006/16787
Neeraj Sheth and Sonal Sheth, directors of
Sheth Printograph
The first country to which Sheth’s
machines were exported was
Bangladesh – initially at a rate of a
machine each week. Slowly, exports
grew to Sri Lanka, China
and South East Asia.
EXPORTS OF INDIAN GRAPHIC ARTS EQUIPMENT
Sheth Printograph – from
machine exports to turnkey projects
E
stablished in the year 1963,
Sheth Printograph initially
traded in letterpress printing
equipment. Subsequently, the
company manufactured and exported
print finishing, packaging and paper
converting machines. Today, its
customers span over 40 countries in
South East Asia, Middle East, Latin
America, Africa, Australia and the
Indian subcontinent. The company
remained largely unaffected by the
new GST regime and has already
signed up to participate in PrintPack
at Greater Noida in February 2019.
Sonal Sheth, director of Sheth
Printograph, says hers is the only
company in India that manufactures
hot-knife cutters and automatic
lamination machines. The company
has invested in R&D and after careful
examination of several parameters
including cost to the end user,
launches its products.
The first country to which Sheth’s
machines were exported was
Bangladesh – initially at a rate of a
machine each week. Slowly, exports
grew to Sri Lanka, China and South
East Asia. China was not an open
economy in the ‘70s and ‘80s and
Sheth Printograph got a chance to
explore the Chinese market. When
the economic growth bubble of the
South East Asian economies burst,
the company shifted its focus to the
Middle East, covering Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Kuwait, Iran and Bahrain. Soon
after, on observing upcoming projects
in Africa and adjoining countries,
Sheth Printograph decided to explore
the African market as well. In Africa,
the company executes turnkey projects
for its clients, right from sourcing raw
materials to supplying machinery,
manpower, installation and training.
“Over the years, the Chinese have
managed to penetrate the market
worldwide. Initially, we were offering
machines at affordable prices to
a range of customers throughout
the world. We had an upper hand
because the only countries offering
good quality machines back in those
days were of European origin and
their machines were costly. We got an
opportunity to target a set of clients
and offer machines according to
their requirements at comparatively
affordable rates,” says Sheth.
“In India, the market is evolving.
A commercial printer is getting into
packaging, someone operating in the
packaging segment is diversifying into
digital printing as well for commercial
purposes or small runs. For instance,
there is a customer who is in book
printing and who has been a hardcore
commercial offset printer but now,
since the volume of books has reduced,
he has ventured into digital. Just like
that, metpet lamination came into
the picture so there was a demand
for a hot knife cutting system and
we offered it. All in all, I think it is
important to keep evolving with the
market,” Sheth adds. z
– Harish Penumarthi
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018 | SUPPORTED BY IPP & PSA | 1