Profile
Creatique expands to Canada from India
Last July Creatique opened a Canadian branch of its Indiabased parent company , offering a range of wide format services . Director Rajat Khera talked to Graphic Arts about his new business .
What services do you offer ? We offer complete visual communication products through our customized product range . We manufacture backlit / edgelit displays and use layered printing technology to produce sharp results ; backlit displays with sequential flasher to highlight key messages and products with very sharp image quality ; and various point-of-sale displays . We also offer direct printing and contour cutting on a variety of substrates like ACM , expanded PVC , acrylic , paper , cardboard , wood , corrugated plastic , etc .
What clients are you targeting ? We would like to work with advertising and marketing agencies , print brokers , architects , designers , other sign and print companies and corporate businesses . Our target markets are hospitality , wine and beer , food , beverages , cosmetics , and electronics .
The Creatique team , from left to right , Gursimran Singh , designer and operator ; Pankaj Khera , technical manager ; Rajat Khera , director ; Tyler Spencer , account manager .
What makes your business different ? Our business model offers customized short-run on-demand production . We offer a mix of products available in the international markets , which cater to the needs of ethnic businesses and the immigrant population in Canada . There are products commonly used in other parts of the world that are economical alternatives to what is available here . People coming from those countries look for the similar products for their businesses and we are able to give them these options . For example , an East Indian restaurant looks for designs and products used in the Indian market and looks to us to provide them ; which gives an ethnic look to their business .
Locations
Winnipeg ; New Delhi , and Mumbai , India
Opened for business in Canada
July 2017
No . of employees
3 in Canada
18 permanent ; 20 temporary / contract in India
Revenues
$ 1 million in India
Equipment
Fujifilm Acuity flatbed printer , Esko cutting table
creatique . com
Explain the connection to India Creatique in Canada is an associated company of Creatique in India . The directors of the company oversee both locations , and we share the resources . Our success in India and the uniqueness of these products in Canada , motivated us to open a location in Canada . We would like to take advantage of the work produced in India to enable us to flourish in Canada .
We work in conjunction with the Indian unit to design and produce various goods such as the coating on metal parts . Some design and specialized custom work is done there . Printing , cutting , creasing is done here . Sending the design work to India reduces our turnaround time . Due to the time difference , we work on a 24-hour cycle , which expedites our delivery times .
What is the history of Creatique ? Creatique ( a combination of creative and unique ) was started in India in 2012 by our three directors , who have expertise in architecture , design , drafting , graphics , and marketing . Since then we have undertaken various projects , which include design , fabrication and production . We have been growing steadily .
Why did you choose Canada and Winnipeg ? In 2013 we started to work on the expansion to Canada . As we thought of expanding in North America , we chose Canada as it is a welcoming country and is a land of immigrants . We preferred to start in Winnipeg , as it is centrally located . Also , the cost of operating in Winnipeg is low . We found it to be a good start-up point and it ’ s easy to ship products in all three directions .
What ’ s in store for your future ? We are looking to explore and enter into the world of short run packaging solutions ; and advanced and dynamic LED backlit displays in soft signage . The industry is changing at a rapid pace , so we will follow the market to introduce the products the market demands at any given point . We would like to expand in the other markets of Canada and the US with dedicated sales staff at various locations .
@ graphicarts GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE | March 2018 | 19