The virus is still in the air. Yet, the printing industry refuses to wallow in the doom and gloom of the past. Instead, as the New Year dawns, the industry is surging ahead to make up for last year’s losses, and add some neat profit as well. But what about the ground reality? Are we really ready? PrintWeek probes
That Covid-19 had a huge impact on the printing industry is an understatement. What happened in 2020 was simply unprecedented, especially after 24 March, when the country went into a lockdown. It was indeed disconcerting to see an industry, which works 24/7 (in most cases) shut shop for an extended period. This, of course, had a cascading effect on the profit margins. Yet, instead of crying over the spilt milk, the industry picked itself up as soon as the locked opened, and went to business with a renewed vigour. That was last year. With the dawning of a New Year, the industry looks optimistic, not just to make up for the losses it incurred in 2020,
The virus is still in the air. Yet, the printing industry refuses to wallow in the doom and gloom of the past. Instead, as the New Year dawns, the industry is surging ahead to make up for last year’s losses, and add some neat profit as well. But what about the ground reality? Are we really ready?
PrintWeek probes
That Covid-19 had a huge impact on the printing industry is an understatement. What happened in 2020 was simply unprecedented, especially after 24 March, when the country went into a lockdown. It was indeed disconcerting to see an industry, which works 24/7 (in most cases) shut shop for an extended period. This, of course, had a cascading effect on the profit margins. Yet, instead of crying over the spilt milk, the industry picked itself up as soon as the locked opened, and went to business with a renewed vigour. That was last year. With the dawning of a New Year, the industry looks optimistic, not just to make up for the losses it incurred in 2020,
The Indian converter had invested in a disused warehouse in early 2020 but the planning phase was interrupted by the lockdown. Undeterred, Anuj Bhargava, CEO of Kumar Labels, decided to press ahead. With the help of a contractor, they drew highly detailed plans of the layout, including specifics such as pneumatic and electric lines, water pipes, and other important aspects.
The Bombay Master Printers Association (BMPA) brings six individuals from the industry who trumped the odds of the pandemic. (clockwise) Kashyap Purohit, Vivek Khanna, Milap Shah, Tejas Tanna, Iqbal Kherodawala, Anuj Bhargava and Denver Annunciation
In contrast to the webinars highlighting the negative outcomes of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bombay Master Printers Association (BMPA) introduced six individuals (as panellists) from the industry who made use of the lockdown situation to revisit their businesses and redesign their mode of working.
Titled Covid Positives, the webinar was conducted on 15 January 2021. Iqbal Kherodawala, president, BMPA moderated the discussion. Meanwhile, Faheem Agboatwala presided over the meeting.
Abhishek Muralidharan and Noel D cunha look at the packaging trends in India and how the industry is trying to cope with the pandemic blues
Kirit Modi of Indian Corrugated Case Manufacturers Association (ICCMA) cautioned the delegates during a webinar by saying, China is the X factor in 2021. His rationale, China is the largest consumer and importer of containerboard in the world; it is the largest exporter of manufactured goods, which need packaging. Modi is quite right. China is the first nation to recover from the virus impact and notch a positive GDP. How 2021 unfolds for the corrugation industry (and indeed packaging) will depend on this X factor.