Prologue:
In my article
titled Faridabad, a hub for label presses, I had mentioned that most of the
successful brands of Indian flexo presses that have been developed, come from
Faridabad, the neighboring industrial suburb of New Delhi. Faridabad is a part
of NCR Delhi and a major industrial hub of the state of Haryana. These presses
include Alliance, Multitec, Webtech, NBG, Orient from The Printers House, Label
Flex and many other smaller ones. Even UV Graphic technologies now
headquartered in NOIDA, started their manufacturing in partnership with
Faridabad based Multitec. Three companies are already covered wide the
following articles:
Amit Ahuja
led Multitec:https://harveersahni.blogspot.com/2010/12/aspiring-for-global-attention.html
Abhay Datta
led UV Graphics:https://harveersahni.blogspot.com/2021/08/abhay-datta-printers-tryst-with-machine.html
Rishab Kohli
led The Printers House: https://harveersahni.blogspot.com/2024/08/faridabad-hub-for-label-presses-part-1.html
Alliance
Printech Pvt.Ltd. also in Faridabad is led by Jatinder Julka who started his maiden startup venture in
2007, manufacturing web offset machines for continuous computer stationery and
business forms. He faced numerous challenges initially. Despite the economic
slowdown of economies in 2008, evolution of market from fanfold computer
stationary to sheeted media for laser and inkjet printers, with support from
his partner, family and friends, Jatinder remained determined to move on until
2012 when he launched his first flexo label press and displayed it at Labelexpo
India. That was the start of his journey into the world of labels.
The large
extended Julka family has lived in Qadian for over 300 years, a Village in Batala
Tehsil in Gurdaspur District north-east of Amritsar, situated 18
kilometers (11 miles) north-east of Batala city in
the state of Punjab. Jatinder Julka comes from a family of
traders working as commission agents, trading in commodities like Sugar,
Jaggery and Pulses. Nine-year-old Jatinder’s father passed away in 1979 while
he was still a school going child studying in DAV school in their village
Qadian. His mother was a strong woman who took upon the manter to support the
family. She raised her three school going children, two sons and a daughter
while pursuing a profession of imparting Skill training and as a Money Lender.
Jatinder
Julka’s childhood was mostly spent in his native hometown. After finishing school,he
pursued his engineering diploma from Government Polytechnic College Batala,
passing out in 1989. The mid-1980s for the next decade, was a time when Punjab
was in turmoil due to terrorism, peace returned much later. The mother
protective about her children impressed upon her younger generation in moving
to neighbouring states where peace prevailed. In compliance with his mother’s
wish, in 1989 Jatinder took up a trainee engineers’ job in an automobile parts
manufacturing in Delhi’s Wazirpur Industrial Area. The youth in him was
restless so he kept switching jobs a couple of time after which the Punjabi
trait to do own business surfaced and he moved to Hyderabad and started a
transport business attaching a truck acquired in partnership with his cousin to
Jaipur Golden Transport. Unfortunately, this did not last more than 3 months.
Jatinder moved briefly to Himachal in 1991 as it was closer to his home, to
work as maintenance engineer in a pharma company Fermenta Biotech Limited
(Earlier known as DIL Limited) in their Kullu facility. Later in the same year1991,
he landed a job that shaped his future in a company called Sud & Warren in
Faridabad where he joined as a sales engineer slowly working his way up.
Jatinder Julka
worked in Sud and Warren for the next 9 years. The company led by Baldev Sud
and KL Arora was manufacturing Business Forms Presses and Slitting machines. This
was his grooming ground, and he gives all credit to his family values and to
those who mentored him, they included Director in the company K L Arora. He
stays indebted to them for mentoring him so that he can now build state-of-the-art
machines for the world. “K L Arora’s guidance shaped my career” says Julka. He
further adds “He brought me to work in in sales while designing the perfect
training schedule, spending 15 days in each department to understand the
intricacies.” In 2001, moving on, Jatinder joined Multitec owned by Shanti Pal
Ahuja.
Jatinder Julka came
from a middle-class family where most relatives were running their own successful
industry or business, in his heart he too aspired to have his own business one
day. Having worked for different employers for almost 18 years, in 2007 he
initiated his startup venture Alliance Printech Pvt. Ltd. He decided to pursue
the business of building business forms presses and offset machinery, an
industry in which he had acquired substantial knowledge and experience. Since
the foundation of printing industry was established with vendors and other
suppliers located within the city by his predecessors in the business, The
Printers House, Sud and Warren and Multitec, Alliance was also set up in Faridabad
which eventually became a hub for Printing and packaging Machinery – Web Offset
Machines, Forms Presses, Sheet fed Offset Machines etc. It was thus easy for such
companies or their people to try recent technologies like Flexo Label Presses or
other converting machinery.
The global
economic slowdown of 2007-2008 impacted countries including India. Coupled with
the normal issues of a startup, the first couple of years were challenging for
Alliance but with sheer hard work, support from family, partner, team and collective
indulgence they were able to sustain and overcome the initial market resistance
to their equipment. Persistent development enabled them to produce their first
flexo label press in 2012 launching it at Labelexpo 2012. It was difficult and
took time but with concentrated efforts, they managed to achieve acceptance for the Alliance brand. Thereafter
it was no looking back and their participation in exhibitions enabled them to
maintain a steady flow of orders to keep growing and upgrading their equipment
to global standards.
Jatinder
married in 1997 to Rajni Julka who supported him during initial days of his
business by working in a school. They are blessed with two children, a son
Aryaman born in2001, and a daughter Simar born in 1998. Both are unmarried,
Aryaman joined father’s business in 2022 after completing his B-tech
(Mechanical) from Manipal University, Jaipur. He is a very ambitious young man
and passionate about taking the business forward at a rapid pace. He has been
working in various departments and projects in the company, sharpening his
skills and capabilities. Jatinder had set up the factory with all departments including
design, tool Room, assembly line, stores, electricals and sales to become a
perfect training ground to groom his son. The father-son duo now proudly state,
“Our presses are comparable with any other European or American presses.”
Alliance
Printech operates out of a 25000 sq.ft. factory situated in the industrial area,
IMT- Faridabad developed by the State Govt., their shop floors and offices are
fully air-conditioned and provide conducive environment to build state of art
printing machines. In a short span of 12years, they state that they have sold
over 125 presses with exports to 21 countries! They have ambitious plans to
grow multifold in the next couple of years, build a strong, capable team and
set up sales and service centers at multiple locations. Commenting on the smart
and robust growth of label presses made in India and their acceptance in India
and abroad, the Julkas state, “The next 10-15 years belongs to Indian machinery
manufacturing companies and the whole world has great expectations from this
industry.” They are already working on the digital label segment with a leading
digital press manufacturing company, supplying them with Web Transport Systems.
Ambitious as
they are, they aspire and endeavour with vigour to grow 20 times in 5
years!
Written by Harveer Sahni, Chairman
Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi September 2024
