Alliance Printech in Faridabad, a hub for flexo label presses!

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