"Women adding glamour and professionalism to Labels and packaging!"

The label industry in India is largely male dominated. However, in an evolving scenario there happens to be a lot of efforts on women empowerment which depends on social status, education and upbringing. As literacy rises, the middle class is becoming more tolerant towards women taking up employment. Even the government is encouraging women to get educated and become self-sufficient. In the case of business and the forward-thinking families, more girls are going to universities and following it up with business management studies. The stigma of females to be just home makers after finishing basic education is now receding, at least in most urban societies. It is no more a taboo to let women assume leadership position. In fact, women are proving to be efficient, effective and resilient. They are empathetic, communicative and able to build loyal committed teams. They are more focused learners, able to multitask and hence successful. Surprising as it may seem, they are able to overcome gender bias. Label industry is no different, the author has interacted with some of the wonderful women in labels industry in India who have brought in professionalism making their workplaces more disciplined and vibrant, adding a touch of glamour by their presence.

Kusum Dunglay

Kusum Dunglay is the managing director of the thriving label printing enterprise, The Goodwork Company. She is setting example for other women to follow, proving that age is just a number! At 75 years of age, she is heading the company established by her late husband Kartar Singh Dunglay, 68 years ago in 1956. She travels widely, visiting existing customers and new prospects. Kusum, an MBA from London University, was guided by her husband’s expertise to learn the printing business. This foundational knowledge has played a pivotal role in her transformation as an administrator leading adaptation to industry evolutions. Joining the business in 1972, with decades of dedicated leadership, she steered their label business to excellence, widespread recognition and remarkable growth, achieving substantial market share.

Being a female leader, as a trailblazer in the printing business world, joining at a time when few women were in prominent business roles, provided a unique advantage to bring diverse perspectives, foster inclusive workplaces, and contribute to a more balanced business environment. By creating strong business ethics and processes, she expanded her client base with numerous MNCs. She is now leading the company to an exciting phase of expansion, transitioning into empowering the next generation, to take the reins of business. She says, “this strategic shift ensures that our business stays at the forefront of innovation, meeting evolving market demands with excellence.”

Goodwork company with 60 employees works out of 25000 square feet  shop floor at IMT Manesar, Gurgaon. She sums up, “While not retiring, I am gracefully transitioning into a behind-the-scenes role.”

Manjula Mishra

Manjula Mishra, after completing her MBA in 1996, joined a chemical company as branch manager. Six years later she quit job to set up own maiden venture Holosafe Security Labels Pvt. Ltd. co-founded by herself and her husband Pankaj Mishra. Being first generation entrepreneurs coming from middle class family, cautiously they researched on the nuances of  running an industry before indulging to manufacture Self-adhesive Labels, Smart Labels, BOPP Labels, Shrink Sleeves, Holograms and Holographic products. 51-year-old Manjula now heads Holosafe as Managing Director. Initiating her marketing through agents, procuring business at lower margins and higher volumes, she gradually built her own team to finally sell without agents. All their manufacturing along with R and D operations are from 50,000 square feet shop floor at one location in Greater Noida with over 100 employees. Equipped with four label presses and latest holographic printing technologies they remain constantly innovating, Manjula says, “we are on a steady path of growth and optimistic about our future.”

Manjula has been a member of the National Board of MSME (Ministry of Small & Medium Enterprises) of Government of India  from 2014-19. She is recipient of Outstanding Entrepreneurship Achievement Award from the CM of Uttar Pradesh in 2013 & CM of Bihar in 2015. She was selected in the first batch of  Walmart supported Women Entrepreneurship Development Program in 2016, awarded with “Most Enterprising Women of India” award on Women’s Day on 8^th March 2017 in Mumbai and in 2023 she has been selected for the prestigious Woman Entrepreneur Leadership development program jointly conducted by HUL and Genpact.

Sandhya Shetty

Sandhya Shetty, after completing education as a B.Sc., followed by Master’s in Management Studies, started her career, spending 8 years in business research and analysis, working on projects involving Government contracts, Defense sector in the US and in the hospitality sector in India. Quitting the job in 2008, she co-founded Synergy Packaging Pvt. Ltd. with a Nilpeter label press, headquartered in Thane and factory at Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. As managing director of the company, she has nurtured it to become a market-changer creating innovative labels for products some of which went on to become market leader in their category. 46-year-old Sandhya is happy that she has created a team that is more like her family, every member has been with them for a decade, this she asserts, is a bigger award than the ones that are received from customers and Industry.

She says, “India’s label printing industry is full of vibrant people! Barring a few outlier experiences, I would say the challenges of being a woman entrepreneur are same as that a man in the industry would face. On the contrary, I have had customers, vendors and others more patient and helpful.” She further adds, “my ‘never say die’ attitude has always been my biggest strength.” At the organizational level we are adding products, aware of present and future trends, we are researching global best practices in our effort creating a phase-wise plan for implementation. Recently she has been inducted in the LMAI management committee as the only woman in the association’s leadership team.

 

Priyata Raghavan

A highly acclaimed Priyata Raghavan, recently announced as Printweek Business leader of the year 2023, was part of an eminent panel at PackPlus 2023 and BMPA 2024 events. She has been awarded by many associations such as FICCI, DLF Industries etc. She is one of the few women at the helm of a successful Indian company in the labels and packaging industry. 43-year-old Priyata is the daughter of industry stalwart Vijay Raghavan, who founded SAI PACKAGING CO. (division of Sai Security printers Pvt Ltd) in 1993, a company that she now heads as deputy CEO. Under her leadership SAI has registered a consistent CAGR of over 15%  for the last decade and through multiple private equity fund raises, apart from expanding their customer base to the who is who of the FMCG, ALCOBEV and Pharma Industry.

Completing B.Com from Delhi University, PGDM from IIM Lucknow, additionally training in Business management and Finance, she joined Sai Packaging in 2004. Starting her career in finance followed by sales and operations, she worked her way up, to lead the Profit Centre for North Plant as well as Business Development, Finance and Corporate Affairs of the Company. The initial resistance faced in management and on shopfloor was overcome by her, with hard work, resilience, passion and delivery to be feted and trusted by all as an inclusive leader. Priyata says, “Women bring in innate ability to multitask and establish an emotional connect. Their higher SQ(Social Quotient) and EQ(Emotional Quotient) helps build tangible and solid relationships amongst all levels of the team and stakeholders. This ability helps the teams to go above and beyond, and win trust with suppliers, customers and investors.”

Sai Packaging is already a leader in packaging, producing Labels, Cartons, Leaflets and Inserts at two locations; Faridabad in North and Bengaluru in South with 600 employees on shop floors spread over 270,000 square feet.

Neha jain

41-year-old Neha Jain is the director of Great Eastern IDTech Pvt. Ltd. founded by her father-in-law Prem Chand Jain popularly known as P C Jain in 1983, as Great Eastern Impex and later renamed. PC Jain pioneered the introduction and proliferation of variable data labels in India! Neha, an Alumnus of FIDT, NIFT (Fashion Designer with Information Technology) and BCA(bachelor’s in computer education) from IGNOU specialising as lead auditor in Quality Management systems, joined Great Eastern in 2005. After joining she spent time in all departments and built departmental procedures, defined objectives and outcome reports that enabled them to achieve ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2006. With the growth of online selling platforms, she expanded her role to manage store fronts in multiple Amazon platforms. She launched web to print platform; www.dinolabeldigital.com built in-house in 2021 to service short run buyer needs with digital label printing services, currently servicing B2C customers with plans to add B2B clients. Moving out of shadows of her mentors and shedding the image of a female from the owner’s family, she created her own space with knowledge and technical knowhow, to be taken seriously as a leader. “Creating a more inclusive work environment, female leaders bring discipline, fairness and attention to detail in the organisation” says Neha.

Great Eastern manufactures Barcode & RFID Systems supplies and services; Thermal transfer ribbons; Packaging tapes & pricing rolls with plan to diversify into Brand/product label market. They have 125 employees and are located at Gurgaon with a 7500 square foot shop floor with four label presses.

Keerthi Aruvela

Keerthi Aruvela heads the operations as Director at Chennai based Sree Krishna Labels and Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ( SK Labels) established in 1978. She is the 40-year-old daughter of the founder A Ramesh. An alumnus of Stella Maris College in Chennai. After having completed MBA Finance from National University of Singapore, she gained experience working in Southeast Asia in the finance and investment banking field. In 2009 she chose to join the family start-up in packaging space involving herself in all aspects of seeking regulatory approvals, machinery purchase, RM procuring and marketing. Post exit from the packaging line, she joined the family’s label business looking after finance and operations along with her sister who handles sales and marketing. She led the company’s foray into digital label printing. Referring to challenges of being a female business leader she rues that; it is often assumed that women don’t understand the technicalities, or people are reluctant to talk to women. As for the advantages she faces as woman she says, “Women have the ability to multitask, and their empathetic leadership strikes a good chord with the team.”

S K labels operates with 50 people and four label presses from a 9200 square feet shopfloor. They plan to expand capacity beyond the present product range consisting of multicolor labels, specialty labels, security labels, tyre labels, battery, pharma and barcode labels.

 

Tania Hansoti

Tania Hansoti started her career in the advertising industry at DDB Mudra Group, working as  strategic planner for 4 years where she gained exposure to brands such as Adani, Fortune oils, Arvind Fashions, Century Ply, SOTC, Zydus Wellness and Future group. Post marriage 31-year-old Tania joined S.Kumar Multiproducts Pvt. Ltd. Ahmedabad, founded by her father-in-law Manish Hansoti in 1978. Their label division came into existence in 1997. Tania is an MBA(Marketing) and joined the company in 2020 at a time when the company invested in futuristic Digital label printing by installing a UV digital press from Screen, Japan. Her responsibilities included Improving brand awareness, build a marketing team to increase sales, achieve quick turnarounds and implement marketing campaigns through social media. Though she found it challenging as a woman to communicate on technical topics, yet with sheer perseverance, she overcame this, ”Being a woman makes the team environment less authoritative, less competitive and more cooperative” she says, and goes on to add, “the presence of a woman around keeps them in check and at their best behavior.”

With her, in leadership role the company became recipient of several Printweek India’s prestigious awards; Printing company of the year award– Essential Service Provider Category in 2022, Sales champion of the year in “Women to Watch Awards” in 2023, Nominated in the Young business leader category in 2023 and Customer service excellence award in 2023. She endeavors to further improve working in the company to be environmentally safe and sustainable. S. Kumar produces Labels, Shrink Sleeves & Sachets, consuming over half a million square meters of labelstock per month with 6 label presses at one location spread over 50000 square feet and 120 employees, with plans to expand to a bigger place.

Isha Deshpande

Isha Deshpande, a BA in Business Management and MA in Strategic Fashion Marketing, joined as director in Trigon Digipack Private Limited who are the trailblazers in providing impetus to, and leading the growth of digital label printing in India. Trigon was founded by Anil Namugade and Isha’s father Milind Deshpande in 2008, both of whom mentored her to take up a leadership role in the company. In 2019 she joined Trigon in the midst of pandemic, so she invested a lot of time in understanding the processes, machines and materials. After three years of spending time in the company in Mumbai, 28-year-old Isha now heads the Delhi branch of Trigon and represents the company on many platforms. She does not find it a challenge working in a male dominated industry as there are many successful print companies that are led by female entrepreneurs. She expressed, “I am sure there are advantages for a female but in my opinion, if you’re hardworking, goal oriented and respectful, gender is very secondary.”

She is now focused on expanding their business in the north to have a similar setup to the one in Mumbai, where they produce labels, pouches, laminate rolls, cartons, rigid boxes, canisters and point of sale material on two high-end HP Digital presses and 9 post press machines. Trigon has a workforce of 200 at various locations but the manufacturing is largely at the Mumbai facility which is spread over 20,000 square feet.

Nalani Jaichandra

Nalani Jaichandra, a Graduate in Commerce who later did her higher studies in Cosmetics and Nail extension in the UK. She spent many years in the beauty industry before joining as director Veepee Graphic Solutions (P) Ltd. in 2006, a prepress company founded by her father-in-law Late V Peethambaram in 1996 and now headed by her husband Jaichandra. She had established her chain of state of art nail bars when the nail art was in its nascent stages in India. 49-year-old Nalani is a Sri Lankan by birth and settled in Bengaluru after her marriage. After understanding the process of plate making, she gradually took over the plate production department, setting SOPs, hiring, training and setting up quality standards. She indulged in maintenance when needed and during the COVID, she single-handedly installed a new machine because the engineers from Germany could not travel. Now most of the 200 strong workforce from all locations report to her and only the prepress department is handled by her husband. Nalani has been actively involved in setting up the new plants at Pune, Hyderabad and Sri Lanka, gaining experience. She is actively involved in business development in Lanka as she is well connected there. She is now spearheading the setting up of a new plant that will have a complete 42x60 line for plate making.

 

Nalani has overcome the initial challenges of being a female leader. She says, “It’s a proven fact that women are good at multi-tasking which has helped me to handle multiple roles in the business.” Recognizing her success in printing business, Sri Lankan Association of Printing had selected her as ambassador to promote their trade fair held in India in October 2023. She was invited to Judge 50^th Miss Globe Sri Lanka finals beauty pageant. No wonder moving from the beauty industry to label industry she has joined the bandwagon of successful women who have brought professionalism and glamour to labels in India.

 

Written by Harveer Sahni Chairman Weldon Celloplast Limited New Delhi February 2024

Driving profitability in labels!

 Driving profitability in labels, with embellishments, digital printing & hybrid printing

Self-adhesive or pressure sensitive labels industry in India has grown steadily right from the time of its initial entry into India to be indigenously produced in the mid-1960s when a screen printer manually created the first label. Thereafter, label manufacturing has evolved and completely transformed  technically over the years. Initially, small and slow very narrow web letter presses, 4 or 5inch wide, from the eastern part of the world were used to print with blocks and die-cut labels with flatbed dies in roll form. These presses eventually started going wider in printing width with growth in demand. The need for increased production in 1980s brought in the adoption of rotary flexographic printing presses. However, since the flexo plate technology was just evolving, usage of letterpress block printing was still growing. It was in the new millennium that developments brought in prepress and plate making technologies, made it possible for printers to decrease their dependence on letterpress printing technology and invest in flexo presses that eventually became modular and print widths going wider with increased speeds. Toward the middle of the first decade of the new millennium, the pop and Mom retail stores, known as Kirana stores catering to consumers, started being replaced by the entry of organized retail outlets and with it, came the increase in demand for labels and packaging. When it was realized the customer’s point of purchase decision to lift the product off the shelf is the driver for sales, brands felt the imperative need for attractive labels and packaging. Different print technologies started being employed and presses with advanced capabilities started being developed and offered. While all this transformation was happening, the label industry in India was all along registering a robust double-digit growth. It was largely accepted fact that even though labels are a very small part of the large packaging industry, it was more profitable. Due to this, the number of label printers kept growing, investments also came in from established offset printing companies. With cheaper label presses coming from China and availability of good affordable machines in India, the label printing capacities have grown exponentially. This increase in capacities, the pandemic, the strikes in Finnish paper mills, the Ukraine war, the re-emergence of Covid in China,  etc. brought the margins in the labels industry under intense  pressure. Raw material prices have since escalated, freight rates, salaries and overheads have increase while competition does not leave room for increase in selling prices. In such a difficult scenario, label converters are looking at options to drive in profitability.

Opinion and comments of label printers across India was sought on how to drive-in better margins in the label production in the given circumstances. Three questions were posed to all, their response is somewhat similar, yet some do have apprehensions about the steps that are suggested whether they will actually drive in margins? However still, a direction on the way forward appears to be an imperative. The  printers in the diverse geographical zones who contributed their views are as follows;

North:

Anuj Bhargava, Kumar Labels NOIDA hereinafter referred to as (AB)

Rajeev Chhatwal, Kwality Offset New Delhi (RC)

West:

Mahendra Shah, Renault Paper, Palghar (MS)

Himanshu Kapur, J K Fine Prints Mumbai (HK)

Priyank Vasa, Unick fix-a-form, Ahmedabad (PV)

East:

Manoj Kochhar, Holoflex Kolkata (MK)

South:

Raveendran Selvarajan, Seljegat Sivakasi (RS)

Lakshminarayanan Parthasarthy, Signode India Ltd. (Wintek) Bangalore (LP)

Question: Do you agree that Embellishments, Digital printing & Hybrid printing or converting are important steps to get better prices for labels?

AB: Yes, value added labels do add to margins. However still, the main buyers are few. Startups or premium products cannot add volumes where multiple players offer value additions. 

RC: Embellishments certainly will get you a better price if you have a technical edge over your competition. Just a  different printing process does not get you more price from customers. One needs to decide which process to use to get better return based on machine capabilities .

Hybrid is still not suited for the Indian Market. However good converting and finishing is important for short runs on digital to reduce wastage.

MS: Yes, I agree. With increase of just-in-time orders, shorter runs and demand for innovations,  it is economical and faster to produce with Digital printing. Embellishments complemented with other capabilities, aid improvement in value addition.

HK: More technical the labels are, better is the margin. Unfortunately, large companies expect more for less. The basics of costing has been lost by most label converters. Embellishments also add to costs, but to recover those costs is difficult.

PV: We aim for the best process fit for a job, be it digital, flexo, hybrid or offset. That is the only way to master production cost. Digital embellishment always gives an edge and keeps business secure but does not always guarantee increased profitability, it comes with its own limitations. 

MK: I agree that Embellishments, Digital printing & Hybrid printing or converting are important steps to get better prices for labels. Value addition invariably leads to a better realization. Brand protection elements such as hologram, security inks, security designing also add value.

RS: Not only embellishments, but also innovations along with having capabilities for attending to needs of customers are important. If food and pharma customer needs labels with water-based inks, we need to have those capabilities. If they need booklet labels it becomes an imperative to be able to create them. Every printing process has its own specialty so when you are able to create labels with Hybrid and digital technologies, then of course selling prices are better.

LP: QR codes and AR (Augmented Reality) in labels, connecting consumer to the brand – is what we see as way forward for profitability . Embellishment leads to aesthetics, shelf appeal, increased sale and brand value for better profits to the buyers and converters.

Question: Have you taken any steps in this direction to increase your capabilities?

AB: We are always focused to value added labels. We have capabilities do embellishments like 3-D effects, embossing, textured foiling, screen printing and many other such processes that enhance the aesthetics of product.

RC: We have already invested in converting equipment with finishing and embellishing capabilities like foiling, Screen printing, Lamination etc. Our range of labels includes- Foil stamped/embossed labels, labels with tactile effects, Laminated, 3-D embossed, Variable data and Holographic labels etc.

MS: Since long, our customer profile is such that embellishments and employment of multiple print technologies is an imperative, for this reason we invested in hybrid presses many years back. Currently to achieve just in time capabilities we are investing in digital printing which will also give us additional production time on our main printing presses.

HK: We have always invested to be a capable company, right from inception so have the capacity to do all types of embellishments.

PV: Yes, we have added digital capabilities. Having multiple printing technologies at our disposal, enables us to pick and choose processes that are best suited for a particular job depending on the complexity of decoration required. 

MK: We are constantly trying to scale up our capabilities of adding diverse authentication features and other embellishments such as foiling, registered hologram stamping, variable data printing and finding new materials that are unique.

RS: At Seljegat we always endeavour to stay invested and capable with the latest developments. We have already installed machines with multiple capabilities, and we prefer all inline. We can do embellishments, special varnishes, multilayer labels, digital for variable or personalized labels, embossing, etc. We are always ready to cater to the changing needs of customers, nowadays pharma and food companies are demanding labels to be done with water-based inks or low migration inks, we have immediately empowered ourself suitably to serve them. In today’s time if we cannot deliver that extra, then we get lost in the crowd of intense competition.

LP: We are already having all capabilities and exploring AR in labels as next step towards Brand connect and Brand promotion. 

Question: What in your opinion are factors that can drive in better margins? Please mention steps at given prices of inputs.

AB: Label companies should invest in making labelstocks for captive use, negotiate hard while buying machines and for buying raw materials.

RC: As competition gets aggressive, systems need to be designed to reduce wastages, increase productivity and buy raw material at competitive prices. Making our internal systems strong is the only way out to drive-in better margins.

MS: We started the process of optimizing production costs, long time back. We collected data of all ongoing jobs for past 3 years and calibrated all processes as per the following;

a) We dwell on actual time needed for the job and check if the processes are complying with targeted numbers.

b) If not complying what's the core reason and if for some reasons not meeting norms,  can solutions be found?

c) Evaluating, if no solution is possible, is the job generating profit for the company? 

d) If not , either get the price increase or discard such jobs to save time for more sustainable jobs.

HK: Rather than controlling the input prices on which we have no control, we should focus on getting better prices from clients. We need to factor-in the basics like label waste that is completely non-recyclable and cannot be salvaged. Label machines are capital intensive we must add the impact of cost of investment in the total price of end product.

PV: To improve profitability;

Freight cost management is an imperative, it can save lot of money.

Process improvements and wastage control is necessary. One should start with small steps like exact web sizes, proper sheet layout, special sizes for volume jobs, ink management and keeping a track of low moving stocks.

Refrain from unhealthy competition.

Learn from your mistakes as a team. Take all complaints seriously. Try implementing simple solutions. 

Update monthly  performance chart of individual operators,  give them incentives for faster turnaround and increased capacity utilization. Take corrective steps to reduce downtime due breakdowns. 

·      MK: Key to improve margins is to provide customised solutions by understanding what the customer needs. We try to incorporate various levels of authentication, embellishments and decoration to tailor solutions that best meet their needs. If a customer cannot afford to pay for the hologram, we focus on enhancing the printed authentication features keeping costs under control, and yet get a price that enhances our profitability while the customer appreciates the value we deliver.

RS:  For driving in better margins, the instant reaction is to buy cheaper but if we have to think of steps at given raw material prices then one has to research internally and implement changes. As a first step we have opted for equipment and steps for faster changeover time between jobs to increase productivity. We have invested in a system for make ready to be completed before one job ends. The changeover time for us has reduced from one and half hour to just thirty minutes. For job set up we were using fresh labelstock but now we use rejected, old and leftover unusable stocks. Next, we are now switching over to LED UV as its operational and lamp replacement cost is lower. New equipment has been ordered and will be installed soon. We plan to install an automatic butt slicer for non-stop production. Reducing wastages is also on our radar and we constantly work on it.

LP: The following steps are necessary to drive in profits;

Watertight operations, control on wastages and minimising set-up waste.

Reducing overhead costs, improving efficiency and OEE (Overall equipment effectiveness).

Propose embellishments to customer making the label more premium to claim better realisation.

Summation:

Price increase is an ongoing process, the impact of inflation is felt every year along with that of other unavoidable circumstances. So, manufacturers need to gradually increase selling prices to maintain a healthy bottom line. Unfortunately, that is an ideal scenario but in actual the selling prices are driven by market dynamics and competition. In the present situation, for the label industry, it is time to look internally and evaluate. Based on the views of the printing fraternity it is largely agreed that embellishments, security features and innovative concepts on labels that enhance the shelf appeal and lead to better sales volumes for brands, can help get better prices. The simpler the label is, more is the competition. As indigenously produced label presses have come within the reach of middle level printers, the competition in that segment has become intense. Moreover, with organized retail and ecommerce becoming the predominant selling systems, need for more decorative labels, IT enabled labels and personalized variably printed labels  with security features has escalated. Not long-ago setup of label jobs took an hour or more with 2 or 3 persons on each press and at least 100 meters of material being used before final saleable production commenced. With increased automation, advanced automatic registration controls, higher speeds, etc. now a single operator can setup a job in just a few meters in about 15-30 minutes, with increased productivity, less wastages and quick changeovers between jobs by keeping the next jobs ready. Using exact size materials and not generating offcuts is also a necessity. These are changes that add to margins and reduced operational expenses.

Food and pharma safety and health concerns are matters of importance for discerning customers, this, along with statutory rules for toxic or unsafe materials used in converting labels, are to be avoided. There is an increased demand for non-migration and water-based inks because UV inks are considered somewhat hazardous for direct food contact and skin contact applications. Printers need to have such capabilities to supply as demanded by print buyers. Most companies feel that to reduce costs there is need for internal production systems and the workflow to be strengthened or monitored continuously to reduce downtimes at each stage, opt for more automation to reduce manpower and use energy efficient machines, equipment or systems.

Finally, time has come when EPR (Extended producer responsibility) compliance has become mandatory. Sustainability and circular economy are becoming a social responsibility for earth to be a safer planet. Large FMCG companies and brands have already started opting for or expressing preference to buy from certified green companies. It will not be out of place that producing in compliance, may as well add to cost but it may also qualify for better pricing for this good social cause.

 

Written by Harveer Sahni Chairman, Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi February 2023