Kulakkada Pradeep (Founder & CEO, Future Schoolz) shares in detail, what requires to be the world’s gold standard certified company, what are the benefits, what makes it different from others and more.
Future Schoolz is the first official Fogra PSO Partner from India. Being a PSO Partner for Fogra certification in India is itself a significant achievement since the PSO Partner is the topmost layer in India in this certification process. “PSO Partners are well trained experts who are capable of enabling printing and packaging companies towards the Fogra PSO standard and certification,” introduces Kulakkada Pradeep, Founder & CEO, Future Schoolz.
With a legacy of over 72 years, Fogra is a globally respected institution continuously contributing to the advancement of technology and standards in the printing industry. Fogra standards are accepted well worldwide and followed for press standardisations. “With a certification according to PSO (ISO 12647), printing companies ensure a smooth process internally, considered to be indispensable tools for colour reliable print production,” corroborates Pradeep.
Future Schoolz will be providing the facility of inspection and evaluation in India though the final inspection and evaluation will be done by Fogra at Germany. “The German authority has the best laboratory, know-how and testing standards for analysing quality of print and various parameters,” adds Pradeep. “They are the final authority for inspection and evaluation while our Future Schoolz will be helping the printing and packaging companies to comply to these standards which lead to reduction in rejection rates, to improve colour standardisation and to speed up the production workflow,” he elaborates. When the process standards are set right, it means the printing press can function much efficiently.
Future Schoolz is already serving many printing presses from North, Central and west region. Located at Kochi, the Schoolz’ services will be available all across India and outside.
Benefits for the printing industry in India
As Indian printers are becoming exporters of various products, in areas of packaging, book production and many newer product formats, the quality and consistency comes to sharp focus. It becomes inevitable for the printers to maintain standards, to follow processes and produce as per the globally accepted norms. When these are achieved, they could produce faster, with consistency and they ensure customer satisfaction of highest level. The certification is a proof that a printing company follows such globally accepted standards. They are recognised worldwide through their validation in Fogra website. It can act as the best marketing tool. “For print consumers and users, they can be assured of the best print reproduction which is a delight in itself,” asserts Pradeep.
Future Schoolz started as a Knowledge provider to printing, packaging and allied industries. “We have conducted many Training programmes, Education and knowledge sessions, worked closely with many presses, conducted customised courses etc.,” shares Pradeep. Future Schoolz added consulting services when it started receiving requests for technical support. Today it is providing quality and productivity improvement services to many prestigious companies including the largest commercial printing press in India, packaging leaders and also for publications of global repute. “We also conducted feasibility study for a print research and quality testing lab exclusively for printing and packaging. Along the journey, we became the first member in International Color Consortium from India, known as ICC which define standards for colour, Ghent Work Group that defines standards for PDF, CIP4 the organisation for CIP3 and CIP4 connectivity standards. And the combined knowledge gained from these standardisation bodies, expertise to solve print problems, process understanding and scientific bend of mind led us to become the first official Fogra PSO Partner from India,” continues Pradeep.
Printing has become pure science and technology, and upskilling of the workforce is as important as implementing new standards, opines Pradeep. “We believe the Training and Consulting are closely connected, one can’t be implemented without the other. We are here to provide services to print industry to run their business profitably and scientifically. So we continue to provide our services in areas of print education, skilling, scientific processes implementation, workflow, material and cost optimisation, standardisation, colour management etc. In a nutshell, we provide consulting services and training services for printing, packaging and allied companies,” he sums up.
Speaking on training modules’ availability for the organizations to get trained on standardization, Pradeep differs at this point with usual practices. He explains, “Like our thumb print, every press has a unique set of challenge. They are never identical even though their machineries are same or produce similar products. Every press needs a unique approach, problem solving methods, productivity hacks to raise them to certain level. Moreover their customer demands also vary.” After the challenges have been recognized clearly, the training programmes are decided based on an analysis of the level and need of the workforce in a press. “We do not have any vanilla training modules; we do have large amount of content and understanding which will be customised for a press to solve their specific challenges. For standardisation, we help them to achieve the process standards and parameters with their current infrastructure and technology. We do not sell anything, and want to stay as a neutral player who always talks sense,” he states.
Key areas of standardization to meet FOGRA requirements
Compared to many other certifications, Fogra is not forced by brands; it is an all-encompassing set of standards which cover the entire gamut of print production. While other certifications are concerned with just printing alone, Fogra starts with the input file standards, without which you know printing can’t be any better. It covers qualified colour management, proof creation, platemaking (CTP) and print job make ready and print run. This covers all areas quite practically, and a printing press needs to meet the required standards everywhere. Then the press is set for highest quality achievable. “Therefore, Fogra standards are more complete than other certifications. It is beneficial if one can follow it; it shall not be for certificate alone. If this happens, no one will trust it. Fogra commands respect and trust for the stringent standards it maintain and being neutral for around seven decades,” asserts Pradeep.
FOGRA – different and better from other standards
While other certifications are just compliant with some aspects of ISO 12647, Fogra PSO is ISO 12647. Some certifications merely look at grey balance aspects, whereas Fogra standards go much beyond and ensure standards right from the input file and to perfect print run and every parameter to get that right. That’s why it is named Process Standard for Offset, not just a colour management certification. “When all your processes adhere to set parameters, you easily achieve colour accuracy and consistency. This is why Fogra is considered to be gold standard in printing, where one declares that one is different from the rest in process maturity,” says Pradeep.
Getting certified paper, chemistry and print consumables with Fogra standards
It is an easy process for manufacturers to get their paper, chemistry and print consumables certified with Fogra standards. “Indian manufacturers are global players and Fogra certification can be a short in their arm to gain wider acceptability in India and elsewhere,” says Pradeep. This is where Future Schoolz makes it smooth and adaptive. Pradeep says, Future Schoolz is approached by a few manufacturers already and has started to support them for the Fogra certifications. “In a shorter time, we hope to see some chemistries and papers from Indian manufacturers being certified by Fogra. We are willing to work with manufacturers to test and to provide application support,” he adds.
Benefits for printing businesses, consumers and industry
To put it simply, Fogra certification means less wastage, lesser customer disputes, reliability to brands, and after all increase in productivity and profitability for certified businesses. “We also see another side to this – due to standardisation, a press can aspire to work with clock-like precision, with less chaotic workstyle and bring more peace to the employee and entrepreneur. Overall, First Time Right becomes normal,” argues Pradeep. Similarly, for the industry, when the printing standards are raised, it will create more trust for Indian printers. They will be able to grab more quality work from overseas. “India will be labelled as a prime destination for quality printing. And the industry will attract better talent. For brands, they can benefit from the smoother supply chain, and get the benefit of premiumisation of brand with reliable print quality,” he affirms.
From standards on paper to standards in operations
“To ensure that the standards continue in day-to-day operations and don’t just be on paper, first of all, the print entrepreneurs have to believe it is possible,” conditions Pradeep. “Otherwise why would they invest in world class machines and technology?” he asks. “If the infrastructure is right, why shall their process be other way?”
“Consequently, when the management is committed to raise the standards, it happens. It is happening in many places. India has many such world class printers. If they could become one with the same resources as that of others, the difference is quality of process. To institutionalise quality, one needs to motivate the workforce by giving them knowledge and upskilling. They shall know what standards are. This is where Future Schoolz help and support come in. We love to be on the floor, not in conference halls,” he explains.
Indian industry benefits from the ICC, GWG & CIP4 representation
Future Schoolz is gaining knowledge and latest updation from leading global bodies like ICC, GWG and CIP4. For example, it conducts Ghent PDF Output Suite 5.0 which is a conformance test to know the capabilities of a pre-press to produce design intricacies. These kind of conformances will help the press to continuously upgrade itself. “JDF and CIP4 integration is another area like this which can benefit Indian printers. We can provide such understanding to presses which we gain from these bodies of international repute. There are more to it practically,” informs Pradeep.
To reap the benefits of Fogra by becoming a Fogra certified organization, it would normally depend on what is the level of standardization at that organization. Pradeep explains, “It depends on the current standards being maintained. If one is already following standards, it will be very easy to upgrade to Fogra PSO standards. To be Fogra certified, one just needs to contact us. We brief them about entire requirements, parameters, and enable them with whatever it takes to be compliant.”
Future Schoolz is primarily a knowledge delivering company for printing, packaging and allied industries. It is capable of identifying problems in a print production plant, to deliver knowledge and required support for continuous improvement. It does research and development for printing industry and has capability to implement technologies to ensure full utilisation. “While the Indian printing industry is entering a new era of optimism, we shall not shy away from maintaining standards, as it alone can help in times of difficulty. When more and more quality printers emerge, Indian printing industry can be shoulder to shoulder with any other country. It is definitely going to make our print industry an attractive bet for our younger generation for career and business opportunity,” concludes Kulakkada Pradeep.
