After MGI Jetvarnish 3D One installed a couple of months ago, the new-age business model Printmart adds a Jetvarnish 3DS from Konica Minolta and is on a quicker orbit.
Atul and Vikas Bhatt had very humble beginnings with the verve and vision to grow at a pace that equaled that of a digital printing machine or surpassed even that! Their father worked for the transport department of Delhi government. Atul, elder of the two brothers is an engineer and had a stint as maintenance engineer with HCL computers which used to sell Konica Minolta production printers in the Indian market around the year 2010. In 2013, Atul along with his close friend Harish Sethia decided to take the plunge into digital printing. They formed Printmart and started operating from the ground floor of their house in Rohini with a Konica Minolta machine which they brought from HCL.
“Those were amazing times when there used to be a beeline of clients outside, waiting for their turn to get their photocopying job done,” reminiscences Atul. Remember, those were times when photocopying used to be done at much higher than prices today.
It was in 2018, five years after Atul & Harish started the business that the younger brother Vikas joined their printing business. Vikas had completed his Masters in Production Engineering in Germany and was working in an MNC. Atul convinced him to join their digital printing business and also guided him astutely during his familiarization with the digital printing process and technical and other aspects of the business. “Atul ji drew the detailed picture of the digital printing business he was already doing. He then explained the business model he was working on. It helped me have a positive feeling about the new journey,” says Vikas. Also, Vikas was already considering living with the family while working far away in Germany. Therefore, the proposal looked welcome and he expedited the decision to return and join the fast growing business.
“The satisfaction of being with my family along with being my own boss all worked together to help me join Atul and Harish,” says Vikas. Printmart had expanded to seven locations – six in Delhi and one in Noida by the time Vikas joined formally though he had been part of the expansion through his active support.
“When we expanded to seven branches, it was a great achievement but at the same time, we needed more people who we could trust to run the show. When Vikas joined us, it was a great relief as we knew it would immensely help us to efficiently manage our various facilities,” says Atul.
The strength of association of like-minded people in a business is a blessing, according to Atul. “Harish and I as a team always felt the strength of a squad of twenty-two. Vikas’ joining made us a team of thirty-three!” declares a proud brother.
The eighth unit of Printmart started on 4th February 2018 in Patparganj. “Thereafter we have been growing at speed of almost four to five new units each year and that too not only in and around Delhi but also in about a radius of 250kms around the capital city,” reveals Vikas.
As the units kept growing, the need for value addition was the need of the hour and that is when the exploration led them to MGI Jetvarnish from Konica Minolta. “Konica Minolta has been a very good partner for us during our entire journey not only for supporting our entrepreneur blood rush but also in our expansion plans and statistics, I must admit,” asserts Atul. MGI 3D One gave Printmart the taste of success through value addition and we saw the company ordering its second MGI, this time a Jetvarnish 3DS, within no time. “If everything goes well, the third one is also on the cards,” says Vikas.
“Printmart today has an enviable edge over any CMYK or CMYK+ printer because of the MGI Jetvarnish machine since it can provide what others cannot,” claims Mr. Pawan Chauhan, IP Business Head (Sales Division) of Konica Minolta. “Of course we are a printer with CMYK capabilities with the KM engines and CMYK+ capabilities with the FujiFilm engine. And now with the value addition of Konica Minolta’s MGI 3DS, we are proud to have inline value addition capabilities and being a complete one-stop-shop for all the printing needs,” support Vikas and Atul.
Digital Printing is all about defining the coming trends and answering the present demands through value addition and ever evolving solutions. “Value addition to a product also adds value to the product and so also adds to the company’s bottom line – the margins,” states Atul. For him, 5-year plans don’t work for their business. “Answering, where Printmart would be in 5 years’ time, is a long call for me. What I can envision would rather be regarding coming 3 to 6 months. I can say that in this much time (3-6 months) I would open a couple of additional units; but 5 years is too long a period to predict much,” declares Vikas. This is surely the new-age business model which is on a quicker orbit. Another interesting aspect of Printmart is that the trio has been running their business operating from rented premises. “Invest in men and machines rather than shops and buildings; at least we have the option to move to another place in case of an eventuality,” concludes Vikas with a smile.
With a 32 crore turnover each month, Printmart with its 27 branches having over thirty five Konica Minolta engines can indeed be a source of inspiration for any printer in the country. The subtle demeanor of the two brothers can be a lesson for many entrepreneurs. The clarity of vision that the brothers hold in their mind can be a reason for envy too.
MGI JetVarnish 3DS
‘Haptic Technology’ lets you simulate touch in a digital environment.
Today’s most successful commercial printers are already enhancing their services by using Haptic Technology to offer a more appealing and creative experience. With MGI’s groundbreaking new take on haptic, ‘digital varnish technology’, this more tactile approach to potential customers makes complete commercial sense.
Countless print providers nowadays – both offset and digital – offer “just printing” as a standard service. But the visionary players in the market are looking to diversify and enhance their product by creating a new, more appealing printing process. It has always been possible to create special effects such as spot gloss, three-dimensional printing, and a metallic, shiny look. With conventional production methods, however, this was often inefficient and time-consuming – ruling it out as a service, especially for short-run jobs subject to tight deadlines. Now, with new digital varnish technology from MGI, Konica Minolta is helping providers wishing to offer both direct customers and end-users something special, with these value-addition capabilities and at the same time maximise their profits too.
The new technology lets one spot coat prints, highlight defined areas and add 3D effects for one’s customers – creating a completely different, tactile experience and vivid print product that’s sure to make their company’s name and reputation stand out from the run-of-the-mill printing crowd. MGI digital technology turns printed jobs into spectacular products that grab and hold customers’ attention and that of their customers in turn.
Digital varnish technology is perfectly suited to a wide range of different applications – from books to exclusive business cards, high-end invitations, packaging, POS materials and more. It offers an unrivalled set of features including a full-page scanner, high productivity with single-pass printing, ease of use and more, making the whole commercial experience a more enjoyable one for your immediate customers.
MGI Jetvarnish 3D Technology helps users attract new prospects and realize lucrative market opportunities by providing customers with ultra-precise spot coatings, letting them handle digital or offset originals in long or short runs, and even varying the thickness of their coatings for attractive prints with tangible depth to increase communications impact. This new and exciting technology is interesting for any print provider who is operating toner, offset or print systems, and lets the user add a creative touch to a wide range of applications.
Print may be just ink on paper, a product or label, but embellishment transforms it into an experience with a sensory haptic– i.e. tactile – edge over the competition. When customers ‘feel’ raised wording on packaging, they are far more likely to touch it, and even more likely to buy it.
Don’t limit yourself to printing documents of irreproachable quality. It’s time to offer your customers high added value and new creativity. JETVARNISH 3DS easily transforms your customers’ impressions into high value-added products that will be simply irresistible. The JETVARNISH 3DS allows you to apply an ultra-precise selective varnish on all your digital prints. Your customers will discover new visual and sensory effects.
You can create a 3D effect on laminated surfaces or directly on toner, thanks to the new varnish formula in combination with Konica Minolta printheads. The variable data option adds personalization capabilities for impactful and innovative communication.
You can choose the areas to sublimate and vary the thickness of the varnish. The combination with the iFOIL S in-line hot foil module opens the doors to the hot foil and digital embossing market. From the cover of magazines, books, brochures to labels, invitation cards and packaging, you will be able to offer new services and exceptional services to your customers.
The machine delivers speed (in 2D/flatbed mode) of up to 2,298 A3 sheets per hour (with 15 μm) and of up to 1,624 A3 sheets per hour (with 30 μm)( in 3D/embossed mode). Maximum printable width is 35.5cm. Key features include: automatic registration on the fly enabled by its SmartScanner AIS controlled by Artificial Intelligence, scanning each page and correcting on the fly, if necessary, the deposit of the varnish. It can produce complete variable data (text, graphic, image) for spot varnish and gilding areas. Other capabilities include integrated barcode reader (1D / 2D) and optional Raster Image Processor.
