Mr. T P Jain, MD, Monotech Systems in talk with PRESSIdeas, speaks about the latest solutions, future focus, industry situation, trends and more.
R&D for adding new products in their manufacturing line & Digital Transformation were key focus areas during the last 2 years for Monotech Systems. The company came through the tough times by strengthening its distribution business and adding formidable brands like Ricoh, Meltio and Xjet. “Make in India is a key theme for us and we have successfully introduced new products under our Jetsci, Pixeljet, Pixelglow and Metaform brands,” says T P Jain, Managing Director, Monotech Systems. Adoption of several digital platforms for them brought in efficiencies and cost savings besides flexibility to adapt to any emerging situation swiftly. One of the leading technologies providers of the country, Monotech Systems operates 6 business verticals and each of these verticals is poised for excellent growth in coming years.
Speaking on the pandemic effect on the printing industry, Mr. Jain says, “The Pandemic has accelerated many things like digital printing on the positive side with POD, Labels, short run packaging, print enhancement being key segments benefitting while on the negative side the slide in Offset/commercial printing segment got accelerated. These trends would gain further momentum and the industry would have to reposition itself to stay relevant in the emerging market situation.”
In a fiercely competitive world, run of the mill is out of place. “Everyone expects enablers in the products and services offered to them so that they can help them win over competition and obtain long term competitive advantage,” points out Mr. T P Jain.
However, the changing market demands have changed customer expectations and ‘differentiation’ has become a keyword. According to Mr. Jain, value is the key driver, price is secondary. “Technology is anti-inflationary – it brings in efficiency and innovation!” he declares.
“Technology will be a big enabler for every business and printing will not be an exception. Digital presence in some form or other is a must for every business. With the markets opening slowly, these changes are there to stay,” he continues.
Like most of the businesses in almost all the industries, the Covid related eventualities had their toll on printing businesses as well. Monotech Systems too, says Mr. T P Jain, suffered both in terms of topline and bottomline in both the waves of Covid. “But the recovery has been swift too,” he adds. While last quarter of FY 20-21 was almost normal for them, the current quarter is pretty much the same. “If Omicron does not really hit hard, next quarter will reflect decent growth in all operating parameters,” he expects.
The growth of the printing industry is strongly related to the overall economic growth of the country. “The current indicators projecting near double digit GDP growth for next few years augurs well for the printing industry,” says Mr. T P Jain. “However, each segment of the printing industry will experience varying growth rates,” he adds pointing towards the following growth areas as high growth areas in coming years – Print on Demand, Print Enhancement, Packaging, Label, Industrial Digital Printing.
Monotech Systems offers products & solutions for all the above market segments. “We shall further strengthen our presence by offering cutting edge technology solutions to our customers and become a long term partner in their growth and success,” says Mr. T P Jain.
The latest Monotech offerings
“Innovation is in Monotech’s DNA and all our offerings endeavor to give a different dimension to our customers’ business,” says Mr. Jain. “Ricoh digital production printers offer unique features and unparalleled capabilities including CMYK plus, Jetsci offers a wide range of digital label printing, label enhancement and book-on-demand solution with global presence; Pixeljet leads the market in India for digital industrial printing; and Scodix for digital print enhancement to name a few. Monotech has also emerged as a leading player in the 3D Printing industry offering a wide range of technology solutions for 3D Scanning and Printing including providing 3D Printing services,” he adds.
“While the key focus of Monotech, says Mr. T P Jain, “is to build strong digital presence by leveraging on all available platforms and media to have continuous connect with the customers and as many touch points as possible in a cost effective manner, we have started participating in Exhibitions and conducting Roadshows with very encouraging response.”
Speaking about current market trends, he says, “While the digital media and digital content is offering a serious challenge to certain segments of the print industry, many new opportunities are coming because of personalization, interactivity and enhancement besides stupendous growth in label, packaging and industrial printing. Overall, the industry will have healthy growth and digitalization will be a very important factor to participate in the growth.”
Monotech Systems invests a lot of its resources in applications development to create a long term sustainable competitive advantage and value for their customers. “We differentiate ourselves by offering cutting edge technology products and solutions to the market backed by efficient and responsive customer support. Our leadership team closely tracks trends and new developments in our addressable markets globally. These are analyzed in detail and based on impact analysis, we decide on new product alliances or in-house R&D efforts for new product development,” elaborates Mr. T P Jain.
On the topic of circular economy, he reveals that Monotech Systems is in the process of EPR registration and would soon meet all the stipulated requirements.
3D Printing solutions
In the 3D Printing space, Monotech Systems offers solutions for Design Optimisation, Lightweighting, manufacturing, tooling and end use parts. “India is moving rapidly into Automation and Localized Manufacturing in various segments including Automotive, Industrial, Consumer Goods, Aerospace & Defense, Medical and Aviation. A number of MNCs are setting up facilities in India and also MSMEs are being encouraged to Make in India for major sectors like Aerospace & Defense. There is a huge Supply-Demand gap in the global markets and if India has to catch up, Additive Manufacturing is one of the key technologies which can help quick turnaround time and efficient manufacturing. 3D Printing will also play a major role in India’s transition to Industry 4.0.,” shares Mr. Jain.
“With almost 30% YOY growth in India, AM is the fastest growing technology and most promising areas to further speed up the growth,” he further adds and enumerates the following areas of application –
- Jewelry & Dental Mfg. industry.
- Electric Vehicles and Drone Manufacturing
- Shift from Prototyping to Manufacturing aids with tough Polymers & Metal AM
- Reduction in Inventories and Supply chain lead times with Inhouse 3D Printing
- Standard and Customized Implants through 3D Printing in Peek, titanium and ceramics.
- Quick Turnaround time in Tooling and Fixtures by replacing conventional machining to 3d printing.
- Affordable Low Volume Parts for Aerospace and Defense manufacturing.
- University- Industry tie up for developing real industrial applications.
- Localized manufacturing through 3d printing Service Providers.
Inkjet to open new avenues
Inkjet is the future of the printing industry and Monotech’s core R&D efforts are to integrate inkjet technology on different printer platforms based on end-use applications. The company is focusing on making world class products at competitive prices to enable easier adoption by industry in India and overseas. Jetsci and Pixeljet are global brands providing specialized inkjet printing solutions in narrow and wide format respectively.
Mr. T P Jain assures exciting times ahead for the industry. “The past few years have been a roller coaster ride for many industry players but recent trends indicate a big change for the better. The economy is on the path of sustainable high growth for many years from now and this will provide a good tailwind to push the printing industry in a high growth trajectory. So, stay tuned for exciting times ahead,” he says.
Mr. Jain foresees the growth for the overall market with the number of print jobs multiplying and run lengths getting shorter. “The packaging, Offset and Digital will co-exist and a player who can build flexible production systems with digital workflows and address varying market needs will surely be a winner. Short run packaging and Print Enhancement are next big opportunities in the market,” he underlines.
“The exhibitions and roadshows are back, people really want to come out and be in the physical rather than only digital world. This explains the huge success of recent exhibitions and events. However, digital platforms will continue to provide instant connect with customers,” he concludes.
