Make in India: Printers join the chorus

Industry body IPAMA adopts 'Make in India' for its flagship event, Print Pack India 2015 exhibition being held on 11-15 Feb at Greater Noida Expo Mart

 

Encouraged by the 'Make in India' motto of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to boost the manufacturing sector, the domestic printing and packaging and graphics industry has risen to the occasion.

The Indian Packaging & Allied Machinery Manufacturers Association (IPAMA) has adopted the theme of 'Make in India' for the 12th edition of its flagship event - the Print Pack India 2015 exhibition - being organised during 11-15 February 2015 at Greater Noida Expo Mart.

"The Indian printing and packing industry, which is one of the largest in the world, can play a significant role in achieving the 'Make in India' vision of our prime minister," K S Khurana, the IPAMA president, said here.

He noted that the first step in this direction was Print Pack India 2015, which would be a blueprint of 'Make in India'. Major national and international companies are slated to participate in the event.

Khurana claimed the domestic printing and packing industry, dominated by the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, was estimated at $16 billion, and was growing at 10-15 per cent annually.

He said that the Indian printing industry was ready for another revolution, with indigenous products and solutions. "However, the need of the hour is to bring the entire industry under one common platform for printers, packaging, graphics and other allied industries across the globe."

Northern India, including Lucknow, Agra and Delhi-NCR, has emerged as India's fastest-growing printing hub, owing to the availability of the latest and most reliable printing technologies at their doorsteps.

With the growing demand for quality packaging owing to the advent of modern trade in Uttar Pradesh, especially in cities like Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra, the sector has enormous opportunities to establish new printing and packaging units in the state, Khurana said.

There were about 325,000 printing and packaging units across India employing three million people, he added. UP has around 10,000 printing units doing annual business of over $1 billion, Harjinder Singh, the Lucknow Printers' Association general secretary, said.