From left to right: Shiv Singh Chauhan, Vice President of Keshoram Manufacturing, and Vikas Goyal, Managing Director of Keshoram Manufacturing, alongside Shashank Surana, Executive Director of Indo Polygraph Machinery, at the contract signing

Koenig & Bauer has recorded a major strategic order from India: Keshoram Manufacturing recently ordered four identical Rapida 106 medium-format sheetfed offset presses. With this investment in the four seven-color presses equipped with coaters for inline product finishing, the packaging manufacturer is making the transition from its previous use of pre-owned printing presses to state-of-the-art, highly automated folding carton production on an industrial scale.

To support the customer’s ambitious growth plans in a timely manner, Koenig & Bauer will deliver two of the presses in 2026, while the remaining two presses will begin operation in 2027

Four identical Rapida 106 presses featuring seven inking units and a coater will be installed at Keshoram Manufacturing in India within 2027

From corrugated board specialist to folding carton heavyweight

Keshoram Manufacturing was founded in 2000 by Vikas Goyal in Greater Noida, near the Indian capital of New Delhi. Operating under the names Kesho Packaging and Keshoram Manufacturing, the company primarily focuses on corrugated board production and currently runs two manufacturing facilities. The management already demonstrated foresight in 2012 by establishing a state-of-the-art, automated corrugated board plant. From there, Keshoram serves customers in the demanding e-commerce, electronics, FMCG, beverage, and heavy industry sectors – both in the domestic market and for export. 

After the company gained its first experiences with folding carton production on a smaller scale using pre-owned sheetfed offset presses, a comprehensive expansion is now slated for the next two years.

A view into the extensive production areas of Keshoram Manufacturing

Technologies that reduce make-ready times and costs

For this massive expansion, Keshoram is placing its trust in Rapida technology from Koenig & Bauer. The four combination presses ordered for conventional and UV production can process substrates with a thickness of up to 1.2 mm. By utilizing fully automatic FAPC plate changers and the sidelay-free infeed DriveTronic SIS, a unique selling point of Rapida sheetfed offset presses, Keshoram drastically minimizes manual interventions on the machine and significantly shortens make-ready times. This efficiency package is rounded off by automatic colour and register measurement systems, as well as automatic washing systems for blanket and impression cylinders, and rollers.

Vikas Goyal, Managing Director of Keshoram Manufacturing, explains: “This investment represents a pivotal milestone in our transformation into a future-ready, high-performance packaging company for the domestic and the export market. Our decision to partner with Koenig & Bauer and invest in Rapida 106 technology is rooted in our commitment to automation, process stability, and uncompromising quality. As we scale our presence in the folding carton segment, our focus is on serving leading FMCG, electronics, and consumer brands with speed, consistency, and precision at global standards. This expansion not only strengthens our current capabilities but also establishes a robust foundation for sustainable, long-term growth. We are building capacity not just for today’s demand, but for the next decade of packaging excellence.”

“Keshoram Manufacturing’s decision to opt for four identical high-performance presses demonstrates how crucial scalability and absolute process stability are in today’s packaging market,” explains Shashank Surana, Executive Director of Koenig & Bauer’s sales partner, Indo Polygraph Machinery. “With this fleet of highly automated Rapida 106 presses, we are not only equipping our partner with printing presses, but providing a comprehensive solution that reduces waste, cuts make-ready times, and generates profitable growth in the folding carton segment.”

Keshoram Manufacturing expands its production capacity in the folding carton production segment with four Rapida 106 series sheetfed offset presses

Rajiv Bhargava, founder of HBD Packaging, said, “This is truly a dream come true. We wanted to buy a Koenig & Bauer press in 2004, but due to budget limitations, we couldn’t proceed. After 21 years, the dream has finally materialised. We chose this machine both on technical and commercial grounds to meet the rising demand for printed packaging from our existing and newly acquired clients in the FMCG and food and beverage sectors.”

HBD currently converts 15,000 to 18,000 tonnes of paper, board, and kraft per annum. With the new K&B press, this is expected to rise to 25,000 tonnes, boosting the company’s production capacity by 40–50%. The machine is expected to arrive by July 2025, with commercial production starting by August.

The Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 is a 750×1060-mm press, capable of running at 18,000 impressions per hour. It supports printing on paper, board, corrugated sheets, and select plastic substrates, making it highly adaptable for packaging needs.

Bhargava added, “We needed a press that delivers faster turnaround and short makeready time. The K&B Rapida 106 checked all the boxes. We evaluated several brands, but the unique features of K&B stood out — especially the SIS (Sensoric Infeed System), a side-lay-free solution that enhances precision and reduces waste. Delivery of the press in four months is also one of the major reasons.”

Aditya Surana, director at Indo Polygraph Machinery, the Indian representative of Koenig & Bauer, stated: “We thank HBD Packaging for their trust. This installation proves that Koenig & Bauer presses are not only for select players but for any progressive packaging converter aiming to deliver high-quality print with efficiency. In fact, the first UV printing press in India was a Koenig & Bauer, originally configured for HBD Packaging but couldn’t deliver due to some reasons. The Rapida 106 comes with fully automatic plate changing, simultaneous blanket and roller washing, and disengageable printing units. It’s a raised press offering automation that significantly cuts down changeover time. We’ve installed over 80 brand new presses in the last decade, and over 500 printing units are now running in India.”

HBD Packaging, with over four decades of industry experience, is a full-service packaging specialist offering mono cartons, rigid boxes, and 3-ply corrugated cartons. With a current annual turnover of approx ₹140 crore, the company is growing at a CAGR of 12–13%, steadily expanding its footprint in the packaging sector.

“We’re not just investing in a machine; we’re investing in the future of our company,” concluded Bhargava. “And with Koenig & Bauer, that future looks promising.”

The MetalStar press features K&B’s unique transfer technology for printing on metal sheets. “It can print and coat at speeds of over 8000 sheets per hour and cure inks and coatings using advanced UV LED drying systems. The MetalStar4 is the only press that runs like our proven and extremely successful paper printing press Rapida,” said Samarth Surana, director at Indo Polygraph Machinery, K&B’s sole representative in India, while confirming the order during Drupa. “K&B is the only company that has figured out a way to handle tinplate sheet transfer in the same way as paper. The press realistically doesn’t have any competition and is in a league of its own, far ahead of any other metal printing technology,”

What sets the MetalStar 4 apart from the rest of its competition is its high speeds or supreme print quality and its unique single-grip technology. “The Single-grip technology means that the sheet never leaves the grippers from feeder to delivery, unlike every other machine in the metal printing market, which all has a grip feature. This ensures perfect register and print quality across all printing units,” explained Surana.

Shashank Surana, executive director at Indo Polygraph Machinery and Surana’s elder brother, said that Inkspired MetalPrint has selected the K&B presses for their industry-leading speed, accuracy, and sustainability benefits over older metal printing technologies. “We are sure that with the MetalStar and MetalCoat, they have the best possible technology on their hands.”

At present, the Indian metal printing market is dominated by pre-owned one-colour and two-colour presses, with only a few having three-colour or brand-new presses in India from other press brands. “In such a market, getting the state-of-the-art MetalStar 4 and a MetalCoat will offer a considerable advantage to Inkspired over the rest of the industry and allow Inkspired to pursue many unexplored opportunities.” 

Zarhak Steels is a fourth-generation independent family business with over 100 years of experience in tinplate distribution. Its managing director is Ashraf Chitalwala. The company’s portfolio includes tinplate, tin-free steel, black plate for the steel packaging industry, and CHQ wires for the automobile component industry. Additionally, we are engaged in international trade to reach global markets. 

Inkspired MetalPrint is the new company Zarhak incorporated for its new metal printing business. “We wanted to enter the growing metal printing market with the best available technology,” said Chitalwala. The KBA MetalStar4 allows us to provide our customers with the highest print quality and shortest turnaround times. Its energy-efficient LED drying also helps reduce our environmental impact.

The press will allow Inkspired to offer printing services for a variety of metal packaging applications, including aerosol cans, bottle caps and other metal closures. 

The company plans to leverage its relationships with major can manufacturers and brand owners to capture market share in India’s expanding metal packaging industry.

“The installation of K&B’s first metal press in India marks an important milestone for the growing metal printing sector. Inkspired is well positioned to drive innovation and set new standards for print quality, efficiency and sustainability in the Indian metal printing industry,” said Surana.

Koenig & Bauer, market leader in digital décor and packaging printing, has announced that Match Graphics has become its first RotaJET customer in Asia, with the comprehensive sales & service contract starting in December 2024. Family-owned Match Graphics, the largest supplier of printed décor paper in India, has invested in Koenig & Bauer’s high-volume digital printing press to open up endless new application and personalisation possibilities in addition to its traditional gravure business. Located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Match Graphics is the market leader in the manufacture, supply and export of décor papers for the laminate and panel industry in India. The company has created a niche for itself based on the technological advancements, exceptional quality and unmatched product range.

The final decision for the RotaJET was made in close cooperation with the local representative of Koenig & Bauer, Indo Polygraph Machinery, India. In addition to the machine sale, the collaboration also includes a comprehensive service contract whereby Match Graphics benefits from 24/7 remote technical and service support every day of the year. It represents another example of how Match Graphics has consistently evolved to remain market leader and implemented innovations that have helped reshape thinking in the industry. At present, Match Graphics has four brands under its umbrella – Natural Décor, Vogue, LINO and ECO-MG. Those brands produce up to 2000 metric tons per month, which includes printed decorative paper ranging from 55gsm to 80gsm in a size bracket of 1250 mm and 1850mm. Display centers are based in Ahmedabad and Delhi.

The directors of Match Graphics are Aman, Anand and Dhruv Agrawal. “We are beginning a new era in the ever-growing décor paper industry,” said Mr Aman Agrawal. “With this investment in Koenig & Bauer’s market leading RotaJET digital technology, we see endless possibilities. We are moving ahead in the industry with our superior quality of product and a revolutionary production press that is healthy for the environment. We take pride in being a technology advanced manufacturer that, time and time again, has set precedents in the industry. We supply beautiful and modern décor papers that can compete internationally on the basis of quality design, aesthetics, price and customisation options.”

Christoph Müller, member of the Executive Board of Koenig & Bauer, said: “The RotaJET technology is going to transform the business of Match Graphics, with shorter runs, highest quality production and endless possibilities for personalisation and digital printing in addition to the gravure business. This is a blueprint for future sales, which incorporates a comprehensive service and technical support contract. This will ensure that, in the event of any issues, they can be fixed immediately, especially as any parts will be on site.”

The announcement was made on the eighth day of Drupa 2024.

The new Rapida 105-7+C press has seven inking units, a coater, extended delivery, and the capability for both conventional and UV printing, which is tailored for high-efficiency packaging production. It will be installed at MK PrintPack in Daman, a Parksons Group Company facility. The new press will modernise the press fleet at the MK facility, making way for replacing older presses.

The new Rapida 105 is equipped as a combination press for conventional and UV printing. It features a package for film processing, fully flexible dryer equipment, measuring and control technology, and nonstop delivery equipment.

This investment also comes as part of Parksons Packaging’s continued expansion. More than 150 printing and finishing units from Koenig & Bauer are already in operation across 21 presses.

The company, which owns 13 production facilities in India and one in Tanzania, attributes its remarkable growth to the unmatched efficiency of the Rapida presses.

Ramesh Kejriwal, chairman of Parksons Packaging, emphasised the importance of the Rapida presses in driving the company’s growth. “The Rapida presses form the basis for our exceptional growth. They make us incomparably efficient.”

The new long-run K&B  Rapida 106 seven-colour plus double coater press is expected to be installed at TCPL’s greenfield facility in Goa and will arrive in September this year.

With the installation of this press, TCPL will have 107 printing and finishing units from K&B.

Speaking to PrintWeek at K&B’s stand at Drupa in Hall 16, Saket Kanoria, managing director of TCPL Packaging, said the investment aims to increase profitability and reliability through higher finishing capabilities in-line. “This will allow us to do more finishing, such as coating and lamination within the printing process. We believe this integrated production approach will improve efficiencies and help meet tight turnaround times for customers.”

The Goa facility started operations in 2019 and has grown steadily since. Once installed, the press is expected to further boost TCPL’s production capacity and enable it to capture more regional and export opportunities out of its Goa location. “We are satisfied with the experience with K&B machines so far. The new investment builds on an existing fleet of K&B presses and continually underscores our commitment to enhance capabilities through strategic capital investments,” said Kanoria.

The deal was finalised by K&B’s India representative, Indo Polygraph Machinery.

The offset division of India’s Printmann Group has invested in new sheetfed offset technology from Koenig & Bauer. Based in Navi Mumbai, the biggest planned city in the world, the company supplies the full spectrum of labels and packaging, for example for pharmaceutical products and for the FMCG and food industries. It was founded in 1987.

After working with machinery from other manufacturers for almost 35 years, Printmann installed its first Rapida sheetfed offset press from Koenig & Bauer in 2021. The new relationship began with a Rapida 105 (max. sheet format 740 x 1,050 mm) with seven inking units, coater and extended delivery as a hybrid press for conventional and UV production.

Second press after two years

A second press has been installed this year. Again, a Rapida 105, this time with six inking units, and naturally also with a coater and all the necessary equipment for mixed UV production. In this configuration, it likewise offers every possibility for product refinement and finishing.

The two medium-format Rapidas boast almost identical features: raised foundations for board production up to 1.2 mm, production speeds of up to 16,000 sheets per hour, two-section extended delivery, non-stop pile-changing facilities for both feeder and delivery, inking unit temperature control, CleanTronic Multi (washing systems for the alternating use of conventional and UV inks), EES (Emission Extraction System), VariDry IR/hot-air/UV dryers and further automation solutions.

High performance and productivity

Printmann is one of a significant number of highly efficient and technologically up-to-date print and packaging companies on the Indian subcontinent. It possesses certification to ISO 9001:2008 and PS 9000:2011 (pharmaceutical packaging materials). With BRC:IOP accreditation, it also meets a global standard for food packaging.

A long list of awards bears witness to Printmann’s quality and performance, including several Label Awards and National Awards for Excellence in Printing (in silver and gold). In this demanding environment, both Rapida 105 presses supply daily proof of their special capabilities.

“This press, being a double-coater, has features that will enable us to provide unique effects and superior quality to standard configuration presses in the market. There is also a growing demand for a larger colour gamut, which this press provides,” he said.

The fully equipped new generation RA 106 eight-colour plus double coater is Koenig & Bauer’s 11th machine at TCPL.

Aditya Surana of Indo Polygraph Machinery, added, “We are delighted on our latest installation at TCPL. The press, from configuration point of view, is the longest Koenig & Bauer press in India.”

On the question of calibrating the printing press with the newest pedigree of inks or G7 curve calibration, Kanoria said the company has good ink management systems in all its plants.

“We also calibrate our presses routinely to ensure consistent print quality and easy interchangeability of jobs. If the press is well maintained, life is easier. That being said, new presses do come equipped with a lot of software and linkages to pre-press and colour management systems to ease this process,” he said.

TCPL Packaging has a market cap of Rs 1302.62-crore, and is growing. The new investment is a part of this growth strategy. Kanoria said TCPL has always been a growth-oriented company, albeit with a keen focus on the bottom line.

He added, “We constantly invest in better quality and technology and always provide new solutions to our customers. In recent years, we have diversified geographically as well as into new verticals while still maintaining high returns on capital employed. I believe our investors appreciate this fact and that our performance has been reasonably consistent for a long period of time.”

The company is keen to maintain this growth rate and will invest accordingly, keeping in mind its high benchmarks for return on capital and without stressing its balance sheet.

Kanoria said the market sentiment was quite subdued last year, but with inflation coming down this year, TCPL expects an improvement in consumer demand and recovery in consumer sentiment. “We are bullish on India and its growth prospects in the long term,” he added.

TCPL Packaging is one of India’s leading producers of sustainable packaging solutions for customers across industries. Has TCPL and the paper-based industry leveraged its advantage?

Kanoria said sustainable packaging as a trend is here to stay and will greatly contribute to the growth of the paper/paperboard packaging industry in the coming years.

“We have focused on technologies in our paperboard division to replace plastic with coatings and transfer technologies. Where plastic cannot be replaced, as in the flexible packaging business, we have focused on mono-material recyclable packaging technology. This has enabled us to leverage this trend fully,” he explained.

Regarding the challenges facing the industry, Kanoria doesn’t believe that the lack of industry status from the government has been a hindrance.

He said, “We face no major hurdle in availing bank loans or working capital facilities. I don’t think our smaller-sized competitors face such issues either, at least not in comparison to other industries. We don’t need any special handouts or recognition from the government. All we need is clear, logical and predictable rules around things like factory licensing, construction permissions, electricity connections, land acquisition, etc so that we can respond quickly to any changes in the market. Better pro-business policies will help everyone, not just us.”

However, he added that there are new rules specific to the printing and packaging industry that are related to plastic waste management, centred around tracking the consumption and disposal of plastic waste, that are very onerous and hard to implement practically. “Such rules should be implemented in a phased manner that gives smaller companies more time to adapt and does not become a major burden for the industry,” he said.

Indo-Polygraph’s Aditya Surana is understandably pleased with the Canpac order because the two presses in the simultaneous order comprise the latest and just unveiled and revamped RA 106 and 105 K&B models. “The second machine, the RA 105, was launched at China Print on 24th June, and we are talking on 2nd July,” says Surana.

For detailed information, please follow below link:

https://packagingsouthasia.com/she-safety-health-and-environment/regulation-compliances/canpac-an-early-adopter-of-new-kb-models-for-kolkata-carton-plant/

During Print Summit 2023, Sascha Fischer, head of product management, Koenig & Bauer gave a brief of their machines’ characteristics.

“As the industry’s leading provider of sustainable solutions, we help our customers to reduce their ecological footprint. Solutions based on technology that we developed reduce energy consumption, cut waste, and decrease ink and coating consumption, helping to cut CO2 emissions.” said Sascha Fischer.

Fischer highlighted the technology which has been trending at KBA. This included new substrate packages mid format and in large format; VaryDry LED-UV dryers and new UV ink ducts; ErgoTronic AutoRun; QualiTronic Next Generation with PrintCheck and PDFCheck; unbent plates mid and soon large format; new plate changing times in all formats; optimised CX large format including new delivery; dryer and new production speeds; two-step activation of dampening unit; extended gamut printing; Rapida LiveApp family and QualiTronic SheetIdent and many more.

Fischer spoke about shorter makeready and higher speeds as well as safe processes plus less maintenance which has ensured productivity gains thanks to automation features like DriveTronic SPC plus inline coating facilities.

KBA has raised the scale of its sustainability ambitions and goals with a new group strategy and outlined details on how it aims to continue its transformation from a traditional machinery manufacturer to an agile technology.

With its new ‘Exceeding Print’ strategy, the group is aiming to increase even further its efforts to deliver on its ecological, social and community responsibilities. “By 2025, we are aiming to reduce CO2 emissions in our production plants by 75%, and intend to be completely carbon-neutral from 2030 on,” said Fischer.

He highlighted the company’s ongoing digitalisation drive, where digital services are becoming increasingly important for networking machines with each other, collecting and analysing data, and controlling processes efficiently.

Digital printing processes will be a catalyst for new business models. They are assuming that most of the companies that will be their customers in future have not even been founded yet.

“Our ‘Exceeding Print’ strategy allows us to promote sustainability as the greatest challenge that the packaging industry will be facing in future, and uphold our claim to leadership when it comes to digitalisation,” said Fischer.

Transparent, data-supported processes are the starting point for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. A high level of automation minimises risks and allows future-oriented customisation of the entire printing processes.

Fischer mentioned about their major machineries such as Rapida 106, VariJET 106, diecutter Drivetronic SIS and about embossing-creasing-stripping uniits which employ unique delivery and blank unit; that require setup time of only 20 and 40 minutes for single and repeated jobs respectively.

The digital transformation of the printing industry has many facets – with well thought-out innovations and tailor-made solutions that go far beyond pure printing. Transparent, data-supported processes are the starting point for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. A high level of automation minimises risks and allows future-oriented customisation of the entire printing process.