Vijayshri Packaging adds Wenhong ExcelCut 1050sf from Zhongke India

Indore-based manufacturer of litho-laminated cartons

Indore-based Vijayshri Packaging, a provider of paperboard packaging solutions, has installed a Wenhong ExcelCut 1050sf automatic die-cutting and foil stamping machine from Zhongke India, a manufacturer of packaging machines.

Established in 1991, Vijayshri, which started with a single-color offset printing unit, now boasts a 43,000 square-meter facility with office space, of which 20,000 square meters are designated for production. The company specializes in mono cartons, window cartons, liner cartons, litho-laminated cartons, corrugated outers, and more.

Packaging South Asia flew to Indore on 29 June, the day of the rooftop collapse in Delhi’s Terminal 1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport due to heavy rainfall. Fortunately, our boarding was designated from Terminal 2. Indore, the cleanest city in India by Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023, is known for the seven-storey Rajwada Palace and the Lal Baag Palace, which dates to the 19th-century Holkar dynasty. The city is believed to have a thriving economy with advancing industrial infrastructure of manufacturing goods and providing services.

“This is our fifth die cutter from Zhongke India. The high performance and features made us opt for the Wenhong die cutter yet again,” said Pritesh Jain, director of the company.

The high-precision die cutter with hot foil stamping support has a design speed of 8000 sheets per hour. With a working pressure of 400T, it can efficiently process sheets ranging from 80 gsm to 5mm corrugated. Equipped with two transverse and three horizontal pulls, it includes a film-saving feature for economical production.

In addition to the die cutters, Vijayshri has various other high-end machines from Zhongke India, including a reel-to-sheet cutter, reel-to-reel laminator, high-speed dry laminator, litho laminator with flip-flop stacker, blanking machines, and folder gluers, totaling 14 installations so far.

Vijayshri Packaging began its journey with commercial printing and stationery products. “Before 1991, we worked at a small production area within the city with a single-color offset press from Manugraph,” Jain said. “We continued with the commercial jobs — posters, folders, brochures, literature, and many side jobs for ad agencies. Eventually, particularly due to the growing order requests, we forayed into packaging.”

In 1999, the company expanded with a corrugation division, adding corrugation printing lines to its portfolio. Till 2004, the company continued with the production of commercial products and corrugated packaging in the same plant. In 2004, Vijayshri established a separate production unit for corrugated packaging with litho-laminated cartons, further strengthening its portfolio with 3-ply and 4-ply corrugated boxes. Vijayshri moved to the current premises in 2016.

The company has an automatic 2-ply corrugation line with printing on both the back and front. Of its two flute laminators, one is for 3-ply and the other for 5-ply corrugated boards. All the machines are Chinese. The 5-ply flute laminator was purchased from Suba Solutions. It also has a window patching machine with a wide window application. Apart from these, there is a Heiber+Schröder liner carton pasting machine and three folder gluers with another new folder gluer sourced from an Indore manufacturer. All the folder gluers at Vijayshri are sourced from Chinese or Indian manufacturers with 11 production machines from Zhongke India.

Vijayshri is using a Komori fleet for printing with three 40-inch 6-color plus coater presses with extended deliveries. One of the presses has interdeck and end-of-press UV as well. There is a 5-color press with a coater, primarily being used for short-run jobs. Apart from the presses, the company has a reel-to-sheet cutter, a reel-to-sheet laminator, a met pet laminator, four Brausse automated die-cutters, an automatic foil stamping machine from Yawa, and UV coaters from Autoprint. Vijayshri utilizes inks from Siegwerk and DIC.

“We have invested in multiple equipment and expanded our shopfloor significantly. Investment in the Komori 6-color plus coater press was a landmark event for us as it was our first brand-new press. Our other Komori presses are second-hand,” said Ayush Jain, director, Vijayshri Packaging.

Vijayshri is extremely strict about its price margins. It is also particular about the quality of its products, which is non-negotiable. “If I am using 5 mm or 7 mm brass blocks for foil-stamping, it means I am using Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 worth of consumables for that job. Now, if my competitor is using Rs 1,500 or Rs 2,000 blocks, it becomes extremely difficult for me to match that price. We are focussing on selling a product rather than a commodity,” adds Jain.

This article was originally published on 7 July. Republished with additional information.

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