OPA submits DSR to MSME

Ludhiana, August 4: Offset Printers⠁Association, submitted the DSR for the printing & Packaging Cluster at Ludhiana to Mr. Vishwa Bandhu, General Manager, DIC Ludhiana for onward submission to the DC MSME, Govt. of India for approval. Giving brief information about the cluster, Mr. Kamal Chopra said, through the ages it is observed that a specific industry tends to grow and concentrate around a particular geographic area. It is due to the fact that during the course of time more external economies become available to that industry in the close vicinity of the area. Development of market, availability of raw material, skilled manpower, institutional support and many other factors contributes to such concentration of industry. In advanced countries phenomenal industrial growth has been achieved by developing similar clusters in a systematic way. History of printing at Ludhiana goes back to first decade of 19^th century, when a printing press was set up in the year 1809. Present cluster is more than 100 years old. Development of Ludhiana as a major industrial hub gave impetus to the expansion of this cluster. Mr. Chopra further said that the purpose of this DSR is to review the status of the industrial structure of printing and packaging cluster and to analyse it for identifying various technological, managerial and market related impediments.

The DSR says that raw material market is under developed, resulting in leaning of terms and conditions of trade in favour of supplier and high cost of raw materials. The greater part of the machinery is imported. It is expensive; therefore individual units find it difficult to adopt latest technology. The facility of a testing laboratory is also not available with the cluster. Therefore it is difficult to ensure the quality of raw material as well as finished and in process goods.

Parveen Aggarwal President of OPA said, Printing & packaging cluster at Ludhiana is unique in many ways it is the only city in India where more than 85% units in the cluster are engage in the manufacture of printed packaging material that is why Ludhiana is called as the packaging town of India. The cluster consists of more than 600 industrial units, out of which 450 are micro and rest are in small scale sector, with annual turnover of approx. Rs. 1000 crore and investment in plant and machinery of about Rs. 200 crore. The major problem being faced by the cluster is non availability of skilled manpower and repair and testing facilities, he said. Through this study we are requesting the Ministry of MSME, Government of India for setting up of a Training and Testing Lab for Printing and Packaging Industry. At present no such facility is available anywhere in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

With the rapid growth in the technology more and more sophisticated and modern machinery are being used in the Printing industry and for the repair and maintenance of such machinery we have to look at Delhi or Mumbai, we have requested for setting up of an most modern workshop for the repair and maintenance of these machines.

Since the Cluster is dominated with Micro, or Small units, it is not possible for these units to purchase the high end machinery; it is proposed to set up a common facility centre (CFC) where such machinery will be installed for the common use of the entrepreneurs of the Printing and Packaging industry. We are not demanding any land, and wish to develop the units at their existing locations, because uprooting the units in the name of development, is unnecessary, Mr. Aggarwal added.

Speaking on the subject, Mr. Manoj Mehta, President of the All India Federation of Master Printers⠨AIFMP), said, It is a great concept, to enable the Micro and Small enterprises to do their production with good infrastructure and common resources. I feel, the cluster development assistance by the Government of India is a great help for our industry. The report will be the base for the development of the printing and packaging industry not only in Ludhiana but throughout India, he said.

Mr. N S Manku, President of the Indian Printing, Packaging & Allied Machinery Manufacturers⠁ Association (IPAMA) said, the DSR will prove and serve as a Blue Print towards future developments of the Printing and Packaging Industry of the region and also of the entire nation, besides as a major tool for the development and progress of Printing & Packaging Cluster at Ludhiana.

Appreciating the good work done by OPA, Mr. Vishwa Bandhu, GM DIC, said, it is complete and to the point report even the minute details have been take care of. This one of the best study I have came across, he said. Printing is the basic need of mankind, not only this it is the source of our thoughts and with the development of this Cluster, not only entrepreneurs will prosper, but the common man will also be benefitted, he said. I am glad that the DSR has been prepared by OPA after deep and through study of the fellow printers; presently the institutional support available to the cluster is insufficient. Due to obvious reasons the cluster is not able to reap the benefits of facilities available even within the existing institutions. So we are hopeful that after the formation of cluster and submission of this study Government will release adequate funds for the up gradation of this cluster.