RK Printers’ new plant at IMT Faridabad

"Sustainability is the company's main focus," say the nextgen owners

RK Printers was founded in 1972 by three brothers, KS Malik, Rakesh Malik, and Ramesh Malik. They were among the few printers in Delhi with offset presses for publishing and packaging. The company began and thrived in the industrial sector of Delhi's Anand Parbat, conveniently positioned and accessible in those days.

When the second generation of the family joined the company, it quickly recognized the need for more visible space to expand. The search began, and the IMT Faridabad industrial region near Delhi was chosen because of its superior connectivity and infrastructure. However, with the constraints imposed by the Covid-19 lockdowns, it took over two years to establish the new plant at IMT Faridabad. It's a planned 35,000-square-foot facility with specialized production floors.

"Sustainability is the company's main focus," say the nextgen Maliks. Since the brothers consider environmental issues proactively, the intention was to create an environmentally friendly infrastructure when developing the new facility.

RK Printers built a 30 kW solar power plant and a rainwater harvesting plant at the new factory to alleviate its carbon footprint. Vikrant Malik, one of the nextgen partners, says, "We believe that the factory and process should be environmentally friendly. Using harvested rainwater and solar panels is an excellent way to reduce the carbon footprint and do our bit to help the environment. Team RK Printers is committed to an extensive recycling program, including everything from paper and inks to the plates we use on our presses. We’re proud of our efforts and continually strive to do whatever we can to protect the environment!"

Speaking about safety, he adds, "The company has installed fire safety measures in the plant. There are 5 to 6 fire extinguisher flasks on every floor, and for every recruit added to the plant, we have given fire hazard and safety training."

The company currently converts over 1.5 million cartons daily. At the new facility at IMT Faridabad, a pre-owned 6-color Heidelberg offset press with coater, Bobst die cutters, and three new crash lock pasting machines from Boxtech are operational. These substantially boost the company's earlier production capacity.

The company manufactures 6-color monocartons with UV coating, embossing, and raised UV aqueous coating, along with other special decorative effects. In addition, the firm has widened its reach to new verticals and segments such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, and beverages. The USP is to provide its customers with a one-stop solution.

"While many companies specialize in folding carton product boxes, we are a different type of box manufacturer. Our specialty is adding the finishes and textures to printed packaging that attract attention – and that makes the difference in selling the product," said Malik. RK Printers produces blister cards with HSL and pet coating for cosmetics clients, rigid boxes for the luxury segment, labels, leaflets, danglers, and paper pouches for pharma and personal care mehendi (henna) clients, gift boxes for festivals, corrugated boxes for start-ups, and shipper boxes for exporters. It works with several companies and brands in the pharma, food, beverages, alcohol, agrochemicals, start-ups, and incense segments.

The company has invested in the infrastructure, machinery, and accessories to attain the certifications required for exports. The firm also has a contemporary quality control lab with the most up-to-date test equipment capable of performing all necessary tests to confirm the client's specifications. Malik comments on the company's plans, "We want to export our products to the European market. We are looking forward to participating in several exhibitions and entering new markets as we now have a robust infrastructure required for exports."

Passion, creativity, and professionalism drive RK Printer's growth. To be able to offer these values internationally, the firm produces and promotes novel packaging solutions for its client's brands. "We leave no stone unturned to provide quality to our customers in India, and we hope that we can deliver the same to the international market as well," concludes Malik.

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