Skyscreen unveils unique 'Ready to Print Stencil' Facility

Skyscreen unveils unique 'Ready to Print Stencil' Facility

Offers comprehensive range of services to raise print quality standards across the industry

The guests got a firsthand look at the ‘All under one roof’ setup created by SkyScreen comprising a Stretching machine, Fully automated emulsion coating machine, Dryer Machine, Screen Exposing Process and Washing both.

September 14, 2010 marked the beginning of a unique facility that the screen printing industry in India had been in need of since a very, very long time. Yes, this was the date SkyScreen launched its ‘Ready to Print Stencil’ Facility at Mumbai, the fi nancial capital of India, which hosts a substantial portion of the Indian screen printing community. The formal inauguration ceremony took place at the company’s premises at Devidayal Industrial Estate, Near Brittania, Reay Road, a location easily accessible to existing printer hubs in
central Mumbai.

At the pre-decided auspicious hour of 5.30 p.m., Chief Guest Fred Poonawala, President, Bombay Master Printers Association (BMPA) did the honours by cutting the ribbon along with Anil Brahmbhatt, Managing Director, SkyScreen (P) Ltd. and Guests of Honour Martin Statcher, Sales Director (Asia), Ulano Corporation, USA (who had specially flown down from Singapore to grace the occasion with his presence); Bhargav Mistry, CEO, DMI and Grafi ca Flextronica; and Ajay Gandhi, CEO, Kunal Enterprise. A number of printers had also been invited to witness the inauguration and have a look at the facility created specifi cally to meet their needs.

The guests got a fi rsthand look at the ‘All under one roof’ setup created by SkyScreen comprising a Stretching machine, Fully automated emulsion coating machine, Dryer Machine, Screen Exposing Process
and Washing both. The formal launch proceedings then adjourned to a cocktail and dinner function held at Hotel Peninsula, Sion, where a larger gathering of printers, friends and well wishers were already waiting to
begin the celebrations.

Devang N Sheth welcomed those gathered and pointed out that it was a very good occasion for the screen printing industry. “This is the fi rst time that a ‘Ready to Print Stencil’ Facility has been started in Mumbai and perhaps across India itself. I would say it is an excellent process house and printers should use it to their maximum advantage possible.”

Providing details about the new SkyScreen ‘Ready to Print Stencil’ Facility, Deepak Sharma, Sales Executive, SkyScreen, pointed out that this concept is the key to print quality. “In the screen printing industry, this is a very unique step. There are many people who want to do four-colour printing with fi ne line details but they lack accurate screens and exposing systems. This is a unit where you can get stencils made industries
like PCB, ceramics, CDs, etc. This is a noble cause to give a helping hand to the industry in reaching the desired quality. We are an alliance company, so when you speak to us there is no dealer in between; you speak directly to the company itself,” he said.

In the screen printing industry, this is a very unique step. There are many people who want to do four-colour printing with fine line details but they lack accurate screens and exposing systems. This is a unit where you can get stencils made industries like PCB, ceramics, CDs, etc.

In his address, Chief Guest Fred Poonawala, President, BMPA, pointed out that “What SkyScreen is offering will add value to printers within the city and beyond it. Prepress became diluted because of digital; it was easy to do. The craft of making good photo mechanical plates is what SkyScreen offers. Frankly I did not know there were so many technicalities that only a company with expertise like SkyScreen can provide. Even offset printers can take advantage of this facility. They want their prints to look good using UV, gliter, stc, so offset too has a lot to benefi t from the new SkyScreen ‘Ready to Print Stencil’ Facility,” he declared.

Bhargav Mistry, CEO, DMI and Grafica Flextronica, which has provided the machines for the facility, emphasised that “Anil Bhrahmbhatt always has something different to offer and believes in doing things differently. While prepress in offset is not risk taking; to make a screen in screen printing is a risky task. Even if you go to a good quality printing house, screen making is not an important department. Screen is the heart of printing, so making good screens is important. In Mumbai, space is a constraint; you need 500 to 600 sq. ft. to do it. Printers can use this facility to understand what a good screen is and how it is made. Ihere is a need for this type of facility across India.”

Martin Statcher, Sales Director (Asia), Ulano Corporation, USA, declared that ‘It is a special occasion for us also as an alliance partner of SkyScreen. It is an important step, a milestone, which shows our commitment
to India. This will put us apart from all other companies in the market. This facility is a strong message that screen printing is not going to die. This shows we are on the right way. Our alliance between SkyScreen,
Nittoku and Ulano for India is certainly the way we want to cater to the needs of printers here. I hope our quality in stencil making will help the industry to grow.”

Ajay Gandhi, CEO, Kunal Enterprise, highlighted the importance of the screen printing process. “The screen printing process is growing very strong in industrial applications like decals printing and other areas, etc. What SkyScreen is doing with this facility will encourage printers. I meet many customers who are investing in screen printing industry for the fi rst time and they feel that screen making is very complicated, so they hesitate. The fi rst thing they ask me is ‘If I buy a machine from you, where can I get a screen made?’ A year back I met Anil Bhrahmbhatt and he had fi rst set up the Skyscreen facility at Mumbai and then at Delhi. Today, he has launched this ‘Ready to Print Stencil’ Facility. People can come to SkyScreen, get their prepress work done here and learn how the process works. Then, they can later on invest in their own equipment in future. Good materials and good processes lead to good screen printing and SkyScreen has both.”

It is easier to outsource than do it yourself, the learning curve is very difficult. Today there is a convergence in the areas of screen printing and offset. Massive projects are coming up. The way of the future is outsourcing the process, because the learning curve is very expensive.

On behalf of the SkyScreen customers and well wishers, Ramesh Iyer, Director, Gaiaka, which is into printing personalised CDs and DVDs, extended best wishes to Anil Bhrahmbhatt and team SkyScreen for the new facility. “They say well begun is half done and nowhere is this more apparent than in the screen printing industry. My association with SkyScreen began with their inception and even before that. We wanted to outsource screen making to a reliable agency. It is easier to outsource than do it yourself, the learning curve is very diffi cult. Massive projects are coming up. The way of the future is outsourcing the process, because the learning curve is very expensive. I am now looking at how to outsource my entire stencil making to SkyScreen,” he said.

Anil Brahmbhatt, Managing Director, SkyScreen (P) Ltd., thanked the guests and invitees for accepting his invitation and being a part of such an important occasion for not just SkyScreen but the screen printing industry in India too. He thanked Martin Statcher for flying in all the way from Singapore for the launch and appreciated the efforts of Bhargav Mistry for helping in setting up the unit. He capped off the evenings proceedings with yet another blockbuster announcement – the launch of SkyScreen’s branch office at Delhi. The function concluded with the traditional ‘shawl’ and ‘coconut’ being presented to al the guests as a mark of respect and gratitude.