Technology Gap Analysis Study for Mysore Printers Cluster * Dr. G. Devakumar1 1Faculty of Management and Commerce, Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, (RUAS), Bengaluru 560 054 *Contact Author E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Mysore Printers Cluster is a group of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises engaged in printing. They are engaged in various printing technology such has, offset printing, screen printing, single color printing, drum type and plate type press based impression printings. There are about 250 enterprises in this cluster. TIFAC New Delhi has come forward to award this consultancy project entitled "Technology Gap Analysis Study for the Printing Cluster in Mysore, Karnataka" to M S Ramaiah University of Applied Science, Bangalore. The primary aim of this project is to identify the technological gaps in Mysore Printers Cluster and provide recommendations to bridge the gap. Based on the literature survey, primary data, secondary data, recommendations and suggestions provided for this project, which emphasizes on various training modules with topics and brief contents proposed for the future training requirements at Mysore printing cluster so as to enhance the knowledge and cognitive skills among the various level of employees for market sustainability. This can be carried out by employing the domain experts to conduct workshop for grass root level reach in the minds of the targeted audience. KeyWords: Technology Gap Analysis, MSME, Mysore, Printing Cluster. 1. INTRODUCTION Mysore Printers Cluster is a group of a number of Micro, Manufacturing processes in the cluster to ensure progressive Small and Medium Enterprises involved in printing, chiefly growth for potential entrepreneur's sustainability using traditional methods like offset printing machinery, 7. To bring out the causes of the existing technological gaps, screen printing technology, single color printing, drum type suggest remedial measures, suitable machines/supplier with and plate type press based impression printing methods. their cost, and present it in the form of a report with projected There are about 250 enterprises in this cluster. Some of the market major products of the Mysore Printers Cluster are: Business 8. To recommend and suggest a plan for making focused cards, Text Books, Pamphlets, Journals, Wedding cards, technological interventions in the cluster Labels, Letter heads, Hotel menus, Calendars, Receipt books, ID Cards and so on. 3. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE MYSORE PRINTERS CLUSTER 2. OBJECTIVES Brief overviews of the cluster consist of cluster details, printing unit details and raw material details. These can be The objectives of the study were: found in Table 1 1. To carry out literature survey related to printing technologies in the traditional printing units and advanced 3.1 Introduction to Different Printing Technologies printing industries across the globe Printing is a reproduction process in which printing ink is 2. To carry out preliminary background study on existing applied in order to transmit information (images, graphics, printing technology, the number of industries involved with text) in a repeatable form using an image-carrying medium available variety of the products (e. g., a printing plate) [1]. 3. To conduct pilot study and prepare a survey questionnaire The background history of printing goes back to the from primary and secondary data duplication of images by means of stamps in early times. The 4. To carry out survey in order to understand educational use of round seals for rolling an impression into clay tablets qualification of people involved in the present status of the goes back to early Mesopotamian civilization before 3000 printing technologies and the annual turnover of the Printing BCE, where there are the most common works of art to Cluster in and around Mysore, Karnataka survive, and feature complex and beautiful images. In both 5. To identify the printing materials covering the entire China and Egypt, the use of small stamps for seals preceded production and value chain and make comparison of these the use of larger blocks. In China, India and Europe, the technologies with advanced technologies printing of cloth preceded the printing of paper/papyrus. The 6. To identify the existing technological gaps with respect to process is essentially the same. In Europe, special energy environment and productivity, as well as in the presentation impressions were printed on silk until the 17th UAS - JMC 31 Vol 07, Issue 01 century. The development of printing has made it possible Domestic and industrial market for books, newspapers, and other reading materials to be is Mysore; and few of them Market produced in great numbers, and it plays an important role in supply to neighboring districts / 12 Domestic and promoting literacy among the masses. It was summarized states and other countries that Johannes Gutenberg, of the German city of Mainz, Export developed European movable type printing technology with the printing press around 1439, and in just over a decade, the European age of printing [2]. Printing Technology can be broadly classified as Conventional and Non-Impact Printing. Table 1. Mysore Printing Cluster Details The conventional printing technology uses master plates. Before going into the actual printing process, a master plate Cluster Details has to be prepared. The master plate contains the image to be printed on to a substrate like paper, polyethylene etc. Name of the 1 Mysore Printers Cluster Depending upon how the master plate is prepared, there are Cluster various printing technologies. Mysore Engineering Cluster, # Name of the 2 331/A, SPV Hebbal Industrial Area, Mysore Age of the 3 30 years Cluster Address of the No. 441E, Hebbal Industrial 4 Cluster Area, Ring Road, Mysore - 16 Geographical 5 8 Km radius Total Units in 6 250 the Cluster Direct=1125, Indirect= 8,000 SC/ST= 50 Total Men= 900 (80) percent of total 7 Employment employment Direct/Indirect Women= 225 (20 percent) of Fig. 1Classification of Printing Technologies total employment Considering the conventional printing technology (which 70% Micro utilizes master plates), technically speaking, there are four 25% Small Scale 8 Type of Cluster fundamental methods of printing: 4% Medium Letterpress Printing (Image & Non-Image areas 1% Large Industry are in different planes) Letter heads, Business cards , Gravure Printing (Image & Non-Image areas are Text books, Pamphlets, in different planes) Journals, Wedding cards , Products of the Planographic Printing (Image & Non-Image areas 9 Labels, Hotel menus, Cluster are in same plane) Calendars, Receipt books , ID Screen Printing (This technique is based on screen Cards , Files ,Gift items and & stencil) Currency Printing Majority of the cluster Technology members own offset printing 3.2 Operation Process Flow Chart 10 used in the machines and some have screen Plate layout and design is carried out in software like Coral Cluster printing and digital printing Draw, Adobe or Photoshop. Plate is prepared by exposure, Average 11 Turnover of the Rs. 50 crore Cluster UAS - JMC 32 Vol 07, Issue 01 overhead dryer so that the ink is dried before it goes to the • Layout/Design next unit [4]. • Plate preparation Prepress After the substrate has been printed with all colors, the web may be fed through an additional overhead tunnel dryer so • Loading finalized plate in to offset machine • Offset printing as to remove the residual solvents or water. The finished Press product is then rewound onto a roll or is fed through the • Cutting cutter [4]. • Numbering • Binding, etc Post -press Fig. 2 Operation Process Flow Diagram washing etc. After post press process, wasted paper is collected for recycling purpose. Paper thickness used for printing varies from 74µm to 841µm based on the requirement. 4. FLEXOGRAPHY Flexography / Flexographic printing uses flexible (soft) printing plates made of rubber or plastic. The inked plates with a slightly raised image are rotated on a cylinder which transfers the image to the substrate. Flexography uses fast- drying inks, is a high-speed print process, which can be printed on many types of absorbent and non-absorbent materials [3]. Fig. 3 Process Flow Chart 4.2. Digital V/S Offset Printing Flexography is used primarily in the packaging industry, label, and newspaper printing. The first Flexography press Offset printing is preferable and more economical if larger was built in England and it is named as Aniline Printing, runs and formats are involved. However, for smaller runs, rubber printing plates were used with aniline oil-based inks. Digital Printing is a clear choice. It is also more It was mainly used for printing of food packaging. Ammonia customizable. Other major advantage of digital printing is and alcohol were used as ink dying agents; these can cause avoiding cumbersome pre-press steps, owing to the fact that air pollution. Pollution control was much needed for older Digital Printing is a master-less printing technology. inks [3]. 4.2.1 Comparison between Digital and Offset Printing 4.1. Process Flow of Flexography The major operations involved in Flexography printing, The pros and cons of both technologies based on present which are listed as: Image preparation, Plate making, state of art are tabulated below for better comparison [5]. Printing, Finishing. The process of printing each color on a Offset Printing Digital Printing flexo press consists of a series of four rollers: Allows the widest range of Difficult to reproduce Ink Roller colour re-production. colours accurately Meter Roller Plate Cylinder Bright florescence, Impression Cylinder Pantones, metallics, foils Pantone colours cannot be The ink is initially transferred from an ink pan to the meter and varnishes can all be reproduced roller or Anilox Roll (which is the second roller) by the first produced using this roller. The Anilox roller then meters the ink to a uniform method of printing. thickness onto the plate cylinder. The substrate then subsequently moves between the plate cylinder and the Allows the most accurate Colour consistency is poor impression cylinder, to the roller [4].