Vertex focuses on platemaking and produces 1,600 plates per day for 100+ print companies in Rajkot. During (and after) the pandemic, digital printing in Rajkot has seen a 300% rise, against a 90% decline in commercial offset print.

That’s how Vertex diversified into flexo printing, establishing Vimal Flexoprint and a greenfield label plant in Balsar, Rajkot. It became the first in the city to set up a label printing plant.

Jitubhai Kamani, along with his son Prit and nephew Dhaval spotlight the journey as a digital plate supplier.

The Kamanis’ decision to venture into label-making was driven by a desire to diversify and tap new opportunities in the printing industry.

“We researched for six to seven months. We started by learning about the machines, both locally and internationally manufactured ones. Our offset customers notified us that the roll form is good,” says Dhaval.

“We do what no one has done before. Even in terms of plate-making, we bought Asia’s first very large format (VLF) plate-making machine in 2016. We have two VLFs among  our CTCP machines, and one of which is Fuji. The first machine we purchased was to cater to Morbi’s requirements,” says Kamani.

Vimal Flexoprint ordered the Nilpeter FB 430 flexo press in June 2022. It was delivered in November 2022 and installed within 15 days. When asked about the challenges in the label-making domain without prior experience, Dhaval and Prit Kamani emphasised the technical research to grasp the intricacies of label-making machinery and processes. “It took five months for the machine to arrive. In the meantime, we had begun looking for customers,” said Dhaval.