Regulars / Q&A | 49Out of the 51 years Sahni has spent in business, 46 were spent in labels aloneto stay connected with small and big players in the industry. “When they give you an award such L&L: What changes have you witnessed in the label industry? as this, it seems like an end of a HS: Until about a certain period, when printing evolved and self-adhesive labels that were invented by R Stanton Avery, the label journey but for me, it is not an end. industry in India was somewhat stable. Self-adhesive labels were being produced on a fat bed letterpress printing machine in roll form. It is an inspiration for generations Changes started happening when fexo came in. There were a lot of that follow”changes in printing, converting and embellishment from letterpress to fexo to digital to hybrid. India. My friendship with Douglas Emslie, Roger Pellow and Lisa Then the label application technology also changed over the years. Milburn was very vibrant, supportive and indulgent. And then making It went from unsupported glue applied plain labels to self-adhesive India Label Show a success and supporting Tarsus and Anil Arora, to wrap around to shrink sleeves now linerless labels to digital on founder of India label show to come together were among the big product. highlights of my career. In terms of speed, technology evolved right from earliest screen printed labels that were produced one label at a time in sheets to L&L: What are some of the best lessons you’ve learned in 5-7in wide slow fatbed presses in roll form. And they were doing your career? 5-10m/min. Now there are fexo presses that can print over 200m/HS: There are four major lessons I have learned. I had a platform min and are going wider than 500mm. Even hybrid and digital label that I inherited from which I later established Weldon Celloplast. presses are printing over 100m per min now. Inheritance was just a stepping stone and not a story scripted in Waste matrix removal became more effcient as shapes got stone. One has to move out of that inheritance and do something complex. Technology is changing every day. on one’s own. The second learning was that in case of disruptive times in L&L: What trends are you observing among your customers? business, one needs to move out of comfort zone. One must never HS: I am noticing that large label printers who are growing have be scared to do this because success comes to those who get out of certain reservations about multinationals coming in the market their comfort zone. I was comfortable in stationary, but I moved out with takeovers happening and posing intense competition. They of it. I got comfortable in siliconizing but again, I moved out of there are growing but are open to being acquired. The number of larger as well. Indian label players of the industry is shrinking at the top level due My passion and forte is networking. You are as valuable as your to acquisitions and or mergers. There is constant worry about network. You should always be a giver and you can rise in life. the return on large investments made in high-end printing and The fnal reason why I think I got the award is my willingness to converting machines.learn and share my knowledge. It is key to be knowledgeable to be However, when you look at the other half of the industry or the accepted and searched by the industry. You will be able to help others bottom of triangle, they are now able to compete with the big with your knowledge. If you are a giver, naturally the word spreads players. The smaller-scale businesses, that make up the bigger portion and you are accepted. of label printers, have also started growing steadily. Marking your presence in all industry events is an important thing. Local printing machine manufacturers are coming of age and I was the frst Indian labelstock manufacturer to exhibit in Labelexpo getting acceptability. They are exporting as well. They are offering all Europe. It is one of the highlights of my career and another was being kinds of modular presses and automation which is a very good sign. the frst Indian to be on the Finat committees. I never shied away However, there’s a concern that unless driven by print buyers from sharing my knowledge. If someone comes to you with an idea, or the need for innovation, Indian label converters do not take up my thinking is eventually they will do it. But if you help them, they high-cost investments. Most expansions are driven by print buyers or will remember, and it goes a long way. I tried to give back and I tried by forward-looking converters who innovate to get a better return on Oct - Dec 2022