Noida signage players optimistic about return of market normalcy soon

• Pushp India
  Beyond conventional borders

Having been active over the last three decades, Pushp India has been an influential signage player engaging in execution of promotional campaigns for big brands. The company is a brainchild of Vishnu Mittal who opened a sign making shop in Meerut in 1978. The company’s journey into the signage industry is a new way of looking at innovative and outstanding advertising solutions. “My father opened the company with a vision to break the rules of convention and to change the face of the signage and advertising industry,” says Nitin Mittal, Director, Pushp India Ltd.

Today, Pushp India boasts of a state-of-the-art facility in Noida, which is equipped with a line of high-end machines backed by a team of highly trained sign making professionals. Some of the key machines in the facility include Colorjet Irisjet Pro printer, VersaCAMM VS-640i printer, HP Latex 315, Dilli UV flatbed, Tigertec TR510 CNC router, Graphtec plotter and others. “Our forte lies in understanding the need of our clients to provide them best quality service and products. We visualise, design, fabricate, transport and install,” emphasises Nitin.

Services of Pushp India extend pan India with its dedicated team of 200 professional ready to work on short notices. The company has its branches in Bengaluru, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar. “We always have a goal to seamlessly provide our clients a direction and support them in their brand promotional campaigns or initiatives,” says Nitin. Some of the long-term customers of Pushp India include Samsung, Jack Daniel, UltraTech Cement as well as leading ad agencies like DDB Mudra Group and McCann. On the impact of pandemic on their business, Nitin says it did some, but they have recovered more than 60 percent now. Pushp India is an authorised 3M convertor.

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• Adprints
  Laser-cut signage specialist

Adprint has been a household name in the region’s market, known to everyone for its laser-cut sign solutions. Incepted in the year 2005 as a mere flex printing corner, the company transformed into a new avatar in 2012 with the installation of a Micro Laser engraving machine. “Since the adoption of the laser engraving machine, we changed our focus from flex printing to laser engraving. After that we are recognised by many in the industry as a laser-cut signage specialist,” says Ravi Chauhan of Aprints.

He continues, “Then we discontinue our flex printing and fully engage in laser engraving.” Regarding the current market situation, Ravi mentions that business of Adprints was critically hit by the pandemic around seven months back. “We were almost shut down, around 90 percent of our business was down, some staff left,” he says, adding that the company’s team of 12 signage professionals is now only of 4.

“However, we are seeing a gradual resurrection in business in the market these days. We have regained near about 20 percent of our business volume now. What we expect is everything would be normal soon and our clients start engaging in their promotional campaigns,” says Ravi. Adprint has been instrumental in signage and branding projects for a host of reputed companies which include reputed hotels and resorts across north India. Its clientele are dotted around Delhi-NCR, Bihar, UP, Uttarakhand, among others.

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• Blue Monk Ads
  Old bastion in new avatar

Blue Monk Ads is a division of Growth Advertising, which is considered to be one of the oldest signage companies in Delhi-NCR. “My father Mukhtiyar Singh started Growth Advertising around 20 years back when there were limited machines and technologies for signage production. There was mainly manual job done with cutting plotter and acrylic sheet. From time to time, we have upgraded our production facility and branched out our units,” says Abhay Singh, Business Head, Blue Monk Ads.

Blue Monk Ads was established five years back with an objective to handle projects for corporate clients. “We have installed a Skycolor eco-solvent printer, Spirit laser engraving machine and Graphtec plotter. What we have been planning is to upgrade this production facility with a new set of machines. But our plan has been put on hold because of the pandemic,” shares Abhay.

When asked about the impact of the pandemic at Blue Monk Ads, Abhay says it disturbed 100 percent of the company’s business. “It was a total shutdown for us. Now, we have recovered 40 percent, but still some in our team have to come back,” he adds. Blue Monk Ads primarily engages in signage projects involving events and exhibitions as well as others. Some of the company’s key customers are Michelle Tyre, BSNL, ICISA, etc. Beyond north India, the company works at pan India level, taking up projects in other cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru.

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• Acort Media Advertising
  Locally acclaimed PSP

Over the last 10 years. Acort Media Advertising has spread its footprints around many cities and towns in Delhi-NCR and beyond. Mahesh Kumar, Proprietor of this popular PSP says that their activities were quite confined in Noida when they first started working for some limited customers in the area. “Then it would be a sort of words of mouth that spread about us among customers who are based outside Delhi-NCR. Today, we work for customers based in other cities and towns like Mathura, Agra and many in Uttarakhand,” he mentions.

When asked about the profiles of their customers, Mahesh informs that they don’t work for big corporate customers. “Of course, we used to work for a handful of big corporate brands. But we were quite upset in terms of delayed payments of those big companies. That’s why we stopped partnering with them. We simply work for local customers that include hotels, departmental shops, associations, etc,” he mentions.

Regarding the impact of COVID-19 in the overall business of Acort Media Advertising, Mahesh says they have lost everything during the peak lockdown period. “Our staff left us. We had a team of 15. It’s only 10 now and we somehow manage with such minimalism. And by god’s grace, we have now recovered 55 percent of our lost business volume,” he informs. The next level plan of Acort Media Advertising, according to Mahesh, is that their production facility with new advanced machines and equipment. Currently, the facility is equipped with an Allwyn printer with KM i512 printhead and a line of finishing equipments.

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• V.V.T. Communications
  Automotive solution expert

Having been active in the last two and a half decades, working particularly for automotive clients, V.V.T. Communications deals not only in signage and graphic projects but also fixtures and corporate furniture. “Nearly 90 percent of our business turnover is from the automotive segment,” informs Alok Hutchinson, Vice President, V.V.T. Communications Pvt Ltd. The company provides services for corporate identity, sales identity and branding collaterals.

The execution records of V.V.T. Communications in India include the launch campaigns of global brands like KIA and Morris Garages (MG) along with brand refresh of Hyundai, Piaggio, Eicher, Renault, Tata, Ashok Leyland, Maruti Suzuki and other major automotive companies. The company has a production facility of more than 40000 sq ft area equipped with a line of advanced machines such as EZ CNC router, Biesse Jade 240 edge-banding machine, Altendorf WA 8NT panel cutter and others, handled by a team of 150 plus sign making professionals.

Regarding the impact of the pandemic on the company’s business, Alok says it has been a big blow, but things are moving in a new normal way. “Despite the fact that the market has been hit hard by the pandemic, we somehow maintain a way to keep business running. We are now active online. All are now doing fine through video conferences. This is how we keep our business alive and kicking in this unprecedented time,” informs Alok.

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• SK Signage
  Meeting every customer’s need

Incepted in the year 2011, SK Signage has its ambition of being a PSP which could meet the need of every customer around Delhi-NCR. “We are very much confined in Delhi-NCR area. Most of our customers are based in this region only. We have a small production facility equipped with a Roland VersaEXPRESS RF-640 and some finishing systems,” says Rakesh Kumar, Proprietor, SK Signage. The company has a team of 12 well-trained sign-making professionals.

When asked about the impact of COVID-19 on the overall business of the company, Rakesh says that it’s about 60 percent of their business was down during the peak lockdown period. “But we see the market now reviving slowly with possibility that there will be normalcy to be resumed by next five to six months, for sure,” he observes. During the lockdown period, SK Signage worked for some local companies such as departmental stores and utility companies to produce COVID-19 related signage solutions and other graphic campaigns.

“COVID-19 crisis is a big lesson we have learned for handling such a situation where there exists limited resources for survival. As the situation has not yet recovered fully we need to live in a time of so-called new normal. In a way, the signage players are among the front-liners who take part in fighting the pandemic crisis. We must get something out of this crisis and learn to live to an extent,” conveys Rakesh.

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• Divy Sai Graphics & Printers
  All under one roof

Being a printing corner which offers prints of all kinds under its roof, Divy Sai Graphics & Printers is one of the oldest firms of its kind in Noida. Narrating its background, KS Chaudhary, who is at the helm of the company, says they were sole commercial printer engaging in printing cards, brochures, leaflets, pamphlets, etc. “It was the growing market of signage and graphic arts, which attracted us to open a digital wide-format production facility equipped with an Allwyn printer and a line of finishing machines like laminators.

Over the years, Divy Sai Graphics & Printers has been a printing corner where some good old clients come down for printing of all sorts. “Apart from digital large-format printing, we have an offset press for commercial printing. Such printing activities of all kinds can offer our clients anything they want—right from business card to billboard graphics,” mentions SK Chaudhary. Some of the old customers of company in its client list are Samsung, Aditya Birla, to mention a few.

Divy Sai Graphics & Printers is also one of the companies whose business has been affected badly by the pandemic. “Yes, like many others in the industry we have been affected by the pandemic. We have deducted our manpower from 14 staffers to 6,” mentions SK Chaudhary. However, he is optimistic about the return of normalcy in the market. In this respect, he observes that businesses in the market have now been gaining pace of recovery and everything will be alright hopefully by March 2021.

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• Anupam Graphics
  Complete solution provider

Anupam Graphics is yet another household name in the signage market of Delhi-NCR which has a proven record of being a PSP known for providing complete signage solutions. The company boasts of a state-of-the-art production facility equipped with a line of HP Latex and dye-sublimation machines, such as HP Latex 570, Mimaki JV150-160 dye sublimation printer and many others. “We have a complete range of printing and finishing machines, with a team of 40 well-trained and experienced professionals,” says Anoop Gupta, Managing Director, Anup Graphics India Pvt Ltd.

When it comes to counting the companies for whom Anupam Graphics has been working with, Anoop says that they partner with a host of ad agencies and sign makers based in different metro cities and towns all over India. “Mostly, we don’t directly involve with the big companies for whom we have carried out pan-India promotional campaigns and large-scale projects. We partner with ad agencies,” he adds. Over the last few years, the company has upgraded its activities involving applications such as textile prints and interior decors.

Concerning the impact of COVID-19 in the industry in general and at Anupam Graphics, in particular, Anoop mentions that the pandemic has brought the worst ever blow in the company’s business till date. “We were literally shut down during the lockdown period. However, we never let the spirit of our staff down. There has been no layoff, no salary cut … we keep everything under control,” shares Anoop, adding that the pandemic creates a situation of running business in a new normal.

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• Shri Balaji Advertising & Marketing|
  Quality print corner

Since its inception in the year 2003, Shri Balaji Advertising & Marketing has been a one-stop-shop for quality signage print and solution. The company boasts of a production facility which is well equipped with a line of high-end machines. The portfolio consists of an HP Latex 570, Mimaki JV300 eco-solvent printer and others. The company is a brainchild of Rakesh Kumar who has been a veteran in the signage market of Delhi-NCR.

“Though we unveiled our digital wide-format printing facility around 17 years ago, we involved in the sign making business long before that when there were nothing or barely any advanced printing machines or technologies in the market,” says Rakesh, adding that Shri Balaji Advertising & Marketing was active in hand-made sign board making business in the 1980s and early 1990s. Today, the company boasts of a well-equipped production facility and a team of 10 well-experienced sign making professionals.

The company has been quite active during the lockdown period. “We were hit by the pandemic. However, we somehow managed to engage in some COVID-19 related projects during the lockdown. This is how we learn to live in such unprecedented situation,” mentions Rakesh. The company has been closely partnered with a host of corporate companies such as LG, Honda, Bata and others for years. They handle projects at pan-India level by tying up with some third party PSPs based in other cities.

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• SBS Ad
  Cut-signage corner

SBS Ad has been a popular signage company in the Delhi-NCR. Incepted around 10 years back as a flex printing corner, the company no longer engages in printing job. Three years back the overall activity of the company switched to laser engraving only after its production facility was transformed after the installation of a pair of Spirit laser engraving machines. “We are now exploring the increasing prospect of laser engraved items and signage systems. This domain has a wide scope if we can do some creative task with little innovations,” says Rizwan Raja, Proprietor, SBS Ad.

The key activities of SBS Ad include making of steel letters, etched plates, mementoes, moving LED displays, standies, etc. “LED signage is another area where we would like to expand our activities. This sector has a lot to be explored,” says Rizwan, adding that they have contacted some companies for LED-embedded signage projects to be executed in Noida and others in Delhi. Most of the projects of SBS Ad had been put on hold due to the lockdown.

“The pandemic has affected everything. We now run our company with only three people. Hopefully the market will be open after a few months as offices are now gradually opening,” observes Rizwan, adding optimistically that they are planning to hire more people to handle some new projects which are likely to execute in a few months.