Coming from an agricultural background, his father started a business to make a living and today, five decades later, Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd. is one of the best printing presses in the country. “We had a launching pad and we were able to take off,” says Narendra Paruchuri, Chief Managing Director, Pragati Offset, which has put India on the map of excellence in printing.
Paruchuri Hanumantha Rao started the company exactly 54 years ago. “My father was a manager at Sarathi Studios. After it closed down, he started Pragati in 1962. My brother Mahendra and I belong to the second generation. My sons Harsha and Hemanth and Mahendra’s daughter Swathi are now taking Pragati to the next level,” shares Narendra, a chemical engineer, who worked as a precious metal electroplating engineer in Bangalore until he joined the family business in May 1978.
Not surprisingly, when he joined the press, he could not make out the head or tail of it at first, but his engineering background helped immensely. “I would get books, magazines, etc on printing and learn from them. Also, being from a technical background, I could look at new technology. Within a year, we took our first major step. We got the first computer-controlled photocomposing in South India and were able to serve all the advertising agencies. Our business grew manifold and we kept increasing our capacity,” recalls 64-year-old Narendra, who even subscribed to magazines from the US and UK to keep abreast with the latest developments in the business. More so, regular visits to the best exhibitions in the world, such as DRUPA in Germany, added to his knowledge about printing.
THE EARLY HURDLES
Talking about the challenges along the way, the self-effacing man says, “Initially when I joined the business, it was such a problem to import machinery. We could get only one license every two years. The biggest change came when the government of India introduced Open General License. We could import anything we wanted and grew at a very good pace thereon.”
Interestingly, the first funding that their press received was from APSFC, the state’s finance corporation. Narendra says that they were very helpful in supporting the business from 1977 to 1990. But, he adds, “We outgrew their limits. APIIC, IFCI and Andhra Bank then helped our expansion till 1997. Since then, we are a zero debt company. Internal accruals financed the growth.”
When his father started the business, the concentration was only to get their ‘roti, kapda aur makan’ in place. “Later on, we added a Maruti car. Once that happened, everything else was only incremental steps. I am very happy that from a time when we were sent away from school every month, for not paying '3 fees, we are now here,” shares Narendra.
EVOLVING WITH TIME
One of Pragati’s early initiatives that paid off very well was to opt for computerisation. “We did this in 1992. I still remember that my first computer had no floppy disc and had 1 MB ram. But the software we built made giving quotations easy and quick. This really helped us grow very fast and do our job with minimal mistakes,” explains Narendra.
Four years later, in 1996, in order to build visibility on the web, ‘www.pragati.com’ was registered. It was then that the decision to branch out into packaging was also taken. “I could sense that the web would be the biggest competition to our business. So, we launched our packaging division. In about 18 years, from 1997 to 2015, the packaging division overtook the commercial print division. We are happy that we were able to take the right decision,” says the soft-spoken man.
Always curious by nature, Narendra further shares how technology plays a key role in the business. “We are clear in our thoughts that we know more about printing than our clients. It is natural as we do it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So looking around the world, identifying the right technology for India, bringing it home and showing it off helps getting many to use the technology,” he says.
A firm believer of ‘hire for attitude, train for skill’, he says, “Today, in India, the biggest obstacle to the the Make in India campaign is skilling. We are not getting people who want to learn and excel.”
A heartwarming and noteworthy side of Pragati’s business is their charitable trust which provides medical help to villagers and helps kids’ education.
THE FRUITS OF HARD WORK
From being the best in Lakdi Ka Pul to the most posh areas of Hyderabad, Pragati gained the reputation as the best printer in South India. It then went on to become the most awarded press in the country. From 2000 to 2012, they were titled the Asian Printer of the Year by the South African Pulp and Paper Incorporated (SAPPI). They also went on to become the International Printer of the Year in 2006. About this, Narendra says, “We consider this title to be one of our best achievements. We got it for a book we printed for Omega watches. A printer from India to be rated as the best was a moment of crowning glory. We repeated this feat in 2008 and 2010. We were the runners-up till 2012, when this competition was shut down by SAPPI. This craze of competing globally and using cutting-edge technologies to be in the race put us ahead of most printers. And this helped us grow our business.”
Success mantra
When PM Modiji said Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas (together we can prosper)’, I could not agree more. The most important thing is my team. It is not enough that I alone prosper. Everyone in the team should be happy and satisfied
Other passions
I like to read and watch movies with my wife Kola Sasikala. We watch TV/Netflix/Amazon Prime regularly. I would like to travel more.
First client
Our first big client was Time & Space advertising agency and their client SBH.
USP
We are not a vendor or a supplier. We are a part of the clients’ team. We know more about printing than our client does and so, it is our job to stretch their buck.
The third gen at work
My eldest son Harsha, who graduated in printing technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, joined the press in the year 2000. He is adept at colour management and his work enables us to print predictable quality. In fact, today, the paint industry is a big vertical for Pragati. We can print the colour of various paint shades accurately. Hemanth looks after the packaging division. Swathi looks after admin, certifications and collections
