For an entrepreneur with no screen-printing family background, to invest in the printing business, with its high capital spend, was a pipedream for Shabir Gani, founder of Kris Offset & Screen Printers. He started Kris Offset & Screen Printers in 1983. Yes, four decades ago.
And, at that time, Malawi had some of the big players in the industry largely supported by the government at that time. The church heavily supported one other competitor. Most of these big players have lost ‘steam’. Over the years the company with incremental investment in terms of money and space, Kris Offset & Screen Printers has developed into a company of considerable possibilities in the field of printing. In 1993, it became a limited company.
Located centrally at Ginnery Corner, opposite National Bank of Malawi Chichiri in Blantyre, Malawi, Kris Offset & Screen Printers with a drive to explore new areas of satisfying customers, procured and installed a modern and high-tech 10 color sheet fed and web offset presses machine. The company is always up-to-date with technological advancement to ensure market needs are met and that client’s corporate image is always best presented through quality print media.
According to the company’s marketing manager, Inshant Mistry, Kris Offset now produces almost everything in the field of printing, from prestigious annual reports and color work, to books, corrugated boxes, magazines, posters, calendars, business forms and stationery products. “We have also invested in a full automatic advanced perfect book binder, running at 6000 books per hour, hot-melt or PUR bound. This machine has the ASIR Program, which ensures perfection in pagination.”
Strategies Deployed
The Growth
The company believes their key strength lies in innovative management and skilled workers. The company offers services in a personalized way and tailored to meet individual and corporate needs. “We operate a modern factory and in house Graphics Studio with very creative Artists, Typesetters, Printers and Book Binders.” Says Ishant.
Competitive Advantage
The marketing manager attributes the installation of two high-tech presses as enabler to meet the needs of a diverse market that includes: Government, NGOs, Individuals, and Private Companies. “We respond in a challenging manner to our customers needs. We provide a professional service and endeavor to maintain a reputation built on quality and efficiency. You will note that Kris Offset has survived from industrial, political, technological challenges and from unstable economic climate that has prevailed in Malawi for some time now caused by high inflation rates that often times reduces the purchasing power of the print customers.” Ishant says.
You name it, they print it at Kris Offset & Screen Printers.