Arpico uplifts professionalism in the printing industry

Thursday, 24 April 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Arpico, the largest rubber manufacture and producer of state of the art rubber printing rollers in the Island has joined hands with INGRIN, the Institute of Printing and Graphics to enhance the skills of personnel in the printing and graphic industry. The collaboration between Arpico Printing Rollers and INGRIN, the only printing and graphic design institute in the island will help address a shortfall in skilled machine operators, a longstanding industry need that has often resulted in higher wastage and increased printing cost in the industry.

A recent workshop jointly organized by INGRIN and Arpico Printing Rollers provided much needed training on machine settings and quality controlling for production managers, executives, supervisors and machine operators in the industry. “I would like to emphasise that a person engaged in the printing industry should be trained in the theory and basics along with the scientific process of printing. Hands on experience alone will not make a competent professional. I’m confident that INGRIN’s collaboration with Arpico Rubber Rollers will provide the necessary knowledge and skills that the industry demands,” INGRIN Managing Director and CEO Ananda E. Wickramaratne said. Arpico’s state of the art rubber printing rollers is a huge cost saving for the industry as they can be reused in printing machines after re-rubberizing. Locally manufactured to the highest quality, Arpico rubber printing rollers cost only a fraction of printing rollers imported from European countries. “Arpico using its strengths in the rubber sector indentified the need of a quality rubber printing roller for the printing industry to further enhance print quality while reducing costs. We introduced a brand new and re-rubberized printing roller to the market. Now we are satisfying key printers in the industry and also helping the industry to bring down printing cost and time by providing quality rollers otherwise imported,” said Derrick Perera, Marketing Manager, Local Manufacturing & Distribution Sector of the Richard Pieris and Company PLC. It is estimated that there are around 3,500 plus printers in the Island but lack of technical knowhow in machine operations has reduced expected output and increased wastage. Untrained machine operators also fail to identify technical errors in machines and take remedial action. The above program will address the prevailing issue in the industry and further develop the skills of the personnel involved in the sector thereby enhancing the print quality of the industry while reducing cost. Richard Pieris Company PLC embraces a rich heritage of over 80 years. It is one of the largest and most successful diversified business conglomerates in Sri Lanka. The company is one of the oldest and one of the largest employment providers with an employee base of over 35,000 in the private sector. The company is a pioneer and dominant player in super markets, plantation, stock brokering, tyre, plastics, construction, finance and insurance industries. Richard Pieris and Company PLC is an unrivalled Sri Lankan institution loved and trusted by all. Spanning across the nation, it has been able to reach urban and rural markets alike. Today, Arpico, the primary brand has become a popular household name respected and readily available across the island.