Enhanced services and wider printing range thanks to brand-new ROLAND 900
by Wang Sen, from Printing Manager Magazine
Caidian District, located in the western suburbs of Wuhan and in the east of Jianghan Plain, enjoys tremendous advantages in geography and transportation, as it borders Han River in the north, Tongshun River in the south, Yangtze River in the east, and Xiantao in the west.
That’s where you can find the national-level Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone. And it’s also the site of Wuhan Lianchuang Xingsheng Packaging Co., Ltd.
Wuhan’s strong industrial support, bustling economy and thriving consumer market, coupled with the sound development strategy of Central China, allowed enterprises like Lianchuang Packaging to grow and prosper.
Lianchuang Packaging specialises in designing, printing and processing of large-format packaging products including corrugated cardboards, cartons and color boxes.
Founded in 2014, Lianchuang Packaging quickly made a name for itself.
The company’s general manager, Mr. Liu Qi, is a native of Chaoshan, whose traditional values of “courtesy, righteousness, peace, harmony and governance” could easily be seen in him.
During the interview, Mr. Liu spoke calmly and naturally. Through his placid narrative, the success story of a packaging printer started to unfold.
The two founders of Wuhan Lianchuang Xingsheng Packaging Co., Ltd. Liu Qi is on the left.
Service-oriented Lianchuang Packaging speeding into the fast lane
Since its establishment, Lianchuang Packaging has positioned itself in the structural design of industrial products, with focus on customised packaging services. With its professional designers and versatile packaging R&D and design, the company became popular in the advantageous industries including the ones of 3C and auto parts in Hubei. Furthermore, with its advanced printing equipment and rigorous management, Lianchuang Packaging provides customers with one-stop service — from design, plate making and printing to postprint processing.
Service is the cornerstone of Lianchuang Packaging. In Mr. Liu’s point of view, this is also a key reason why the company has maintained an annual growth rate of about 30% in recent years. The service capabilities of Lianchuang Packaging are reflected in its process design competence, guarantee of product quality, as well as on-demand and on-time delivery.
“For Lianchuang Packaging, service means responsibility,” says Mr. Liu, who proceeds to provide an example of how the company goes out of its way to help customers.
One of Lianchuang Packaging’s customers in the automobile industry, which has an annual sales of 100 billion RMB, could not operate as usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It had to invest its limited strength and resources in the production of auto parts. Because of this, its demand for cartons increased by 200%.
However, the pandemic caused a shortage in various resources and drove up the price of raw materials. On top of that, the skyrocketing customer demand and all the safety measures required for the resumption of work and production put Lianchuang Packaging under tremendous pressure.
“At that time, the cost of paper had already increased by 60% plus the force majeure or the pandemic. We had sufficient reasons not to receive these additional orders. However, we need to keep our promises and shoulder the responsibilities as a qualified supplier,” says Mr. Liu.
From Mr. Liu’s point of view, this is not only a matter of honoring a contract — it is also about showing Lianchuang Packaging’s reliability and earning the confidence of customers. During the entire overtime production process, the Lianchuang Packaging team worked so hard to overcome various difficulties with great passion. The result: timely delivery of a huge order of cartons and packaging for auto parts.
In another case, the printing color restoration degree was not enough due to the problem of the paper provided by the customers. The customer was getting very anxious when the delivery time was approaching. Lianchuang Packaging’s pre-press technicians tried their best to modify the plates and colors to ensure on-time delivery. Touched by the gesture, the customer told Mr. Liu: “Not many companies could solve the problems like you do.”
With its credibility, Lianchuang Packaging won the hearts of customers and boosted the development of the company.
Product upgrade — Manroland helps Lianchuang Packaging move to the next level
At present, Lianchuang Packaging’s annual carton output exceeds 2 million square meters. The company’s overall scale has begun to take shape. However, Mr. Liu has a bigger vision.
Lianchuang Packaging has two options for the future: one is to continuously expand the business of the traditional carton products with its accumulated customer base and enhanced reputation; the other is to implement a product upgrade and offer more exquisitely printed color cartons and color box packaging.
After an in-depth analysis of the future outlook of the large-format packaging market, Mr. Liu chose the second option. “In the future, the large-format packaging market will become more distinct and customers will also need more personalized services,” he says. “We must respond to the trend of small-batch, diversified and high-quality product orders.”
The second option required improvements in the production capacity, specifically an upgrade from the original watermarking equipment to offset printing machines. After considering the performance, price and after-sales service of printing equipment from different suppliers, Mr. Liu’s attention was caught by the brand-new Manroland ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset.
In the past, the large-format packaging market in Central China was dominated by the four-color sheetfed offsets. Even the five-color machines were hard to find. Lianchuang Packaging filled the gap in the Central China market by introducing a large-format six-color sheetfed offset. Although it took risks, Lianchuang Packaging embraced better market opportunities at the same time.
Before the introduction of the ROLAND 900 six-color large format printing machine, the local large format packaging customers seldom ordered the six-color printing products. However, the arrival of ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset changed all that; it brought more choices to the Hubei printing market six-color printing can now be completed in one run. This saves a lot of secondary printing costs for the customers who have more color needs — and it provides more color choices too! For the customers, choosing Lianchuang Packaging means richer color reproduction and stronger brand expression. On top of that, anti-counterfeiting function is available.
Thanks to the larger format, the packaging printing range has grown. Some printing orders that used to go to East China and South China have also begun to return to the Hubei market. As for the previously unmet color box printing needs of some old customers, Lianchuang Packaging can now take care of those needs with its one-stop solutions. With its professionalism, multi-dimensional approach and improved technical capabilities, the company provides the customers with more value-added services.
Lianchuang Packaging’s business scope has significantly grown since the installation of its ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset. More importantly, product quality is guaranteed. It has become more efficient too in production, saving both time and cost. Understandably, it has been receiving more job orders.
As the Chinese economy recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market demand has soared in a short period of time. Packaging orders have risen rapidly, particularly since the fourth quarter of 2020. The ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset helped Lianchuang Packaging to meet the rapidly increasing demand with ease.
“In the future, the large format packaging market will come across many changes: one is the trend of centralization, and the other is the trend of specialization,” Mr. Liu says.
According to Mr. Liu’s projection, the centralized production of varieties and small batches will become the mega trend. During this process, the market will foster an environment for labor division and collaboration. The concentration and specialization of each company in their segments will also continue to improve during the market collaboration, building a positive cycle of corporate development. The introduction of ROLAND 900 six-color large format sheetfed offset is a great boost for Lianchuang Packaging in hitting its development goals.
Do not blindly expand the scale, but intensively cultivate the market segments; do not blindly upgrade production capacity but emphasize service first; do not blindly pursue profits but focus on future development. For the seven years since its establishment, Lianchuang Packaging has always focused on the customers’ needs. It is neither reckless nor conservative in its business approach. With a deep insight into the market and a boundless enthusiasm and focus on the industry, Lianchuang Packaging has grown steadily. Now, with the strong support of ROLAND 900, the company’s path to its future development will become broader than ever. Expect more positive surprises in the future.
About Manroland Sheetfed
Manroland Sheetfed GmbH is a leading German producer of sheetfed offset litho printing presses. Founded in 1871, the company is one of the oldest producers of printing presses in the world. Today the company has its own subsidiaries in over 40 countries and is a global watchword for supreme quality and reliability. Manroland Sheetfed GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the privately owned UK engineering group, Langley Holdings plc.