By Satyajeet Satpathy, Director, Sales & Marketing, Epson India Pvt. Ltd.
In the realm of textile printing, Epson India has stood as a beacon of innovation, addressing challenges and embracing opportunities. Our exclusive conversation with Mr. Satyajeet Satpathy, Director Sales and Marketing at Epson India, delves into the company’s performance, revolutionary solutions, and ambitious future endeavors.
Mr. Satpathy reflects on Epson’s 2023 journey, characterizing it as a mixed year globally, especially in developed economies, while India experienced robust growth. With a FY 2022 turnover of Rs 2,191 Crores, the year 2023 witnessed a commendable 16% growth, spanning diverse segments like Inkjet Printers, Projectors, Robots, and notably, Textile Printers, buoyed by heightened awareness of digital textile printing benefits.
Textile Printing Solutions
Delving into Epson’s offerings for the textile and apparel industry, Mr. Satpathy outlines three key solutions:
Dye Sublimation: Ideal for fast fashion, home décor, sportswear, and soft signage, this transfer printing technology is designed for polyester fabrics. Operating with a dry technology that eliminates water usage, it has become integral in Surat’s fast fashion fabric printing.
Direct-to-Garment: Catering to on-demand printing companies, this technology prints directly on finished garments like T-shirts and hoodies, compatible with dyed and white fabrics. It seamlessly complements analog technology and aligns with the dynamics of e-commerce and drop shipment markets.
Direct-to-Fabric: Facilitating direct printing on various fabric types using specific inks for different materials, this technology suits textile processing and printing mills. It is particularly effective for intricate design printing and short to medium run length jobs, resembling analog screen-printing post-processing.
New Products and Innovations
The year 2023 witnessed the launch of cutting-edge products across categories:
Dye Sublimation: The SC-F6430, in 44″ size with 4-color options, and the F6430H in 6-color options, specifically designed for sportswear and fast fashion printing requirements.
Direct-to-Garment: The SC-F2230 printer with a printing size of 16″x20″, catering to on-demand printing companies with a monthly volume of around 1000 pieces.
Direct-to-Fabric: Innovative additions showcased at the ITMA exhibition, including the ML13000, an In-line pre/post-treatment pigment ink printer, the ML16000 HY, a hybrid printer capable of printing various inks on dyed fabric, the ML24000 with the widest color gamut, and the Dual channel ML32000, providing versatility for a wide variety of fabrics. The ML8000 REAC introduces a Reactive + Acid ink combination, facilitating the printing of natural and polyamide fabrics.
Digital Evolution: Acknowledging the generational shift towards digital printing, Mr. Satpathy observes the increasing transition from analog to digital printers, especially for medium and short-run jobs. Recognizing the swift evolution of fashion trends and the pursuit of limited inventory by brands, Epson is actively contributing to this shift. Leveraging its direct sales and support infrastructure, Epson positions itself as the sole brand manufacturing all key components – printer, print head, ink, and software. The Textile Solution Centre in Bangalore further enhances customer engagement through demonstrations, trials, and sampling.
Epson’s Holistic Approach
In a fiercely competitive Textile Printing Machine segment, Mr. Satpathy emphasizes the unique advantages that make Epson stand out. Epson provides a complete solution, manufacturing key components in-house, from printing to pre-treatment and post-treatment. This holistic approach serves as a significant advantage. The Textile Solution Centre operates as a central hub, offering tailored consultations to address specific challenges faced by customers. Epson takes a customer-centric approach, understanding the nuances of each client’s concerns. Unlike engaging in direct competition solely based on pricing, Epson focuses on providing the best possible solutions, aiming to assist customers confidently transition from analog to digital printing. Epson plays a pivotal role in facilitating this transformative journey.
Indian Market
Addressing Epson’s presence in the Indian market, Mr. Satpathy clarifies that Epson India does not manufacture printers locally. Instead, it imports finished goods from Epson, Japan. Epson India is primarily engaged in the sales, marketing, and servicing of these imported products. Leveraging a robust infrastructure built over three decades, Epson India plays a crucial role in delivering Epson’s cutting-edge solutions to the Indian market.
Epson boasts a strong presence in fabric, apparel, and home textile segments. The previous year witnessed remarkable digital printing achievements, with 1.2 crore meters digitally printed on Epson direct-to-garment printers and over 24 crore meters using Epson dye sublimation printers. These numbers reflect exponential growth as more consumers embrace Epson’s innovative products.
Service and availability of spare parts are paramount to any machine supplier’s success. Epson stands out by offering a comprehensive annual maintenance contract, inclusive of boards and print heads—the only company to do so in India. The key selling point for Epson is its robust service infrastructure, featuring 15 warehouses across India for faster response to customer requirements. Moreover, Epson leverages technology by offering remote diagnostics to ensure maximum machine uptime for customers.
Championing Sustainability
In the era of stringent sustainability norms, Epson leads the way in supporting customers to achieve their sustainability goals. Gaining control over water usage, Epson’s third-generation pigment inks provide a wide color gamut and excellent fastness. These inks meet the key requirements for customers aiming to scale up their businesses sustainably. Epson actively expands its pigment ink solutions in various segments, including home décor, men’s shirts/fashion, and kids wear.
Outlook
As India marches towards becoming a USD 5 Trillion economy, with significant investments expected in manufacturing, the textile industry is poised to be a pivotal player in this growth. Epson anticipates bullish growth in the Indian textile industry, with projections indicating $250 billion in textile production and $100 billion in exports by 2030, contributing 5% to GDP. As India aims to become a top global exporter and contribute over 10% to global textile production by 2030, Epson foresees immense opportunities in the digital printing market. With a projected growth trajectory of 13.0% between 2023 and 2033, Epson aligns itself with the burgeoning sustainable fashion market and the custom clothing market led by e-commerce. Epson’s commitment to introducing new products regularly aims to offer high-quality printing, efficiency, ease of use, and a reduced environmental impact, aligning with the industry’s evolving needs.
Epson’s growth in the Indian market for textile printers has been formidable since actively promoting dye sublimation textile printers in 2013. Currently holding a substantial 42% market share in dye sublimation and a growing 6% market share in direct-to-fabric products, Epson charts an ambitious future. Strategic growth plans aim for a minimum 30% market share in direct-to-fabric printers by 2028, sustaining and expanding market share in dye sublimation, and securing a 40% market share in direct-to-garment printers by 2028. These targets align with Epson’s anticipation of achieving a robust 20% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the next five years, ensuring Epson’s pivotal role in shaping the future of textile printing in India.
