Deep in print

Kamil Jach: In the early 1980s you came to Poland. What happened next?

Swapan Chaudhuri: In 1988 I started to work for the Internum Company, which sold handmade products to Polish immigrants in the US, Canada and so on. In 1990 I moved to a company that was selling electronics in Poland and re-exporting to Russia. Then, in 1991, I became a sales and business director at Spaar, which was then acquired by Xerox, and I took the position of sales business development manager, later to be promoted to country general manager. Twelve years later I established Xteam, a small company in the beginning, and now one of the major players in the printing market. There is also my consulting company as well as the Henn Group, which is going to be more into traditional publishing, while Xteam is more into desktop publishing and digital technology.

What are the newest trends in printing in Poland?

It is becoming digitalized very quickly. The gap between the traditional and digital printing techniques gets wider every month. Digital printing has completely different customer needs and possibilities. Traditional printing takes time and has a limited spectrum of possible action, because it is surrounded by technique-related borders. Digital printing is becoming more and more individual-focused. If you go to a traditional printing company and try to order 100 business cards or 50 calendars you will probably have problems with it as they are used to accepting only big deals. A digital-printing company will make whatever you want in the numbers you desire, no problem. Of course, traditional printing is still needed by many, and I dare not say it will vanish.

Is there still room in Poland for investments related to the printing business?

Certainly. After the 2002 and 2003 recession many companies went bankrupt. Those who survived are doing very well now but the market is not as packed as it used to be a couple of years ago. Therefore, there is room for printing businesses in Poland now and some companies have been eyeing up Poland for some time. Lately RR Donnelley & Sons bought out Poligrafia SA, for example.

If you were talking to a foreign investor willing to invest money in the Polish printing sector, what would you tell him?

If it were an experienced printing company, which has dealt with this business for some time, I'd say they would have a broad choice of action. The first possibility, and one of the easiest, is to buy a company already existing in the market and run it. Many people have done it. The second option is to establish a business from the very beginning, find partners who can help to develop the basics and go on with the rest. This option is just theoretical.

Are there still unexplored areas of the printing business in Poland?

Of course. The market is pretty loose right now and obviously there are some specialist areas, like, for example, the whole area of packaging. There are not many companies who deal with printing materials for all types of packages. I think it would be a good shot.

Interviewed by Kamil Jach