Leading Digital Label Printing in the UAE MarketLeading Digital Label Printing in the UAE Market
Sigma Middle East Label Industries is in the business of manufacturing self-adhesive labels. Located in the United Arab Emirates, Sigma is one of the leading manufacturers of self-adhesive labels. They have been in the industry since 2010 under the ownership and care of Mr. Jagannath M Wagle.
Sigma is based out of Ajman and operates with a workforce of 55 employees catering primarily to the food, cosmetics, cargo, and courier industries. With over 10 years’ experience in the industry, Sigma has been providing professional printed self-adhesive and paper labels for some of the top manufacturers in the market.
Now with their new innovative facilities in Al Jurf industrial area, Ajman. Sigma Labels continues to take the most complex and challenging jobs, while ensuring to deliver unique top-quality products and services to their clients.
Part of Sigma’s ongoing development is to continue to set trends and remain the market leader in Digital Label Printing. Sigma Managing Director, Mr. Jagannath M Wagle said, “There are very few suppliers in the UAE with digital press solutions as what we offer, and Sigma stands out as a partner who can provide excellent support to customers.”
“In recent times, due to changing conditions in the market, job quantities have reduced, and customers require very short runs like 1,000 to 4,000 labels. With heavy competition from many different suppliers, customers are not paying for plate charges anymore which we often have to cover at our end. To counter these challenges, meet customer demands and to stay ahead of the competition, we were searching for alternative technologies. That’s when we identified a potential solution with Konica Minolta through its local partner Juma AL Majid.”
“We installed the Konica Minolta Accurio Label 230 at our press in February 2021 and immediately noticed the value addition the machine has brought to our business with its excellent quality, the advantages and cost savings.”
“After completing a job, the digital label printer is immediately available for the next job as there is no requirement for cleaning, color adjustment, plate replacement or replacement of other tools. This meant that we could shift the short-run jobs to digital and take on low-quantity requests for as low as 500 to 600 pcs. This allowed us to widen our capacity on Flexo, increase sales and distribute our orders more efficiently.”
“We can also combine multiple short quantity jobs and run these as one job. This saves us time and allows more jobs to be accommodated during the day. Its’ reprint-with-changes, and variable data print features, add a new dimension to our operations, making it simple and efficient.”
“The quality of printing is excellent and with the help of Konica Minolta service engineers, our staff could be well trained and quickly familiarized with the equipment, allowing them to instantly implement the AL230 into our day-to-day printing.
“Due to the Konica Minolta AL230, we are now able to introduce new business and revenue streams into our operations. We are no longer losing jobs because of price or quantities. With quick turnaround times, no plate costs, or wastage, our short-run jobs have turned into profit-making jobs.”
Mr. Wagle went on to say that since the installation of the AL 230 four months ago, they have served 25-30 new customers and have been able to do 20% additional jobs. They expect to acquire additional new customers and continue increasing their job volumes.
SIGMA is looking at introducing new product ranges, Shrink Sleeves and OPP labels by 2022, and can provide new solutions to their customers and service their low quantity demands.
“We’re extremely happy with the support of Juma Al Majid and Konica Minolta’s consultants and their product and we look forward to a long-term engagement with them and their future solutions,” added Wagle.
According to Konica Minolta, “The Digital Label Printer AccurioLabel 230 with its superb productivity, image quality and operability as well as its economical features is ideal for those such as SIGMA who wish to gain a foothold in the label market and require parallel use with existing analogue presses.
The AL230 improves overall productivity and job acceptability, especially with overprinting capabilities on pre-printed transparency or coloured media. This allows it to meet the demands of digital printing businesses such as shorter turnaround times and expansion of print applications.
High image quality is realized by Konica Minolta's unique technology through faithfully facing high-level needs in the digital print market. Colour fluctuation is controlled within the minimum under various conditions, this ensures a stable and beautiful finish from the first to the last print. The high image quality of the AL230 adds value to printed materials and generates additional advantages to printing services.”
Mr. Nayyar Ansari, Production Print Head, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Middle East said, “We are very happy to have our first installation of the AccurioLabel 230 in the UAE at Sigma Labels production facility in Ajman. It is an ideal platform to showcase the real value that the machine has to offer. Sigma is a distinctive organization that is capable of utilizing the machine to its utmost capabilities. Our association with Sigma continues to grow and we see a prosperous future together.”