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| ARPEE TRADING CO. - REDEFINING SERVICE |
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One of the oldest dealers of screen printing materials in North India, Arpee Trading Company has acquired both form and stature over the years. Strong rapport with their customers - who can depend on them for every conceivable need - seems to be the corner stone on which the group is building up its empire for brighter tomorrows. |
MEETING OF TRADITION WITH MODERNITY : Mr RP Tripathi along along with his son Rajit
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In Mr Radhika Prasad Tripathi of Arpee group
of companies, you find the grand old man of
screen printing. Listening to this venerable
man of Paharganj of Old Delhi, you get to map
out the development of screen printing as an
industry in the country, especially of North India.
With such an eventful and colourful history
of service the screen printing industry spanning
nearly half a century, he has not only seen the
industry grow from nowhere, but he can also take
credit in ably helping it to becoming one of the
major markets in the country for screen printing.
“I am the first person to open a shop on screen printing materials in northern India. Otherwise it was block labeling,’ he announced proudly.
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Becoming a leading supplier of screen printing
materials, representing some of the best names
in the industry, was no easy job. It demanded
hardwork and full devotion. Started out as a new
company in 1979, Arpee Trading ventured into
the service of screen printing industry, after an
equally successful partnership business of 10
long years with one of his best friends.
“We took up the agency of Coates of India to
start with and our business gradually expanded
with the additional of new lines of business. First
it was textile printing, then we introduced printed
circuit boards (PCB) in Delhi and northern India,”
he said. “One after another new techniques got
added to screen printing and the market grew with
the addition of graphic, textile, ceramic and now
CD printing.”
“As we understand the customer better, we
want to give something new to the industry and
when we started PCB, people realized that here is a new line and we are lucky to
benefit from the huge demand for
PCB in the north Indian market.”
“Ceramic printing also helped boost our supply business tremendously. Even today one of our main businesses is ceramic.”
With the introduction of PCB line of business, their sales also grew tremendously, and they accounted for nearly 80-83% of all India sales of Coates of India sales. This had led them to becoming the indenting agents for Coates UK whose products are known for their superior in quality and price. Even though Coats India was their rightful representatives in the country, they had the privilege of associating with such a worldrenowned ink manufacturer.
“As the business grew, along with it both my sons - Rajit Tripathi and Hari Tripathi - also developed as good business men.” Today, they run the various divisions, which are well developed as independent entities. Mr Rajit Tripathi looks after Arpee Screen House Pvt Ltd and his forte is screen printing. He has got the entire Coates product range under his control and is doing a wonderful business. Recently, Arpee Screen House has inaugurated a five-storey building for the exclusive use for Coates products. Thanks to his exposure to screen printing industry, here and abroad, Mr Rajit Tripathi is known for his problem solving ability. He can take up any issue related to the industry and solve it for the screen printer.
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AT YOUR SERVICE : Mr Tripathi takes inspiration from his guru
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The salient feature of his business, his proud father says, is that he attends to
each and every need of the customer. For example, if somebody wants a screen
printing machine, he arranges it, if somebody wants a job, he got it arranged. “Such
a service makes the company
dearer to our customer, who will
never ever leave us because they
found more than value for
money,” said the senior Tripathi.
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Mr Hari Tripathi manages Arpee Trading Company. Besides
other products, it is the main
dealer for Hindustan Inks.
Despite the establishing and
running a successful line of
companies along with two sons,
senior Tripathi is a down to earth
man. Besides attending to the
nitty-gritty of day to day
business, which takes him to far
away places, you find him as
deeply spiritual. “Mein puja path
karnewala admi hoon aur Ram
Katha hi mera sabkuch hai,” says
this devotee of Murari Bapu. He attributes whatever he achieved to this spiritual
leader, whose Ram Kathas are what appeals to him
more than anything. “Despite my official bindings, I
make it a point to be with Bapu listening his kathas
for nearly 12-15 days a month,” Mr Tripathi said
about his life style for the last so many years.
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“In business I have achieved progress at the
same time I have got devotion (bhakti),” he said.
‘Kam bhi karo, Bhakti bhi karo,’ he summerised
his working philosophy. “This has helped me in
doing whatever I do with honesty and self-respect,”
he added.
Talking about the future of an industry he has
been associated with so long, he says, “The future
of screen printing is great but I wish that it shines
more in India. We could take it much more ahead, if
we have access to modern technology, new materials
and products. Gradually newer technologies,
products and materials are coming our way. As small
scale industry, there is future for screen printing
industry and it is bright,” he said.
For a supplier who has made his presence felt in
the whole of northern India, he knows the Indian
screen printing industry as in his palm. He says, “In south, there is quality more than quantity. In
north, there more quality and quantity.” Mr Tripathi
attributes the great potential for screen printing in
Delhi and other north Indian cities to the fact that
there are more demand and more consumers as there
are more events happening, he said as the reason
for the North-South divide.
Northern India is a textile industry center with
so many units operating out of Delhi, Ludhiana,
etc. Besides, the advertising industry with its huge
demand for hoarding and pop materials is a driver
of growth for the industry. For example, almost every launch is happening in New Delhi.
He has something to talk about what difference
is between trades at the commercial capital of
Mumbai and the political capital of Delhi. “It is dealer
centric business in Mumbai, whereas we in North
is more consumer-centric business,” he said.
Over the years, the grand old man of screen
printing has also noticed that the new printers who
are coming now to screen printing are educated.
Unlike earlier times, now there are no more
illiterates and the set ups are bigger and pro-active
to change to the extent that no one can say that
screen printing is ‘poor’. As a small scale industry,
its future is bright in India, he opined.
Arpee also refuses to believe that the coming
of digital technology could sound the death knell
of screen printing industry.
Mr Rajit Tripathi illustrates, “Irrespective of
the number of new inks coming to the market, our
sales have only increased, but never gone down.
For example, before the advent of solvent inks,
our ink sale was 80 tonne. After the introduction
of solvent our business of inks has gone up to
140 tonne.” |
THE THREE GENERATIONS : RP Tripathi with sons Hari & Rajit, and grandson Pawan
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He should be correct, for he works with the
desire to bring-in a new screen printer every day
coming to the industry.
Stretching from Surat to Morbi and the entire
North India with the exception of Kolkata in East
India, Arpee has stake in almost every screen printer
worth his name.
As for the future, Mr Rajit Tripathi says, “We
would like to bring more and more quality to
graphic line. In line with our expansion plans, we
organise seminars and workshops to educate the
people we are associated with.” He says, they
teach them to cut the clothes, to put emulsion, to
apply the ink, etc, which are the basic to good
quality service for a screen printer. Right now
Arpee is planning out the schedules for their
technical seminars to be held shortly.
Mr Rajit Tripathi says, “Hardwork and honesty
is the hallmark of our service and you can consider
it as the secret of our success.”
“As our business is mostly customer centric, our guaranteed 24 hour delivery service is quite popular with our clients, who are consumers of screen printing products.”
Mr Rajit Tripathi proudly exclaims “In North India we offer door-to-door service, and in other places we have 15 dealers filling the supply chain, who ensure that our customers are never deprived of our products.” |
"As our business is mostly customer centric, our guaranteed 24 hour delivery service is quite popular with our clients, who are bid consumers of screen printing products."
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You can contact Arpee Group at tripathi@arpee.com
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