中文North India has long been described as one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving print markets in the country, yet the adoption of high-end digital sheetfed technology there has historically lagged the south and the west. Redington, an integrated technology provider and orchestrator that distributes HP Indigo systems in the region, has decided to close that gap with local muscle. The company has named Faridabad-based APL Machinery as its authorized sales partner for HP Indigo sheetfed digital printing solutions across North India, a move designed to accelerate adoption of the technology in the general commercial printing and folding carton packaging segments by bringing digital printing expertise closer to customers throughout the region.
The logic of the partnership is straightforward: digital printing is easier to sell when the salesperson understands the customer’s business, speaks the customer’s language and can show up at the factory gate without a two-day journey. APL Machinery, with its roots in the machinery and printing supplies trade, brings exactly that local presence. Working with Redington’s Digital Printing Group, APL will help customers evaluate digital printing opportunities, understand application potential and develop scalable production strategies that complement existing operations. In practical terms, that means sitting down with a commercial printer and working out which jobs should move to digital, or with a carton converter and mapping out how short-run, versioned packaging can be produced profitably alongside offset work.
The market context makes the timing interesting. The commercial print and packaging industries across India are increasingly adopting hybrid manufacturing models that combine offset and digital technologies to meet changing customer requirements. Offset remains the workhorse for long runs, but customers increasingly want short runs, variable data, versioning, personalization and premium packaging applications, exactly the territory where HP Indigo machines excel. The company says Indigo enables printers and converters to address those applications while maintaining print quality, a claim that has been tested and proven in markets around the world. For North Indian printers, the challenge has never been the technology’s capability; it has been access to credible local advice on how to deploy it profitably.
That is where APL Machinery’s role becomes strategic rather than transactional. A machinery partner that understands the local customer base can help a printer identify which applications offer the fastest return, what training and workflow support will be needed, and how to price short-run digital work competitively. This consultative approach is especially important for first-time digital buyers, who may be moving from a pure offset mindset and need help rethinking their sales mix, their job costing and their customer conversations. By pairing APL’s local relationships with Redington’s digital printing expertise, the partnership aims to convert interest into installed capacity.
Ramesh KS, vice president of digital printing at Redington, framed the deal in terms of market potential. “North India represents one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving print markets in the country. By partnering with APL Machinery, we are expanding our ability to engage with printers and packaging converters, helping them leverage HP Indigo technology to enhance productivity, enter new markets, and unlock sustainable growth opportunities,” he said. The emphasis on entering new markets is telling: for many North Indian printers, digital represents a route into high-value applications like premium packaging, personalized marketing collateral and on-demand publishing that they could not serve with offset alone.
The appointment also reflects a broader pattern in India’s print industry, where distribution models are being restructured to match the diversity of the market. India is not a single print market but a collection of regional economies with different industrial bases, customer expectations and price sensitivities. A partner network that can operate locally, with the backing of a national technology provider, is better equipped to serve that diversity than a centralized sales force could ever be. The Redington-APL arrangement is a bet on that model, and if it succeeds, it is likely to be replicated in other regions and segments. It also sends a signal about the direction of India’s print industry, where digital and offset are increasingly treated as complements rather than competitors, and where regional partners are becoming the primary channel for technology adoption and customer support.
For North Indian printers and converters, the practical takeaway is that world-class digital capability is now closer than it has ever been. With a local partner equipped to evaluate applications, build business cases and support deployment, the barriers that once kept digital sheetfed technology out of reach, perceived cost, uncertainty about applications, and lack of local support, have been lowered significantly. As hybrid production becomes the default model for modern print businesses, the region is well positioned to catch up with, and in some segments leapfrog, markets that adopted digital earlier. The partnership between Redington and APL Machinery is a small piece of that larger story, but it is a telling one.
Source: The Packman, August 20, 2026 — Redington appoints APL Machinery as HP Indigo sales partner for North India
