Manipal Technologies Ltd., a company based in Manipal, has the distinction of being the only one in Asia to print “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child” which was released worldwide on July 31.
A press release issued by the company here said that as with the earlier Potter titles, this book too was printed under high security and complete secrecy. Every bit of information about the book was closely guarded prior to its launch and the huge print run was turned around in record time and delivered safely for the Indian publisher, Hachette India.
Shashi Ranjan, Vice-President and Business Head, Commercial Printing Division at MTL, said, “Harry Potter is a phenomenon and we are delighted and privileged to have been involved in the production and successful delivery of the book; especially when the focus is on Make in India.”
Mr. Ranjan had the responsibility to ensure top-level security at the factory spread over 3,00,000 sq ft and maintain a constant and unrelenting vigil at the production floor and subsequently, at the warehousing stage. This involved 24 x 7 access control, electronic and physical surveillance with a complete ban on the use of electronic devices and mobile phones on the premises.
Abhay Gupte, Chief Executive Officer, Manipal Technologies Ltd., said, “As the country’s largest secure printing solutions organisation, MTL’s systems and processes are built to execute such Harry Potter-esque security. Even in 2012, our team had successfully produced The Casual Vacancy, which was J.K. Rowling’s first post-Potter novel; and subsequently, had also produced India’s record setting hardback Sachin Tendulkar’s Playing It My Way.”
Expected to be one of the biggest selling books of the year, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” witnessed the highest ever consumer pre-orders for a hardback in Indian history.
