Pioneers and global leaders in manufacturing screen surfaces, Galalite is the flagship brand of GTC Industries that holds a major share in the Indian market (60%) and a sizeable chunk in global markets. Galalite offers a wide range of innovative projection screen surfaces that ensure a better movie-viewing experience with the assurance of high-performance efficiency, value-for-money, and time-bound delivery.
Having its origin in Mumbai, the heartland of the movie industry in India, the company completed 60 years in 2019. Founded by Yusuf A. Galabhaiwala, Galalite has emerged as one of the largest suppliers of screens to exhibitors worldwide. He later passed on the baton to his son, Shabbir Galabhaiwala, who aimed at making Galalite synonymous with quality premium products, taking the brand to new heights by creating several divisions and businesses. The company proudly declares that “his efforts made Galalite the first and only Indian company” to bring home automation to India. Today, the third generation, Yusuf S. Galabhaiwala, aspires to fill the gap between the demand and supply of quality cinema screens.
Galalite manufactures conventional projection screens which provide a better viewing experience when it comes to the comfort and care of the eyes. Conventional projection screens are more vision-friendly, as they reflect the light coming from projectors, instead of producing any of their own. However, the Light Emitting screens, such as computers, mobile phones, television sets, produce light rays that directly impact the eyes of the viewer, causing strain and discomfort when one spends a long period of time in front of them.
Galalite is well-known in the Cinema B2B industry, owing to its awareness of the latest global trends and consistent performance. It aims to constantly enhance its technology and reach, hence catering to the increasing demand for the high-grade cinema experience.
Product Information:
Galalite’s specialised screen surfaces range from high Gain Screens for digital compliant cinema systems to the latest 3D technology Silver Screens. It also manufactures custom screens to suit specific requirements. Galalite screen surfaces follow exacting standards laid down by BSI and SMPTE, ensuring the perfect balance required in their products. Their service culture is has gained them loyal consumers across the world.
Galalite is the first company to have come up with Plastic Screens and Fire Retardant Screens in India, keeping the importance of safety in mind. It is also the first Indian company to have in-house production for Coated Screens along with seamless joint in screens.
About the company:
As manufacturers of Cinema Projection Screens, Galalite’s main market share consists of people in cinema technology like theatre owners, equipment dealers, theatre architects, etc. Having its manufacturing unit in Maharashtra, India, as well as in Poland, Galalite leads the Projection Screen manufacturing industry by being its retailer all over the world.
At the time when cotton fabrics were used in India for the manufacturing of projection screens, Galalite started to use plastic for their production. It also started developing a unique welding method in which seams were hardly visible. In the late 60s, Galalite installed a manual perforating machine which enabled behind screen speaker placement, creating a brand new cinema viewing experience.
In 1986, a fully automatic perforating machine was brought in by them which had a unique perforating design to maximise the sound effects in cinema. This resulted in reduced bass vibrations on projection screens, which provided a more stable viewing experience. In the 90s, Galalite developed a special fabric of its own which had the then-latest optical properties and was the whitest screen available. This resulted in a never-seen-before colour reproduction on projection screens. This was also the first fire-retardant screen in India, thus making it the first Indian projection screen company that started to mark its territory in exporting screens all over the world.
In the 2000s, coated gain screens and screens that were optimum for 3D projection began to be in demand. The Indian market, then, had to import screens to meet the intense requirement. Shabbir Galabhaiwala, the second generation of Galalite Screens business family, started to chalk out the vision of setting up a coating facility that could serve the Indian market – making it independent of any international assistance.
In 2009, Galalite was the first company to start its own indigenous coating factory in Lonavala, Maharashtra. In 2017, it evolved into a whole new level of projection screen manufacturing company by having the widest range of products. By the following year, Galalite introduced Lensray technology – a technology that reduces visual noise and improves light diffusion.
Galalite’s global progression:
Although Galalite is one of the top global brands that manufactures cinema projection screens, it has its feet in India, the place of its inception. It holds a major market share in India for its products. At the global level, Galalite was the screen choice for the world premiere of the Tom Hanks starrer ‘Inferno’ in Florence, Italy on 8th October 2016. Galalite was again chosen for the world premiere of Christopher Nolan’s World War II thriller ‘Dunkirk’ in Venice in 2017. Galalite has also supplied projection screens every year for the Cyprus Summer Film Festival. Galalite has its screens installed in nearly every country and almost every continent in the world.
Along with creating awareness about eye care and emphasising on the different impacts that viewing cinema on projection screens as compared to television, Galalite’s vision is to be the largest, most trusted, and the preferred supplier of projection screens all over the globe – empowered by futuristic technology and extensive reach.
—