The Packman | September-October 2020

Volume 3 l Issue 2 l September-october 2020

Rs. 150

ECOFRIENDLY CAN PACKAGING SYSTEM

ITC India pioneer a Sidel complete aseptic PET line

Print Point installs Heidelberg Speedmaster CX-75

Thermo Fisher invests US$ 140 million

INTEGRATED MACHINE VISION More than embedded Complete portfolio: www.br-automation.com/vision

Expanding the ďŹ eld of vision

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IR

Editorial

From the editor’s desk!

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ackaging companies have witnessed higher volume growth and better earnings in the April-June quarter, helped by a rise in consumption of packed products amid the coronavirus lockdown, according to some of the industry players that we have talked to recently. From a flexible packaging perspective, a lot of demand was seen in single-use packs for sanitizers. The liquid handwash category, which is estimated to have doubled, has seen a spurt in consumption of large 750 ml refill packs packed in spout pouches.

New entrants and local brands now dominate India’s sanitizer market that swelled more than fourfold after the novel coronavirus outbreak. The size of the category touched Rs 43 crore in March from Rs 10 crore a year ago, according to Nielsen India. A total of 152 new manufacturers started making sanitizers in March, commanding 61% market and 46% value share, the researcher said without naming the brands. However, the demand started to wind down since August 2020 and many small players who entered the market are now stuck with raw materials and packaging accessories, such as imported spray pumps bought at outrageous prices. Demand for sanitizers, Nielsen said, surged to 87% in April 10 to 14 from 58% between March 17 and 19.

In addition to sanitizers, food packaging – essential items, example flour, rice, edible oils – experienced a swell in demand due to increase in home consumption and aggregation towards the organized market. Major players such as UFlex, Cosmo Films and Essel Propack have gained from increased demand for products like handwash and hand sanitizer as well as food items.

As far as the monocarton and label industries are concerned, a couple of high-end presses were installed after the lockdown ceased. However, these machines were ordered well before the lockdown. For example, Print Point has installed a Heidelberg Speedmaster CX-75 6-color with coating unit, renewing optimism for business revival and progress, even as the world gears for a ‘new normal’ post-lockdown. Multitec has done well in the past months with six presses sales locally and notably with two presses remotely installed using remote cameras by the customer’s engineers. One of these is notable because it was the remote installation of a Multitec 450 mm-wide S1 8-color press with autoregister controls sent to an Israeli customer in July.

Digital label presses saw a significant interest during the lockdown since the number of short runs have increased.

However, we still don’t have any concrete information as yet whether this has led to any digital press sales.

– Mahan Hazarika, Editor, editor@thepackman.in

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Contents Design and Marketing

PAGE 10

PAGE 12

From the editor’s desk---------------------------- 3

Michelman’s growing portfolio of BPI certified compostable coatings----------------26

EDITORIAL DESIGN AND MARKETING

PAGE 40 Events Interpack still scheduled for 25 February to 3 March 2021-----------------------------------------42 Labelexpo India 2020 postponed-------------42

Diageo to launch Johnnie Walker in paper bottle in early 2021-------------------------------- 6

Ester Filmtech to set up film plant in Telangana-------------------------------------------29

Plastindia exhibition postponed from 2021 to 2022--------------------------------------------------43

Bizongo designs new brand image

UFlex’s net profit surges by 116.7% YoY to INR 196.5 crore-----------------------------------30

Komori pulls out of drupa 2021----------------43

for Sesa---------------------------------------------- 8

PREPRESS AND SOFTWARE

Filling and Sealing

iTek Packz wins multiple FTA awards-------10

Rovema acquires Hassia India----------------31

Helping flexo on the way to the

Syntegon introduces Pack 202 flow

tipping point----------------------------------------12

wrapper----------------------------------------------32

MONOCARTON

KHS launches ecofriendly can packaging system-----------------------------------------------33

Print Point installs Heidelberg Speedmaster CX-75 6-color press plus coater--------------14

Sustainability

B&B Triplewall regains production record with Bobst flexo folder gluer--------------------15

Amcor joins United States Plastics Pact to advance circular economy----------------------34

Koenig & Bauer Durst announces beta testing for VariJET 106--------------------------16

Mondi trials digital watermarking to separate waste for a circular economy------------------35

Jash Packaging plugs demand-supply gap with two Bobst folder-gluers--------------------17

Automation

LABELS Delhi-based Kwality Offset Printers installs Gallus ECS 340-----------------------------------18 Holography in India-------------------------------20

Flexibles AIndia bans use of toluene in food packaging inks-------------------------------------22 Suraksha Flexo Pack implements FlexiBiz ERP--------------------------------------------------25 Cosmo Films to invest Rs 300 crore in new specialty polyester films line-------------------26

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ITC India pioneer a hyperflexible Sidel complete aseptic PET line----------------------28

S eptember - october 2 0 2 0

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Good things come in right-sized packages--------------------------------------------36

Pharma Packaging Thermo Fisher invests US$ 140 million to increase laboratory plastics production-----39

Blockchain Kezzler & Trace announce serialization blockchain partnership--------------------------40 Sonoco creates PharmaPortal using IBM blockchain technology---------------------------41

drupa goes digital – calls it hybrid------------44

industry news Ball to open new US aluminum beverage can plant in 2021----------------------------------46 Asahi Photoproducts supports Comexi in a turnkey project-------------------------------------46 Komori-MBO H+H start Indian operations------------------------------------------47 Heidelberg realignment – no impact on Gallus Indian customers------------------------47 Tresu introduces upgraded iCoat II for shortrun print jobs---------------------------------------48 Chandrakant Nayak takes over as Dow India’s president-----------------------------------48 Real’s new low-calorie range in the first ever Tetra Pak Craft packaging----------------------49 Schott appoints new MD for Indian pharma glass business-------------------------------------49

© 2020 Miraclon. Flexcel is a trademark of Miraclon.

The Kodak trademark, logo and trade dress are used under license from Kodak.

Design and Marketing

Flexo, forwards.

At Miraclon we never stand still. Because flexo doesn’t either. Over 10 years ago our team created the technology behind KODAK FLEXCEL Solutions.

It changed what flexo can do and enabled others to break new ground too. While we carved a reputation for quality without compromise, our customers built a bold new future for flexo.

Today, we’re more focused and agile than ever.

We’re committed to driving flexo even further – towards even better, cleaner, more cost-effective print.

And we’re not alone. We’re proud of this community and the innovations we’re enabling – redefining what packaging print can be. Together.

Award-Winning KODAK FLEXCEL NX Systems and Plates KODAK FLEXCEL SR Plates KODAK DITR film

Because the future isn’t fixed. It’s flexo.

TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT US – WWW.MIRACLON.COM

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Design and Marketing

z plastic free paper-based spirits bottle

Diageo to launch Johnnie Walker in paper bottle in early 2021 D

iageo, makers of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, has announced that it has created the world’s first ever 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle, made entirely from sustainably sourced wood. The bottle will debut with Johnnie Walker, the world’s number one Scotch Whisky, in early 2021.

that has often led the way in innovation throughout its 200 years existence.”

Pulpex Limited’s technology allows it to produce a variety of plastic-free, single mould bottles that can be used across a range of consumer goods. The packaging has been designed to contain a variety of liquid products and will form part of Diageo’s commitment towards Goal 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’.

It comes as Diageo announces that it has launched a new partnership with Pilot Lite, a venture management company, to launch Pulpex Limited, a new worldleading sustainable packaging technology company.

To ensure that the technology can be used in every area of life, Pulpex Limited has established a partner consortium of world leading FMCG companies in noncompeting categories including Unilever, and PepsiCo, with further partners expected to be announced later in the year. The consortium partners are each expecting to launch their own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited’s design and technology, in 2021.

Richard Slater, chief R&D officer, Unilever, said, “We believe in tackling plastic waste through innovation and collaboration. We are going to halve our use of virgin plastic at Unilever, reducing our use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes in the next five years. Joining forces to develop and test paper bottles is an incredibly exciting step forward, and we’re delighted to be working together to tackle one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time.”

Pulpex Limited has developed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ scalable paper-based bottle designed and developed to be 100% plastic free and expected to be fully recyclable.

The bottle is made from sustainably sourced pulp to meet food-safe standards and will be fully recyclable in standard waste streams. The technology will allow brands to rethink their packaging designs, or move existing designs into paper, whilst not compromising on the existing quality of the product.

Ewan Andrew, chief sustainability officer, Diageo, said, “We’re proud to have created this world first.

We are constantly striving to push the boundaries within sustainable packaging and this bottle has the potential to be truly ground-breaking. It feels fitting that we should launch it with Johnnie Walker, a brand

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Simon Lowden, chief sustainability officer, PepsiCo, said, “Innovative solutions and partnerships are critical to driving meaningful progress toward a circular economy. The Pulpex consortium is well positioned to deliver sustainable packaging at scale and across industries, having impact beyond what any organization could achieve alone. We’re proud to be a part of it.”

The 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle will debut with Johnnie Walker in early 2021

Sandy Westwater, director, Pilot Lite said, “We’re thrilled to be working with global brand leaders in this consortium. By working together, we can use the collective power of the brands to help minimize the environmental footprint of packaging by changing manufacturing and consumer behaviors.” z

Prepress and Software

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Design and Marketing

z branding exercise spanned across haircare range and hand rub

Bizongo designs new brand image for Sesa B

izongo, a leading Indian digital supply chain system for auto-replenishment of packaging, which also designs and develops packaging solutions has announced the unveiling of the new brand image for FMCG major Sesa’s haircare range and hand rub.

The reimagined branding is futuristic while playing to Sesa’s core strength of manufacturing modern products based on centuries old ayurveda. The new premium packaging widens Sesa’s reach in the affordable luxury category and extends the brand life without needing a revamp anytime soon.

Commenting on the new brand identity, Sachin Agrawal, co-founder and COO of Bizongo said, “I am delighted with the new brand identity that Bizongo’s in-house design team created for Sesa. It fulfills the challenge of retaining aspects that made it such a popular product while including changes in the logo and packaging design to make it more aspirational.

The new design is more sophisticated and contemporary to target younger consumers and serve the product well even in export markets without losing its unique personality.”

Meanwhile, green was introduced as an important color to cue in the natural aspect of the product. The icons were redesigned with a similar visual style. The blend of organic and ornamental elements conveys Sesa’s roots in natural ingredients and age-old Indian tradition. The design styling communicates credibility and confidence, while the colors bring natural cues, trustworthiness, and approachability to the brand.

Packaging design for Sesa+ Ayurvedic Strong Roots Oil

The traditions of ayurveda and goodness of natural ingredients were to be highlighted through graphics.

The color palette with pastel green and brown gives the brand an elevated feel in the category. Green symbolizes natural aspects whereas brown connects to the earth. Key propositions of the ‘Banyan tree extracts’ were highlighted through blown up print enhancements over the label. Imagery of the ingredients were composed over a jute mat to give an ayurvedic look and feel.

Packaging design for Strong Roots Ayurvedic Shampoo + Conditioner Sesa was looking to add a new product under the Strong Roots portfolio. Similar to the Sesa+ Strong Roots oil, the shampoo is made from 26 natural herbs.

The intent was to highlight the natural aspect of the shampoo, hence the colors green and brown were used for the bottle. The imagery showcases the key ingredients of the shampoo with drops of water to bring in freshness. The transparent label with gold foiling adds a premium feel to the product. The USP of the product was highlighted through icons and print finishes on the front of the pack.

Packaging redesign for Sesa Ayurvedic Hair Oil The focus was on creating a balance for the design to be modern yet traditional, clean yet detailed and to work wonders in both mass and premium markets.

The result was a cleaner pack, optimizing the use of existing design elements and introducing new icons for the product claims such as 100% natural. The print enhancements were explored in a way to highlight primary information and callouts while retaining the identity and ‘Sesa Lady’ on the label.

Bizongo conceptualized and designed the Strong Roots Ayurvedic Hair Oil sub-brand identity and packaging for a premium experience. It is an ayurvedic mixture of 26 natural herbs and 6 essential oils. It was designed Packaging design for Sesa Steurs Graphic works across all three processes – gravure, to appeal to the middle Solutions class and upper middle-class Liquid Hand Rub offset and flexo consumers to widen its reach.

The overall visual was designed keeping in mind the

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The new Sesa logo exudes modernity

category, the target audience, and easy communication of the product attributes. The project was a quick turnaround of 48 hours and focused on keeping the design clean and minimal while communicating the product usage and result instantly. The color palette chosen was in accordance with the colour of the product and the colors that dominate the hand-care and sanitizer category. Blue is a color dominant in the hygiene category and the transparent nature of the liquid ensures the communication of cleanliness and purity. Addition of green ensures connection with the natural aspect of the brand Sesa.

Shield like form-play validated the protection aspect of the product which coherently displays the virus/ germs being killed to not only calm a panic audience about current living with covid-19. z

Design and Marketing

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Prepress and Software

z DuPont Cyrel flexo plates behind award winning packaging

iTek Packz wins multiple FTA awards

B

angalore-based iTek Packz has been a serial winner at the recently announced 2020 Excellence in Flexography awards by the Flexography Technical Association (FTA), USA and has been awarded gold for Flexography in Narrow Web category for the third consecutive year. “For us the highlight was to receive the highly acclaimed Best in Show Award.

Being consistently recognized by FTA and receiving the Best in Show award is a huge honor for our business,” said Gopi Ballarwad, head – operations, iTek Packz. iTek Packz was praised by the FTA jury for its winning entry of a vibrant soap carton in narrow web (process, paperboard). The judges stated, “Lots of action in the carton, and it couldn't have been executed better.

Great screen work, great trap, and great register. The printer’s use of gold cold foil worked out very well. And the overprint varnish textures add measurable diversity and depth.” The company also received a silver award in the narrow web category (process, metalized) for producing a highly embellished brandy. The judges commented that it was flawlessly executed.

A leading print supplier of self-adhesive labels and converter of printed cartons in India, iTek Packz installed an Edale Fl5 flexo press in 2017 and invested in an Edale FL3 wide label press in 2019. Currently, iTek has sheetfed and flexo capabilities to manufacture folding cartons and self-adhesive labels. iTek Packz was formed in 2013, buying back the folding carton unit of Wintek after ITW acquired Wintek’s flexo division.

DuPont Cyrel flexo plates “Our Best in Show carton entry was produced for a customer who wanted 6-7 colors, gold matte foil, and varnish with other effects. We are delighted to achieve the desired quality using our best in class technology and print capabilities. All these award-winning carton designs were printed with DuPont Cyrel flexo plates on Edale Press,” said Ballarwad.

Speaking about the advantages offered by Cyrel flexo plates, Ballarwad added, “We are highly satisfied with the performance of Cyrel flexo plates, enabling us to achieve high quality printing without hassles, for a range of package printing applications. We’ve been us-

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iTek Packz has been a serial winner at the recently announced 2020 Excellence in Flexography awards by the FTA

ing Cyrel plates for more than a decade now and have found them to deliver high quality consistent results.”

Veepee Graphics – an extended family DuPont iTek Packz buys its flexographic printing plates from Bangalore-based flexo trade shop Veepee Graphics.

“Our relationship with DuPont dates back to 1995, when we started our flexo trade shop business. Being a new industry, the initial hand holding, and support of DuPont helped in cementing the partnership which has only become stronger over the last 25 years. Today, more than just a supplier, DuPont is an extended family of Veepee Graphics. Given our experience and in-depth understanding of the flexo industry, we are privileged to associate with DuPont on testing its new offerings in flexo. Together, working closely with the converters and the brand owners has helped build our businesses over the years in the printing industry,” said Jai Chandra, managing director, Veepee Graphics.

Speaking about iTek Packz’s glory at FTA, Chandra said, “As always, team iTek Packz has surpassed expectations and made India proud by winning this coveted award. Ever since their foray into flexographic printing a few decades back, they have pushed this technology to the limits and carved out a niche market, making themselves front runners of the industry. We are extremely fortunate to be associated with them and proud to be a part of their glorious achievement.

Wishing them many more laurels in the years to come.”

Lucy Chen, business leader – Asia Pacific, DuPont Image Solutions, said, “We are excited and proud for iTek and Veepee, both longstanding promoters of top quality flexo. This win indicates well for the Indian flexo industry foraying into the folding carton and flexible packaging markets with inline press. Judging by the print quality of the DuPont 2020 calendar done in flexo by iTek, the carton job awarded must be simply exceptional.” z – Manash Das

Introducing two new machines Inspection Rewinder & Doctoring

NAPH GRAPHICS PVT. LTD.

For Queries Contact:

Unit 1 : D 93, Sector 63, Noida 201307 (U.P.) India Unit 2: Plot No. 105, Toy City, Greater Noida 201308 (U.P.) India 9811444928, 9999767656 naphgraphics@yahoo.co.in www.convertingpackaging.com

Prepress and Software

z flexo prepress house Reproflex3

Helping flexo on the way to the tipping point A

ndrew Hewitson, co-founder and business development director of UK flexo prepress house Reproflex3, talks about an approaching tippingpoint when he confidently expects the flexo process to get the recognition it deserves after a decade of technological refinements and enhancements. “The rate at which flexo is winning converts, especially from gravure, is gaining pace,” he says. “There’s wide acceptance that flexo can do the job, particularly when it comes to sustainability, which is brand owners’ biggest concern now.”

From its base in north-east England, Reproflex3 has done its share of spreading the flexo word, both geographically and technologically. Expanding overseas to reduce dependence on the intensely competitive UK market, the company has established successful presences in the UAE and India and partnerships with likeminded prepress specialists in the US and – most recently – Italy.

Award-winning Technologically, Reproflex3 is best known for its FTA award-winning ProjectBlue solution, launched in 2016. Based on the groundbreaking Kodak Flexcel NX System, ProjectBlue optimizes ink delivery and image consistency by linking superior color separations, differentiated screening, patented plate patterning and specially-designed aniloxes.

The combination delivers outstandingly vibrant and consistent ultra-high definition output, produced at maximum press speeds and within a standard fourcolor ink palette.

ProjectBlue also provides the technology platform for BlueEdge, the first product to result from Reproflex3’s collaboration with Z Due. Available exclusively from Z Due, BlueEdge does everything ProjectBlue does,

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L-R: Lorenzo Mingozzi (Z Due), Trevor Lowes (Reproflex3), Andrea Mingozzi (Z Due), and Andrew Hewitson (Reproflex3)

but has been adapted by the two partners to meet the requirements of the Italian corrugated postprint market, in which Z Due has a strong presence (Reproflex3 specializes in flexible packaging for blue-chip FMCG brands.)

packaging but, just as importantly, laid the foundations of their present collaboration.

Reproflex3 and Z Due owe their partnership directly to their participation in the Global Flexo Innovation Awards, introduced in 2018 to mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Kodak Flexcel NX System.

Andrew Hewitson describes both companies as “artisans, in the best sense of the word. By this I mean that we both have a real enthusiasm for our craft. We both take pride in developing practical solutions. In Istanbul, we weren’t alone in this because, without exception, all the winners were true artisans. That was one of the real positives we took away from the awards.”

At the Istanbul awards ceremony both companies won Gold Awards for outstanding examples flexo-printed

ProjectBlue and BlueEdge are products of that artisan mindset. “We take technology and put our own stamp

Prepress and Software on it” is how Hewitson describes Reproflex3’s business model. He adds that key to the company’s continued growth is the idea of finding “headroom — the space where we can innovate and add value. If you don’t do that you risk becoming a commodity producer.”

certification solution to help them increase their quality, step by step. Together with our partners, we are very excited about approaching the wider market in all regions with the VORTEX solution soon.”

Both Reproflex3 and Z Due are in the process of deciding what to enter in the 2020 Global Flexo Innovation Awards, which are now organized by Miraclon, the new home (since 2019) of Kodak Flexcel Solutions.

The latest example of this philosophy in action – Vortex – is currently in beta-testing and is the subject of high hopes for both Reproflex3 and Z Due. “Vortex has enormous potential because it addresses a wider market than ProjectBlue,” explains Hewitson.

The awards are notable for ‘looking beyond the package’ and evaluating the impact of submissions on the entire value chain.

“By its very nature, ProjectBlue isn’t for everybody. To get the best results from ProjectBlue, the printer not only has to print at the very highest quality, with the highest consistency, but also maintain the process to the highest standard,” he adds.

There is a market sector for this application but not all printers are ready, but there are many more that want to start on the path towards ProjectBlue. Vortex is for those businesses: it’s about using and adapting screening technology and a 360 advanced color

Trevor Lowes and Andrew Hewitson of Reproflex3

With high quality considered a precondition, the independent panel of judges – chaired this time by Christopher Horton, formerly senior vice-president of SGS – will be assessing entries against four categories of innovation excellence: creativity in graphic design; conversion from other print processes; workflow efficiency; and commitment to sustainability. z

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Monocarton

z Bangalore-based company invests during pandemic

Print Point installs Heidelberg Speedmaster CX-75 6-color press plus coater

B

angalore-based Print Point has installed a Heidelberg Speedmaster CX-75 6-color with coating unit, renewing optimism for business revival and progress, even as the world gears for a ‘new normal’ post-lockdown.

An ISO and EICC certified printing and packaging firm, Print Point caters to Fortune 500 companies, since 1987. The company specializes in advertising and promotional material, pharma, cosmetic, fluted cartons and pharma inserts/leaflets through four manufacturing plants across India spanning over 200,000 sq. ft.

“The price-performance ratio of the CX-75 is inspiring. Any organization needs to rewire itself for continuous growth and innovation, not just to remain relevant, but to stay on top of its game. Embracing latest technologies is a surefire way to rise beyond the present change and challenge to new levels of accomplishment. Heidelberg is the print partner we trust to help us scale wider horizons,” says Sadanand Singh, director technical of Print Point.

The next-generation drupa model from Heidelberg – the Speedmaster CX 75, blends the best-in-class XL-75 technology representing a huge step towards purposeful automation and peak performance.

Smaller footprint, substrate flexibility and optimal automation make it easy to integrate the CX-75 into any press room. The double-diameter impression cylinders facilitate gentle sheet transfer, while accommodating diverse substrates, including paper, cardboard and plastics of up to 0.8 mm in thickness.

Even at top printing speeds of 15,000 sheets per hour, the CX-75 is noise-free.

To achieve outstanding finishing standards for diverse applications, the coating unit of the CX-75 is fitted

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L to R: Ashok Kumar, Sadanand Singh, Dhirresh and Kranti Kumar of Print Point with the Speedmaster CX 75

with a chamber blade system, and a wide range of coating supply and Anilox roller technology.

The Heidelberg Patented Alcolor Vario inking and dampening system of the CX-75 offer color stability and remote-controlled function ensure short-path inking with minimal ink consumption. A maintenance-free, full ink duct fountain foil-line allows quick and easy ink change overs, while precise inking and fast ink control response is supported by digitally controlled ink zone servo motors.

Automation features like AutoPlate assist in plate changes within the shortest time, reducing setup times for the CX-75. The new Intellistart 3 assistance system helps in job changes with time-optimized automation.

“We serve a choice clientele, and our bars are quite high. No compromise on quality or turnaround times.

The Speedmaster CX-75 fits perfect into our modus operandi,” concludes Ashok Kumar, director commercial of Print Point. z

Monocarton

z production level of 142,611 boxes in 8 hours

B&B Triplewall regains production record with Bobst flexo folder gluer

B

&B Triplewall, a leading manufacturer of quality corrugated boxes in India, has achieved corrugated world production record with Bobst flexo folder gluer (FFG). On 27 May 2020, the company attained an incredible production level of 142,611 boxes in just 8 hours, breaking (and regaining) the world record for corrugated box production. The company achieved this feat using a Bobst flexo folder gluer 8.20 Discovery.

“The record means a lot to us,” said Manish Gupta, chairman and managing director at B&B Triplewall. “We actually held the record before but it was surpassed by another company, so that gave us extra incentive.

The whole team was extremely motivated to achieve this, and I am proud of everyone for going the extra mile, particularly during such a challenging time.”

Two large orders during COVID-19 B&B Triplewall has stringent safety measures in place to ensure the safety of its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, including social distancing measures, mandatory masks, hand washing and sanitization, and temperature checks. But when two large orders came in with the same delivery timeframe, Gupta and his team knew they could make the record attempt while ensuring the safety of their employees.

“Our employees are our biggest asset,” explained Gupta. “Ensuring their safety and happiness is paramount to us. I believe that is why we are so effective as a team and able to serve our customers so effectively. I believe that our focus on our employees is a key reason why we have such an incredible history of customer retention and why we were able to achieve this record.”

Utilizing state-of-the-art technology to stay ahead, Gupta, who has been in the corrugated industry for more than 20 years, founded B&B with a business partner in 2012. The company merged with HMK Autopacks in 2016 and has since gone from strength to strength.

B&B Triplewall is a manufacturer of quality corrugated boxes in India

Gupta states that the company’s aim is to be number one in India in terms of sales volumes in the near future.

“The Indian market is quickly evolving in terms of technology, scale and quality,” he said. “To be at the forefront of this evolution means a lot to us. We always try to remain future-proof. I believe that one of the biggest trends for the future of packaging is greater automation, and we are already one of the most automated factories in India.”

Bobst flexo folder gluer The Bobst FFG 8.20 Discovery – which was used to set the world record – certainly boasts high levels of automation. “The software and automated features on the FFG 8.20 make it easy to use – operators do not need to be highly qualified and it is simple to train people to use the machine,” said Gupta. “It is perfect

for eCommerce and FMCG, which make up a large part of our business. We produce up to 4 million boxes a month with this machine, which is excellent.”

B&B installs another Bobst FFG Since B&B Triplewall installed the FFG 8.20 Discovery in 2017, the relationship between the company and Bobst has flourished. In 2019, B&B Triplewall decided to also invest in another Bobst flexo folder gluer to increase capacity even further – the FFG 924 NT. “One of the main reasons we chose the FFG 924 NT is because we were happy with the FFG 8.20 and the level of service we received from Bobst,” said Gupta. “They have a local manufacturing branch in India, which has been extremely responsive to all our requirements. The level of quality and knowledge of the Bobst technicians is excellent, and makes things much easier for us.” z

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Monocarton

z Collaborative development between K&B and Durst

Koenig & Bauer Durst announces beta testing for VariJET 106

K

oenig & Bauer Durst has announced plans to bring the VariJET 106 to market with the first installation of the single-pass digital printing press at a customer site early next year prior to a formal unveiling at the rearranged drupa in Dusseldorf, Germany, from 20-30 April 2021.

Targeting the folding carton industry, the muchanticipated B1 6,000 sph VariJET 106 is at the heart of the collaborative development between Koenig & Bauer and Durst. It integrates inkjet technology into the platform of the high-performance Rapida 106 offset press.

The VariJET 106 combines the strengths of digital inkjet with those of classic offset printing and inline finishing. This unique flexibility defines the VariJET 106 as a productive and cost-efficient hybrid printing system for digital packaging printing. The VariJET 106 can produce personalized and individualized print products or alternate between short and medium runs.

The announcements from the joint venture company, which was set up by Durst and Koenig & Bauer in 2019, have also included updates on its single-pass corrugated presses – the Delta SPC 130 and the CorruJET 170 – which have a specific focus on delivering for the stringent requirements of the packaging sector.

A digital priming unit for uncoated media will broaden the applications customers can address on the Delta SPC 130 and extend the range of media that can be used for printing. And special colors being introduced for the fifth and sixth color stations will enable converters to meet brand color requirements.

The Delta SPC 130 FlexLine Automatic combines a well-engineered mechanical design with easily accessible sub-assemblies and selected components to guarantee durable quality, high performance and reliability. It can manage small formats from 500 x 600 mm through to very large formats with maximum

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VariJET 106

dimensions of 1,300 x 2,100 (optionally 1,300 x 2,800 mm) and print a maximum thickness of 12 mm with water-based, food-safe inks. The Delta SPC130 FlexLine machine includes feeder, 6-color single-pass printing, cooling section and stacker.

For the CorruJET 170, successful beta testing has been completed at the Kolb Group in Bavaria, Germany, a company that develops and produces packaging, packaging materials, and specialist products made in corrugated cardboard. Based on Koenig & Bauer’s RotaJET inkjet web press for packaging and decor printing, The CorruJET 170 post-prints sheets of corrugated up to 1.7 meters wide at up to 137 meters a minute on water-based, food-safe inks.

All three presses meet the stringent requirements for food-safe primary packaging utilizing proprietary water-based ink technology. The VariJET 106, Delta SPC 130 and CorruJET 170 are designed with core

technologies to provide automated, productive, foodsafe printing systems. They deliver shorter response times, more variants, shorter run lengths, individualization, and enable more and more small value orders.

They also answer the increasing customer demand for brand security, sustainability, and the ability to meet brand owners’ requirements for multichannel communication, including eCommerce.

Robert Stabler, managing director, Koenig & Bauer Durst, said, “We’re really excited by the opportunities and progress with our much-anticipated VariJET 106.

We have a number of existing customers that would like to be beta sites, and we plan to show them the press after the summer. The customer we choose will have a vision for mass customization and be a good partner for a beta site. Feedback from our customers is that shorter run lengths, mass customization and the need to be more agile are the compelling reasons for moving to digital production.” z

Monocarton

z boosting production level

Jash Packaging plugs demand-supply gap with two Bobst folder-gluers

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ackaging specialist Jash Packaging invested in two Bobst folder-gluers – a Visionfold 110 A2 and an Ambition 76 A1 – a few months ago in a bid to continue its 20% year-on-year growth. The Vadodara-based 50-year-old company installed the two machines at their company’s folding carton unit in the city, along with two of their existing Bobst machines – a Bobst folder-gluer Lila II 145 A2 and a Novacut 106 E die-cutter.

solid board per month. According to Ravindra Patel, proprietor of Jash, there was a demand-supply gap, as a result of which the company faced difficulties in delivering the volume required by the customers on time with the existing gluers. “We decided to ramp up the finishing capabilities and bolstered the two existing folder-gluers with the addition of two new Bobst machines,” said Patel, who is assisted by his son Kishan in running the business.

The company is currently converting around 4,000 tonnes in corrugated and about 1,000 tonnes of

The company additionally installed Handypack on both machines. It is a kit that is installed at the deliv-

PACKAGING CONNECTED

ery section, which according to Patel, increases the productivity of the folder-gluer through easy carton collection, resulting in optimum utilization of the foldergluers and minimizing the manual labour required at delivery – a wonderful example of automation.

The Ambition 76 A1 features a straight line open width of 76 to 760 mm, lock bottom open width of 146 to 760mm and a running speed of up to 300 m/min, while the Visionfold 110 A2 features a straight line open width of 76 to 1,100 mm, lock bottom open width of 146 to 1,100mm and a speed of up to 350 m/min. z

Packaging production has never been under so much pressure. As customers demand shorter run lengths with less lead time, Esko helps premedia houses, converters and brands with a wide range of scalable solutions to speed up and control their packaging production.

From flexo platemaking equipment and software to prepress workflow software, automation and digital cutting and creasing - Esko solutions can help you achieve 50% more productivity.

Esko - Packaging Connected

www.esko.com | info.sa@esko.com

THE PACKMAN | Sep-Oct 2020

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Labels

z Also Invests in prepress software – Packz

Delhi-based Kwality Offset Printers installs Gallus ECS 340 D

elhi-based Kwality Offset Printers, which specializes in the manufacture of wet glue and self-adhesive labels, has installed a new Gallus ECS 340 press at its plant. The 8-color narrow-web flexo press, installed just before the lockdown was announced in India in end March 2020, features a cold foil unit and a premium matrix removal unit.

Krish Chhatwal of Kwality Offset Printers said, “The Gallus ECS 340 is a sturdy press with high speed and efficiency. It is a cost-effective press with quick makeready time and low wastage. Addition of the new press has increased our capacity by about 10%.”

Established in 1972, Kwality Offset used to produce cartons and cups for the ice cream industry using a letterpress. A decade later it installed an offset press and entered the label printing business, producing beer labels.

Installation of the Landa Nanographic printing press is under way at the K-1 site Gallus ECS 340

Since then the company has added flexo and digital technologies to its existing offset unit. And all the three technologies are currently being used at its Naraina plant, Delhi, to produce a wide range of labels to cater to various customer needs.

of the artworks and increase the efficiency of its prepress department.

With the new Gallus ECS 340 press, the company has now three flexo presses at its plant. In addition, for digital label printing, Kwality Offset has a Xeikon 3030 Plus label press installed in 2017.

The company also runs two Heidelberg presses for offset label printing.

Kwality Offset has also invested in Packz software to help reduce mistakes during pre-flight stage

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Rajeev Chhatwal and Krish Chhatwal with Gallus team members

Speaking about the challenges during the pandemic, Chhatwal said, “Major challenges are in terms of decrease in cash flow and skilled manpower availability.

We are aiming towards more automation and only for high quality jobs. We welcome the government’s initiatives in terms of availability of more loans, but we really think some part of fixed costs should have been covered by the government, especially for MSME.” z – Manash Das

Labels

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Labels

z fishing for new opportunities

Holography in India I

nvestment in materials and technologies alongside new applications, is driving growth for holography in India, says Dr Paul Dunn, chair of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA).

Demand continues to strengthen the market in India for holography as we see continued integration of holography alongside other authentication and track and trace technologies driving growth. In turn, this will herald sustained growth and progress, revealing a technology set to forge ahead in the coming years; underpinning moves to support overt and covert protection strategies by authorities, local government and law and enforcement agencies seeking quick and effective security solutions.

Indeed, it is throughout Asia, where counterfeiting remains pervasive, where we can see unmitigated commercial potential for holography. India will continue to offer wide-scale growth as law enforcement and national government intensify their war on counterfeiting and the supporting criminal infrastructures – it’s expected increased integration of holograms in these territories as part of brand protection strategies will be adopted by those looking to tackle the problem. With several regulatory bodies in India and abroad laying out stringent rules and standards and manufacturers realizing the importance of authentication, the business is set to grow, providing growth opportunities for existing and even new entrepreneurs.

Fight against counterfeiters This comes as law enforcement agencies such as Europol and EUIPO have issued fresh warnings over counterfeit goods, particularly the international trade in falsified pharmaceuticals, which is worth in excess of US$ 4 billion. The World Health Organisation has also warned about the increase in illicit medicines linked to coronavirus on sale throughout countries like India, where counterfeiters are exploiting gaps in the market.

Holograms can be effective in the frontline fight against counterfeiters and fraudsters, protecting brands and

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The hologram sticker, which includes the registration number, the registering authority, a laser branded PIN, and engine and chassis numbers, is essentially acts as a third registration plate attached to the inside of the bottom-left side of the windshield.

Holographic registration plates

Visually appealing cartons with anti-counterfeiting features

profits and reassure those in the supply chain with their presence on products, recognizing the security and financial benefits provided. Growth in India’s market for authentication devices appears also to be strong and lucrative following forecasts that the global market for anti-counterfeiting packaging will reach upwards of US$ 250 billion by 2026. This is primarily due to the rise in healthcare concerns, higher adoption rates of anti-counterfeit technologies and growing awareness of tracking and tracing technologies.

New applications

The capacity for holography to incorporate various data forms and recognition information continues to grow in importance but for now, its versatility demonstrates a canny knack to add value in protecting India’s indigenous fishing industry.

The state government of Kerala has introduced holographic registration plates (HRPs) in a move to tackle the increasing number of unregistered fishing vessels infiltrating coastal regions which have been identified as being involved in criminal activities, including human trafficking.

The plates feature embossed, difficult to replicate security holograms fixed on top of the wheelhouse with an identification number laser etched to ensure each of the vessels has a unique identifier. The application is allowing the authorities to better track fake fishing vessels, improve coastal security, locate unregistered vessels out at sea and conduct rescue operations more effectively.

Commercial holography’s capacity to carve open new applications is felt strongly in India, where, for example, it’s used by the Indian Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to tackle the issue of vehicle fuel pollution – across several states, people are urged to ensure that they comply with a legal directive to use color-coded hologram stickers to identify the type of fuel used in their vehicles.

The move sees diesel vehicles bearing a hologram sticker with an orange-colored background, while cars running on petrol and compressed natural gas (CNG) display another sticker with a light blue background.

For all other vehicles, the background will be grey.

Holographic registration plates

Labels Other developments In another development, the University Grants’ Commission (UGC) has directed all the universities and higher education institutions in India to introduce identification devices such as a hologram of the institute and QR code in students’ certificates and degrees to ensure proper verification and curb duplication. According to a UGC official, the move also helps to bring uniformity across the country’s higher education system. (According to resources, the number of colleges and universities in India reached 39,931 and 993, respectively, in FY19.

India had 37.4 million students enrolled in higher education in FY19.)

UV embossed label with lens

Another development has seen the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) starting to add holograms to 500-ml bottles at train stations in some parts of the country. It’s expected that the initiative will implemented nationwide in the next few years.

Estimates indicate that the yearly demand for packaged water by railway commuters is approximately 584 million bottles.

End-user demand and the search for ever more interesting packaging concepts and design, certainly reflects holography’s versatility and flexibility in the India consumer market; lending itself to integration with various substrates and print and conversion technologies, driving product innovation.

Growth Indeed, growth in packaging authentication devices across India remains strong and lucrative on the back of forecasts that the global market for anticounterfeiting packaging will reach upwards of US$ 250 billion by 2026. This is primarily due to the rise in healthcare concerns, higher adoption rates of anticounterfeit technologies and growing awareness of

tracking and tracing technologies.

India continues to be at the forefront of holography innovation, developing a new generation of optical structures featuring distinct visual effects that are easy to identify, yet even more difficult to simulate. New techniques in film coating and production technology are pushing the boundaries for the use of holographic materials: a wide variety of specialist origination techniques offer an almost infinite variety of colorful 3D visual effects, ranging from the bright and stunning, to subtle graphic features and tones.

The work of optically variable devices (OVDs) companies such as Holostik illustrates the brightness, vivacity and lustre of holograms as an eye-catching packaging accoutrement. Indeed, various surveys have established that the technology grabs the attention of global consumers browsing crowded retail shelves in store or supermarket. This is the one single property that all brand owners look for in their packaging – maximum brand appeal.

Holistik’s 3D UV embossed holographic labels are used to enhance the retail appeal of a raft of healthcare products including deodorants and corn oil supplements on shelves across India, while contributing a strong degree of authenticity and consumer confidence in the provenance of the products on sale.

The labels not only enhance the brand aesthetics but also provide security from counterfeiting – indeed, for folding carton produced for a leading brand of nasal spray in India, the manufacturers have created packaging that catches the eye and stands out among competitor products.

There’s little question that holography, as advocated by the ISO12931 standard, enables those with re-

UV embossed Label

sponsibility for law enforcement and security across India’s regional and national borders to verify the authenticity of a legitimate product, differentiating it from fake products coming from counterfeiting hot spots around the world. Even those that carry a ‘fake’ authentication feature can be distinguished from the genuine item if that item carries a carefully thought-out authentication solution.

It also remains an effective frontline weapon in the battle to thwart counterfeiters and criminal gangs.

So, it’s appropriate that as holography continues to find new markets and opportunities, the technology remains undimmed. z

Demand continues to strengthen the market in India for holography as we see continued integration of holography alongside other authentication and track and trace technologies driving growth.

– Dr Paul Dunn

THE PACKMAN | Sep-Oct 2020

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Flexibles

z BIS publishes long awaited revision of Indian standard IS 15945

India bans use of toluene in food packaging inks BIS finally published the long awaited revision of the Indian standard IS 15945 in July 2020. The announcement IS15495 to ban toluene in food packaging inks is a landmark development, according to leading ink manufacturers. Now India joins the list of countries that do not use toluene in food packaging inks.

Mahan hazarika

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IS finally published the long awaited revision of the Indian standard IS 15945 in July 2020. The major highlight of the revised standard IS 15495:2020 (First Revision) is the inclusion of toluene in the negative list or Annexure A. Additionally, the addition of titanium acetylacetonate, di-n-butylphthalate (DBP), di-isononyl phthalate (DINP); some modifications in the segment of responsibility of ink manufacturers are few other changes that are included in the newly revised standard.

The Indian Standard was first published in 2004. This standard was formulated with a view to assist the manufacturers of printing inks to produce inks, which are intended for use on food packages and which do not contain any hazardous chemicals that may get transferred to the food packed, and help food packers and manufacturers of packages in selecting proper quality printing ink. General guidelines for exclusion of certain substances from printing ink formulations intended for use on food packages have also been prescribed in this standard.

The committee responsible for development of the standard has reviewed the standard in view of overall impact of constituent chemicals of the ink formulation considering their reported toxicological profile,

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JK Sharma, CEO, Yansefu Inks & Coatings – “The ban on toluene in food packaging inks is a revolutionary decision.”

hazardous to environment and health of human being and possible contamination of food product while food products are being packed in the printing packages.

The committee, therefore, decided to revise this standard by incorporating prohibition of toluene under ‘solvents’ category, phthalates (di-n-butylphthalate,

di-isononyl phthalate) under ‘plasticizers’ category and titanium acetylacetonate under ‘various compounds’ category in Annex-A of exclusion list on the basis of their hazards to health and environment. Provision also incorporated in the revised version to restrict limit of the sum of concentration levels of lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium (VI) to 100 ppm for printing

Flexibles EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT Last Date

30.04.2020

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PRINTPACK INDIA February 3-8, 2021

India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, NCR Delhi PRINTPACKIPAMA

PRINTPACKIPAMA

IPAMAPRINTPACKINDIA

0120-4292274 www.printpackipama.com FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT +91-9717199385, +91-9717199388 ORGANIZER : INDIAN PRINTING PACKAGING & ALLIED MACHINERY MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION

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Plot No C-54, Sector-62, Institutional Area, Noida, 201 307 U.P, INDIA I Ph: +91-120-2400109/4292274 Fax: +91-120-4207076 Email: admin@ipama.org; info@ipama.org; marketing@ipama.org

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Flexibles inks. Also, technical advancements that have taken place since the publication of this standard have been considered in this revision.

“The Yansefu team enthusiastically welcomes IS 15495:2020 (First Revision) and the bold decision of implementing a ban on the use of toluene in the printing inks by BIS. The ban on toluene in food packaging inks is a revolutionary decision which will not only promote and strengthen the food safety in India, but has also provided an impetus to manufacturers present in the industry, particularly printing ink formulators to design innovative solutions which would be eventually safe for the consumers of end application. Yansefu is and will always be in the support of BIS to strengthen the food safety in India,” says JK Sharma, CEO, Yansefu Inks & Coatings.

Sharma adds, “Yansefu is ready with safe and compliant toluene-free (TF) / non-toluene (NT) range of products. Yansefu has not only supported BIS to revise the standard, as an one-point solution provider, but also creates a difference by providing its helping hands to its customers, in order to make a smooth transition from toluene-based to toluene-free printing, with the help of its technical team experienced with inks, coatings, adhesives, packaging films and raw materials.

Further, Yansefu can support other ink manufactures in terms of providing its wide range of polyurethane binders and additive packages for manufacturing toluene-free inks.”

Ashish Pradhan, president, Siegwerk India and Greater China, says, “The BIS announcement to ban toluene in food packaging inks is a landmark development. The steps taken by BIS towards promoting food safety are very commendable and progressive. We welcome this move. India will now join the list of countries that do not use toluene in food packaging inks. Siegwerk has banned the use of toluene across global operations, including India a few years ago. This self-regulation is in line with Siegwerk’ s commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen.”

Pradhan adds, “Siegwerk has made significant investments in its process and machinery to change to toluene-free production ensuring zero cross contamination from toluene based products. This also means our products are already meeting the toluene

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Ashish Pradhan, president, Siegwerk India and Greater China – “The BIS announcement to ban toluene in food packaging inks is a landmark development.”

ban regulations and customers will benefit as they do not have to experience any down time, that could have otherwise resulted due to adjustments in the process/ upgrading of technology, to meet the regulatory requirements. Siegwerk has always been on

forefront of packaging safety and hence offers inks which are free not only from toluene but also ketones.

Siegwerk inks are formulated to be non-toluene and non-ketone (NTNK).” z

The committee has decided to revise the standard by incorporating prohibition of toluene under ‘solvents’ category, phthalates (di-nbutylphthalate, di-isononyl phthalate) under ‘plasticizers’ category and titanium acetylacetonate under ‘various compounds’ category in Annex-A of exclusion list on the basis of their hazards to health and environment.

Flexibles

z packaging company in rajasthan

Suraksha Flexo Pack implements FlexiBiz ERP Dev kumar dutta

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espite the sluggish economy of the country, Suraksha Flexo Pack recently implemented Kiran Consultants’s Flexibiz ERP at its plant in Rajasthan to streamline its business processes. The ERP will help Suraksha Flexo Pack to reduce wastage by analyzing reasons – operators, machines that lead to such wastage; lot traceability – from final dispatch lot to initial input used; customer plant audit as entire workflow is automated – right from making of job card till end dispatch; barcoded inventory; timely and automated MIS and, much more.

Gaurav Bansal, director-marketing, Kiran Consultants, said, “The solution can handle sales order processing, production planning, job scheduling, stores, purchase, QC, stage-wise production order tracking, dispatch, CAPA, plant maintenance and Accounting. It is a complete ERP for end to end process mapping for flexible packaging manufacturers.”

Kiran Consultants has been providing ERP and CRM solutions to the packaging industry since 1988. Under the brand FlexiBiz, Kiran caters to the requirements of flexibles packaging, labels, cartons, woven and nonwoven bags manufacturers. With expertise of over 30 years, the company has tremendously simplified its solution over the years bringing in more flexibility and a range of user-defined functions, making the product ready-to-go-live within a very short span of time.

The ISO 22000:2005 certified Suraksha Flexo Pack has two production units in Rajasthan – one is for printed flexible films and pouches, and another for corrugated boxes. The flexible packaging unit has an installed capacity of 750 mt films per month spread over a covered area of about 50,000 square foot. The

Suraksha Flexo Pack has two production units in Rajasthan – one is for printed flexible films and pouches, and another for corrugated boxes

installed capacity of the 30,000 square foot corrugated unit is 1500 mt of paper boards per month.

The flexible packaging unit of the company has state of the art rotogravure press by Pelican. The press is a fully loaded 1100 mm 8-color electronic line shaft machine running at speeds up to 300 mpm. In

addition, the company has also a 1300 mm 8 color fully automatic printing press with speeds up to 250 mpm, and a 1000 mm 8-color printing press with speeds up to 200 mpm. For extrusion lamination, Suraksha has a fully automatic 300 mpm machine with Nordson T Die and screw barrel and thickness measurement system. z

The flexible packaging unit of Suraksha has an installed capacity of 750 MT films per month

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Flexibles

z new line at Waluj plant

Cosmo Films to invest Rs 300 crore in new specialty polyester films line

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osmo Films, a global leader in films for packaging, lamination, labeling and synthetic paper has announced plans to re-commence the installation of a Speciality Polyester Films line (Biaxially-Oriented Polyethylene Terephthalate) by the second quarter of 2022-23.

The new line will be commissioned at the Waluj plant site in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India with a capacity of 30,000 MT per annum. This plant already houses BOPP lines, extrusion coating lines, chemical coating lines, metallizers and a CPP line. The new production line will complement the existing BOPP capacity of 200,000 MT per annum and allow Cosmo Films

to offer a more comprehensive speciality product basket for flexible packaging, labeling, lamination and industrial applications.

The project cost is estimated to be Rs 300 crores, which will be financed through a mix of internal accruals and loans. The company’s key financial parameters for the quarter ended June 2020 are well placed – Debt/EBITDA @ 1.8 times and net debt to equity @ 0.7 times.

Pankaj Poddar, CEO, Cosmo Films, said, “Speciality BOPET is a niche segment which caters to multiple application segments, with high margins and oppor-

tunities for import substitution as well as worldwide exports.The new specialty BOPET line shall be unique and a majority of the products made on the line would focus on sustainability and creation of a greener future as the key theme. The debt/EBIDTA and other financial ratios expect to remain in a comfortable range even post the capex.”

BOPET films (Biaxially-Oriented Polyethylene Terephthalate films) offer high tensile strength, chemical, and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties, and electrical insulation. z

z products to help make design and performance needs a reality

Michelman’s growing portfolio of BPI certified compostable coatings

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ichelman continues building on its 70-year history of sustainable technology as three of its PFAS-free coatings – Michem Coat 2000, Michem Coat 525, and Hydraban 8000, have recently complied with the specifications established by the American Society for Testing and Materials standards ASTM D6400 and D6868 per the terms and conditions of Biodegradable Products Institute’s (BPI) certification program for compostable products.

Rick Michelman, chief technology officer and EVP for Americas and printing and packaging, says, “As a supplier to brand owners and other members of the packaging supply chain, we want to help transition the industry into more sustainable packaging. BPI has the largest certification program for compostable

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products and packaging in North America, and getting awarded BPI certification means the industry can trust that our products have gone through a rigorous testing process.”

These products have had biodegradation and ecotoxicity testing in order to receive BPI certification. This testing means that Michelman BPI-certified coatings are proven to biodegrade in an industrial compost environment and can be used in typical quantities in the applications for which they are designed, with minimal limitations.

The newly developed Michem Coat 2000 and Michem Coat 525 are functional coatings that provide maximum oil and grease performance in fiber-based

food service applications. Hydraban 8000 is a waterresistant paper coating with excellent gluability and printability used for food packaging.

Rick Michelman adds, “We design solutions with the Circular Economy in mind, combined with what we are hearing from our converter customers and the brands they serve. Paper-based packaging materials coated with our functional coatings are typically repulpable and recyclable. Now, our growing portfolio of certified compostable coatings provides brand owners with more sustainable options to achieve the performance they need and help divert packaging from landfills.”

Michelman’s portfolio of compostable coatings is currently available in North America, with global development under way. z

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Flexibles

z milk-based drinks with fruit pieces

ITC India pioneer a hyperflexible Sidel complete aseptic PET line O

ne of India’s foremost private sector companies, ITC, recently introduced a new range of milk-based drinks with fruit pieces while expanding their juice portfolio with a variety of premium 100% Indian fruit, 0% concentrate, and 0% preservative juices. With both, they trusted Sidel and their proven expertise in aseptic packaging, investing in a complete line, featuring the first dry preform sterilization in India. Besides helping this manufacturer gain higher productivity and flexibility, Sidel designed and tested their three new PET bottle formats for absolute food safety and powerful packaging differentiation on retailers’ shelves.

Surfing the healthy consumer wave in India Indians are more and more looking for ‘better-for-you’ beverage options, offering added nutritional benefits daily. Busy and stressful lifestyles are increasingly representing the rule for the majority of the Indian population, looking for convenient ways to cope with their time constraints and willing to pay a premium for so-called ‘naturally healthy’ beverages in small formats.

Recognizing this shift in consumer preferences, ITC recently decided to expand its product range to include liquid dairy products – they launched Sunfeast Wonderz Milk, a new milk-based drink bottled in PET. Available in 200 ml and 300ml formats, it is offered in four different flavors – Vanilla Milkshake, Mixed-fruit Milkshake, Mango Milkshake, and Badam Milkshake.

In parallel, they added a portfolio of premium Not From Concentrate (NFC) juices with source certified premium fruits to their existing B Natural brand. The portfolio includes the exotic range of Himalayan Mixed

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ITC trusted in Sidel and their proven expertise in aseptic packaging, investing in a complete line, featuring the first dry preform sterilisation in India

Fruit, Ratnagiri Alphonso Mango, and Dakshin Pink Guava, making it the first fruit beverage brand in India to offer a portfolio of source certified fruit beverages with 100% Indian fruit, 0% concentrate without any preservatives to their customers.

Flexible PET packaging solution To make this move, ITC needed a highly flexible PET packaging solution. “Strengthening innovation across the organization is a key business imperative for us in rapid business change and heightened competition.

It also ensures that we enlarge our market share,

create brand differentiation and are future-ready.

All of that while pursuing ‘Responsible Competitiveness’ – a socio-economic-environmental framework that is pushing us always to guarantee that growth is sustainable and inclusive,” explains Rajesh Ponnuru, category manager Juices and Dairy at ITC.

More than just pioneering a packaging innovation in India ITC widened their nutritional drinks portfolio by expanding the packaging material choices supporting their B Natural juices and launching the new Sunfeast liquid dairy products in PET. The resulting aseptic complete

Flexibles line project was a first in many ways. For example, it was the first time ITC partnered with Sidel, the first time they entered the dairy-based beverage market. The first time UHT milk-based drinks with fruit pieces were launched in India leveraging the benefits of aseptic PET production with dry preform decontamination.

“Our global leadership in this field, based on more than 40 years of expertise and more than 150 references of our Aseptic Combi Predis installed worldwide, was also a key driver for ITC’s decision, further strengthened via the opportunity of taking care of the process phase through Tetra Pak Processing System (TPPS) technologies,” says Gaurav Kumar, project manager execution, Global Key Accounts at Sidel. “We are really proud to be the first ones in India to leverage the benefits of aseptic PET production with dry preform decontamination,” continues Ponnuru from ITC. “This unique system perfectly supports the complete aseptic PET solution Sidel provides, offering flexibility, sustainability and efficiency. Plus, the Predis system uses no water and minimal chemicals during production.”

Expert advice along every step of supply chain ITC chose PET because this packaging material facilitates the creation of more innovative and functional packages, thus helping the leading Indian player surf the rapid changes that are happening in the local market by gaining a competitive edge through product differentiation. The latter aspect was especially important for them, as the majority of milk products in the country are packaged in pouches, glass bottles, and cartons. Bottled in PET and decorated with colorful sleeve labels, the B Natural and Sunfeast products immediately gained a distinctive look and feel while providing an enhanced brand experience, therefore receiving a very positive response from local consumers, the company mentioned in a press release.

As ITC was unfamiliar with aseptic PET production, Sidel provided them thorough advice along every step of the supply chain. “The experience they have shown around packaging, beverages, and raw materials was key in winning our trust,” highlights Ponnuru. The customer visited Sidel’s center for packaging expertise in Octeville-sur-Mer (France) multiple times to check the new bottle designs, developed around two main shapes – round and squared. The latter representing another first in this project; the first squared PET beverage bottle offered to Indian consumers.

Moreover, Sidel’s Liquid Package Interaction (LPI) laboratory ran shelf life tests on several juices and

milk-based recipes to simulate real-life distribution conditions and ensure, in advance, the products’ quality, safety, and organoleptic properties. The resulting insights helped ITC decide which recipes to launch on the market and which PET barrier material to choose; the goal being to protect their dairy drinks and juices against microorganism growth and alterations caused by the effects of light, oxygen and temperature. To meet the highest food safety standards and ensure a 6-months shelf life, Sidel’s packaging scientists recommended that the customer use an O2 PET barrier for their milk-based product range and an O2 – combined with a light – barrier to protect their 100% organic juices.

“To find out more about aseptic PET production with dry preform decontamination, we decided to visit a similar installation in Indonesia. During this visit, we had the opportunity to experience the Aseptic Combi Predis in action and talk with operators,” says Pon-

nuru. Based on this positive experience, ITC’s order for the Sidel complete aseptic PET line was placed.

The scope includes Tetra Pak Processing System (TPPS) technologies and, as the heart of the line, the Aseptic Combi Predis complemented by Capdis, the company’s dry cap decontamination system. The line also features a RollQuattro labeler, a sleever, packing and stretch wrapping systems, a PalKombi palletizer and EIT (Efficiency Improvement Tool), with the latter, significantly improving production efficiency.

The aseptic PET complete line – operational since early 2019 – was installed in a new area of the ITC production site in Kapurthala (Punjab) and laid-out to account for production operations and raw material logistics. It ensures the highest level of ease of operations and maintenance, hygiene and food safety while offering outstanding flexibility to switch easily from one product to another. z

z new project to generate 800 jobs

Ester Filmtech to set up film plant in Telangana E

ster Filmtech, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ester Industries, has planned to set up an advanced polyester film manufacturing facility in Telangana. The total investment of the entire project is approximately Rs 1350 crores in three phases.

Implementation of first phase with a capital outlay of Rs 500 crores is scheduled to be completed by third quarter of calendar year 2022.

The project will create direct employment potential for about 800 people. The end products of the proposed unit will find its applications in the packaging material and will help contributing towards strengthening the value chain of flexible packaging industry. The company

proposes to export 30-40% of its production, which will help to establish Telangana’s footprint on global flexible packaging map.

Arvind Singhania, chairman of Ester Filmtech said, “The company has chosen Telangana state due to industry friendly policies and growth oriented approach of the chief minister K Chandra Sekhar Rao and minister KT Rama Rao. As compared to other states, Telangana is far ahead in respect of investment friendly climate, ease of doing business, industry friendly policies like TSI-pass, T-IDEA etc.” z

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Flexibles

z Q1 FY 2020-21

UFlex’s net profit surges by 116.7% YoY to INR 196.5 crore U

Flex, India’s largest multinational flexible packaging company and a global player in polymer sciences, has declared its earnings for first quarter of FY 2020-21. The company posted a stellar performance where the company’s consolidated net profit surged by 116.7% YoY to INR 196.5 crore for Q1 FY 2020-21. Consolidated total revenue for the first quarter of the fiscal 2020-21 stood at INR 1997.5 crore, a marginal increase of 0.78% YoY. Speaking of the results, Rajesh Bhatia, group president (finance and accounts) and CFO, Uflex, said, “Q1 FY 2020-21 has been a quarter of great progress for UFlex. With innovations seen in FlexiTubes, Spout Pouches and other product portfolio, we have been working relentlessly during these challenging times.

The demand for pouching saw a huge increase led by personal hygiene category. This was reflected in our quarterly performance via higher sales volumes, huge surge in profitability and much healthier EBITDA margins of 21.1%. Even amidst the lockdown, we were able to complete the construction of our new facilities in Poland and Russian and start trial runs.”

Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director, Uflex, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has been an epic test of leadership character. As an essential supplies player, UFlex had the humongous responsibility to ensure continuity of packaging material supplies for food and pharma, which is the lifeline in present context, and allied products. Team UFlex assumed its responsibilities and rose to the occasion in discharging their duties, despite daunting pressures on daily functioning when lockdowns were the order of the day.

A natural corollary of all the efforts had to culminate into a remarkable quarter for us.”

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PECOM-X: five automation levels

Easy tear structure: In Q1 FY 20-2021, UFlex made some noteworthy developments that are set to thrust the packaging sphere

He continued, “As regards COVID-19, my personal belief is that the world has to learn to live with this new normal with razor-sharp focus on economics, otherwise the fallout will be more disastrous than the

pandemic itself, particularly for the underdeveloped and developing world as they have limited resources to match the fiscal stimulus provided by their developed counterparts.” z

Filling and Sealing

z Hassia sees strong synergies for growth and sustainability

Rovema acquires Hassia Packaging India

R

ovema signed an agreement to acquire Punebased Hassia Packaging. Hassia India was previously part of the IMA Group. The company is firmly established in the mid-price segment, especially in Asia and Africa and, like Rovema, is active in the food segment. Hassia is a specialist in vertical form, fill and seal machines.

The acquisition allows Rovema to complete its international portfolio with a strategically important and very solid service and assembly location. The middle price segment in Asia and Africa has hardly been targeted so far, so can now be served quickly and reliably.

The additional location in India also strengthens the Rovema service offer and enables the expansion

9890-0414_OhioGT_PSA_AugSept.indd 1

of the comprehensive life cycle service concept for Africa and Asia.

Rovema managing director Jens Torkel said, “Hassia India fits precisely into our strategic alignment. The expansion of our market presence with local production in South East Asia will be significantly accelerated with this acquisition.”

As with the acquisition of DL Packaging in January 2020, Hassia India will continue to operate under its existing brand name. The strengths of the company are to be further developed in the Rovema network in close cooperation with the long-standing managing director K Ravi. Strong competencies in the powder

segment on both sides, together with complementary expertise, for instance, in the production of portion packs for liquids, can be optimally coordinated. The current employees at the production site in Pune will remain.

Rovema’s sustainable orientation is also decisive for the long-term cooperation. K Ravi said, “Hassia India has been a leader in value development in the segment of vertical form, fill and seal technology for years. Through innovation and also through Indianizing German technology. Our customers in India, South East Asia and Africa have set new standards with our support. Rovema is a strong brand with similar values and is a world leader in technology.” z

7/14/2016 11:00:18 AM

Filling and Sealing

z flow wrapper for bars, bakery products, cookies and crackers

Syntegon introduces Pack 202 flow wrapper S

yntegon Technology has launched the next generation of flow wrappers on the North American market – the Pack 202. As the successor of the Pack 201, the machine is a fully automated horizontal flow wrapping machine for low to medium speeds. The flow wrapper is suitable for bars, bakery products, cookies and crackers, as well as non-food applications.

With the Pack 202, manufacturers benefit from a number of technological advances that were first introduced on the new Pack 403 last year, including an easily removable discharge belt, upgrades to the cross-seal and fin seal units, and a highly intuitive, user-centered design.

“Our new flow wrapper for small to mid-sized manufacturers certainly packs a punch: We were able to integrate some of the features of our Pack 403 for medium to high speed applications into the new Pack 202. The machine is easy to operate, clean and maintain, which reduces downtime and maximizes overall equipment effectiveness,” Kelly Meer, product manager at Syntegon in New Richmond, Wisconsin, USA, says. The Pack 202 is designed to produce up to 300 packs per minute at a film speed of 50 meters.

Supported pack styles include pillow, gusseted and easy-to-open packs.

Technological upgrades for improved seal quality Ideal for multi-product applications, the Pack 202 can wrap individual or grouped products including bakery goods, bars, fresh and frozen products, confectionery, snacks, medical products, prepared foods, household goods, and many other food and non-food items. The Pack 202 profits from a number of cross- and fin-seal improvements that were first introduced on the Pack 403 flow wrapping machine last year.

The finwheel modules have been synchronized and

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the Pack 202 now features an improved canting mechanism: At the turn of a knob, operators can tilt the fin modules and adjust them easily for tighter or looser packs. On the Pack 202 for the North American market, the Pack 403’s powered fin fold-over technology is now included as a standard feature. Not only does this technology enhance the appearance of each pack, it also facilitates maintenance and cleaning processes since the fold-over unit can be removed easily.

The cross-seal unit on the Pack 202 has also been improved significantly: The standard double-spring kit offers more consistent and stable seals, while the adjustment resolution has been doubled, thus enabling more precise and repeatable crimper adjustments.

Pack 202 is a fully automated horizontal flow wrapper for low to medium speeds

User-friendly design for easy handling

Meer explains. “What’s more, the standard Pack 202 version for the North American market now features Rockwell controls and HMI 4.0., which is a significant benefit for brand owners.” Upon request, advanced Rockwell controls can also be installed.

User-friendliness and ease of operation are at the heart of the Pack 202’s design – just like the Pack 403. A number of features on the Pack 403 have been integrated into the Pack 202 to improve the user experience. Sequentially numbered film rollers facilitate film threading for repeatable, consistent changeovers and minimize downtime caused by “trial-and-error” adjustments. The flow wrapper also comprises an optional automatic film splicer with laser-etched instructions on the deckplate to secure fast and smooth film changes without having to stop the machine.

As a new option for North American customers, the Pack 202 can be equipped with a one-meter-long reject belt. Its short length offers brand owners a much smaller machine footprint compared to the previous Pack 201 machine. The upper section of the reject belt is easy to remove for quick belt changes and cleaning processes. The detection function on the short discharge belt rejects faulty packages and automatically ejects them using compressed air. For larger and heavier products, a two-meter-long discharge module with reject plow is available as an option.

Syntegon has now equipped the Pack 202 in North America with a standard 450-millimeter dual backstand. Depending on brand owners’ needs, a 650-millimeter single backstand is also available. “Our customers in North America benefit from a number of technological upgrades, such as the standard 450-millimeter dual backstand. Previously, our Pack 201 flow wrapper for the North American market featured a standard 650-millimeter single backstand,”

Intelligent and sustainable technologies Syntegon has intensified its efforts to develop intelligent and sustainable technologies. The packaging experts work with material suppliers and brand owners throughout the supply chain to test and adjust the machine runability of alternative packaging materials. z

Filling and Sealing

z Paper not film

KHS launches ecofriendly can packaging system

T

he KHS Group has added a further environmentally-friendly system to its portfolio. With its tried-and-tested Innopack Kisters tray packers the systems supplier now enables cans of food and beverage to be wrapped in paper. The new technology provides an alternative to shrink film or wrap-around cartons. Regarding stability the results are the same yet compared to cardboard costs are lower as less energy and fewer materials are used. With a few minor adjustments existing machines can also be converted to the new setup.

The idea of using paper as a secondary packaging is not new; KHS first experimented with this around 20 years ago. “Back then, this technology didn’t catch on, however, as paper was a cost-intensive raw material and wrapping containers in film yielded better results regarding stability,” says Karl-Heinz Klumpe, packaging product manager at KHS. The beverage industry thus opted for different systems and solutions. “Our customers now want alternatives to the usual packaging systems such as film. These should be as ecofriendly as possible,” he continues. To this end, the paper wrapping has now been developed together with an international beverage producer. This type of pack can replace shrink film or wrap-around carton packaging for transportation or sale on packs of 12 or 24 cans in the high-capacity range of up to 90,000 cans per hour.

In order to wrap cans in paper instead of film just a few adjustments are needed to the Innopack Kisters tray packer, a machine well established on the market.

“KHS is increasingly supplying modular systems and solutions that enable and ease the appropriate conversions to our machines. In this case, we’ve simply reengineered the process module for folding and wrapping,” Klumpe explains. “The standard components such as tray separation from the magazine, gluing or can feed are identical to those on the hundreds of proven KHS machines already on the market.” This allows beverage producers to have the tray packers

The new technology provides an alternative to shrink film or wrap-around cartons

already in operation at their plants converted simply by adapting certain modules, making a full new investment unnecessary.

Wrapping cans in paper has many advantages over other materials, believes Klumpe. “On the one hand, paper is kinder to the environment than film with respect to ocean pollution, for instance. Paper biodegrades in the environment after a few weeks.” On the other hand, fewer packaging materials are used.

Instead of a sturdy wrap-around carton or film packs on trays, packaging cans in thinner paper only needs a flat, stable corrugated card pad as a base – with identical results regarding stability.

Costs are also cut by the new paper pack: compared to a wrap-around carton by up to 15%, with outgoings about the same as for film. Overheads are also

considerably reduced by the low energy consumption of about 14 kWh an hour at 80 cycles a minute. The folding process is such that the pack is also fully enclosed. “In contrast, dirt can get into film packs with small side openings. Over long distances especially paper has the clear advantage when it comes to protecting the pack,” Klumpe states.

Klumpe sees huge potential for the new KHS technology. “When I think how much food is canned all over the world, with our paper pack we offer a useful alternative to conventional secondary packaging. With our system we can significantly help to cut down on the amount of plastic waste being generated.” According to Klumpe, this will support the efforts being made throughout the entire sector to protect the environment. “Sustainability is also always a cost factor, however. With our new approach we’re catering for both aspects here.” z

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Sustainability

z path forward to a circular economy

Amcor joins United States Plastics Pact to advance circular economy

A

mcor announced that it has joined the U.S. Plastics Pact, a collaborative, solutions-driven initiative to create a path forward to a circular economy for plastics in the United States by 2025.

The US Plastics Pact is focused on four ambitious goals intended to drive significant systems change by unifying diverse cross-sector approaches, setting a national strategy, and creating scalable solutions.

The first North American Pact of its kind, the U.S. Plastics Pact is a collaboration led by The Recycling Partnership, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

The U.S. Pact convenes more than 60+ brands, retailers, NGOs, and government agencies across the plastics value chain to bring one voice to U.S. packaging through coordinated initiatives and innovative solutions for rethinking products, packaging, and business models.

“As a global leader in the packaging industry, Amcor’s colleagues continuously push themselves and others to achieve more, to understand challenges and advance transformational change,” said Eric Roegner, president Amcor rigid packaging. “We are already working with customers to increase recycled materials in packaging and increase recycling rates worldwide. The goals of the U.S. Plastics Pact are closely aligned with Amcor’s own sustainability agenda and we can leverage our in-depth industry expertise and resources at scale to advance the transition to a circular economy.”

As a founding member of the U.S. Plastics Pact, Amcor has agreed to collectively deliver against four ambitious goals by 2025: 1. Define a list of packaging to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and take measures to eliminate them by 2025.

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Amcor has agreed to collectively deliver against four ambitious goals by 2025

2. All plastic packaging to be 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

3. Undertake ambitious actions to effectively recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging.

4. The average recycled content or responsibly sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging to be 30%.

While the U.S. Pact is complementary to, and follows the ambitious precedents set by the existing global network of Plastic Pacts, it will be tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of the U.S. market.

“The U.S. Pact will inspire and support upstream innovation through a coordinated national strategy, creating a unified framework and enabling members to accelerate progress toward our ambitious 2025 sus-

tainability goals,” says Sarah Dearman, Vice President of Circular Ventures for The Recycling Partnership.

Amcor believes there will always be a role for responsible packaging that offers differentiated functionality while minimizing waste in the environment. A responsible packaging system will require innovative packaging design, improvements to waste management infrastructure and increased consumer participation.

Amcor is making progress towards its commitment to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, significantly increase use of recycled materials, and drive greater recycling of packaging around the world. z

Sustainability

z HolyGrail 2.0 launched

Mondi trials digital watermarking to separate waste for a circular economy

M

ondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has joined forces with AIM, the European Brands Association, and other partners across the value chain to prove the viability of digital watermarking for sorting waste at scale. The HolyGrail 2.0 initiative has the ambitious goal of assessing whether this pioneering digital technology can enable better sorting and higher-quality recycling rates for packaging in the EU, thereby driving a truly circular economy.

Mondi was a founding member of the original Pioneer Project HolyGrail, facilitated by the Ellen MacArthur foundation. Now over 85% across the value chain are working together to refine and commercialize this concept, with Mondi continuing its active role in trialing the innovative technology.

Postage stamp sized watermarks on packaging – which are not visible to the naked eye – make it

possible to effectively sort the material into specific waste streams. Conventional sensor technologies (e.g. near infrared spectroscopy) are not able to reliably identify multi-material packaging, so they can end up as contaminants when recycling mono-materials. With this new technology, it becomes possible to separate materials more accurately and generate new waste streams, which then can be recycled with enhanced recycling technologies. These digital watermarks also provide other opportunities. For example, consumers can use a smartphone app to find details about the packaging and how to recycle it, and brand owners can add product details as well.

“As members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy, we were part of the initial team to bring the Pioneer Project, HolyGrail, to life. At Mondi, we believe packaging should be sustainable by design and we see the need to improve the sorting

Digital watermark trials target improved recycling

and separation of packaging waste as part of a circular economy. Digital watermarks have the potential to make this a reality. Improved recycling will increase the value of packaging waste, driving higher collection rates and making it a valuable commercial resource for the future,” says Graeme Smith, head of product sustainability for flexible packaging and engineered materials at Mondi Group. z

z polyurethane PSA

Toyochem’s new biodegradable polyurethane adhesive

T

oyochem, a member of the Toyo Ink Group of Japan, has developed a new series of biodegradable pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs).

Marketed under the Cyabine series of polyurethane PSAs, the newly developed product is suitable for materials for the packaging, construction, agriculture and other industries where the use of biodegradable or recoverable materials are preferred.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in reducing plastic waste, in particular with regard to the development of biodegradable materials that

reduce the use of petroleum and its negative impact on the environment. In many countries, industrial waste generated from fields such as civil engineering, forestry and agriculture need to be recovered or decomposed naturally without imposing a burden on the environment. While the base paper or film substrates used in recovered products are biodegradable, the additives such as adhesives traditionally used to coat or treat them are not, resulting in disposal issues.

substances, such as carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen and methane gas, thus helping to reduce landfilling and further close the circular loop on plastic waste.

Moreover, according to the company, the new PSA system demonstrates biodegradation rates of 60% or higher after 60 days. When combined with other biodegradable materials used in a wide range of products, it helps to improve the overall biodegradability of these products. z

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Automation

z rethink packaging with B&R

Good things come in right-sized packages

T

he average package shipped today contains 40% empty space, contributing to the unnecessary destruction of more than 342 square miles of forest every year. Both environmentally and economically, this is an immense problem requiring urgent attention. Rather than just thinking outside of the box, Packsize went ahead and reinvented it. With superior automation performance from B&R, Packsize now allows manufacturers to produce custom packages on demand to perfectly fit their content.

Truckloads of savings through On Demand Packaging The potential environmental benefits are impressive – 17.4 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions and 36.91 million barrels of oil could be saved each year by eliminating the empty space in oversized packages. Through its innovative approach to right-sized packaging, Packsize has already prevented over 35.6 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions through 24.3 million avoided truckloads.

“The environmental aspect was one of our main motivations for developing this solution,” says Niklas Pettersson, global vice president of technical innovation at Packsize, “but one should not forget the huge savings it promises for companies who implement it.” Shipping logistics is a universal challenge faced in every industry. The traditional approach – maintaining a stock of boxes in a limited variety of sizes – racks up costs for strategic planning, inventory maintenance and warehouse management systems.

Companies end up paying for excessive corrugated cardboard, filling material, warehouse space and transportation – just to move around large quantities of air.

Not to mention that products shipped in oversized boxes are also much more prone to damage. Determined to create a win-win solution to these problems – not only for the companies involved, but for the planet as

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Niklas Pettersson, global vice president of technical innovation at Packsize

well – Packsize introduced the concept of On Demand Packaging. Their customers and partners can now enjoy cost savings and optimized supply chain logistics while contributing to a healthier planet.

The right partner for the right strategy One might easily assume that Packsize has paved its way to success with On Demand Packaging, but the

Pharma Packaging

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Automation fast-paced e-commerce fulfillment industry. The Packsize iQ Fusion can create an infinite number of box styles, and WMS integration allows it to seamlessly connect with any warehouse management system for automatic transmission of product dimensions.

road has not been without its share of bumps. Early on, Packsize had difficulty convincing manufacturers – particularly those for whom packaging was not a core business – to invest in its new machines. Thanks to the resourcefulness of current CEO Hanko Kiessner, however, Packsize was able to turn this obstacle into a stepping stone. Rather than selling its machines, Packsize chose to lend them to its customers and charge instead for the supply of corrugated cardboard.

In order for this new business model to work, Packsize knew it would have to produce its machines more cost-effectively without interfering with their performance. Looking for an automation partner with the technology and know-how to make this happen, Packsize found B&R to be the clear choice. Well-known for its portfolio of easily integrated and highly scalable solutions spanning the entire bandwidth of automation technology, B&R was able to help optimize both performance and cost.

Right-sized automation for the new iQ Fusion To better serve an e-commerce market that is growing faster than ever, Packsize and B&R have developed a

With superior automation performance from B&R, Packsize now allows manufacturers to produce custom packages on demand to perfectly fit their content

new, even smaller machine – the Packsize iQ Fusion.

With its small footprint and versatile carton-making ability, this machine has the agility needed for the

Packsize’s sustained position as an innovative leader in its field is owed in part to B&R’s outstanding product portfolio. B&R’s Automation Studio development environment provides a seamless link between programming, diagnostics, I/O and motion control, ensuring the high-performance positioning and speed control that is vital for Packsize. The flexibility and openness of B&R’s fully integrated components makes them perfect for creating right-sized solutions that harmonize nicely with Packsize’s own philosophy.

On Demand Packaging allows vendors to give their customers environmentally friendly packaging while still increasing their own margin. With the fast growing e-commerce industry and a major contract with Staples, Packsize looks forward to a bright future where it will continue to rethink the packaging industry together with B&R. z

One might easily assume that Packsize has paved its way to success with On Demand Packaging, but the road has not been without its share of bumps. Early on, Packsize had

difficulty

convincing

manufacturers – particularly those for whom packaging was not a core business – to invest B&R Automation Studio is the integrated software development environment that contains tools for all phases of a project

in its new machines. Thanks to the resourcefulness of current CEO Hanko Kiessner, however, Packsize was able to turn this obstacle into a stepping stone.

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Pharma Packaging

z Supporting Covid-19 testing, therapies and vaccines

Thermo Fisher invests US$ 140 million to increase laboratory plastics production

T

hermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced it is investing more than US$ 140 million to further expand its laboratory plastics consumables production to support significant global demand for COVID-19 testing, as well as development and manufacturing of therapies and vaccines.

"Early in the pandemic, we quickly joined forces with governments, public health agencies and industry to increase capacity across our laboratory plastics production facilities and address the growing COVID-19 threat," said Fred Lowery, senior vice president and president of Life Sciences Solutions and Laboratory Products at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "However, demand quickly exceeded those early expansion projects, so we began a series of additional expansions to meet the growing needs of our customers. These investments, along with many others across the company, will ensure that our customers have the supplies they need to continue meeting the unprecedented demands of the COVID-19 response."

The rapid increase in production related to COVID-19 testing, and development and manufacturing of therapies and vaccines, has created historic demand for laboratory plastics, including pipette and automation tips, storage tubes and plates, transfer pipettes, and packaging vials and bottles. To support these needs, Thermo Fisher is creating more than 1,000 jobs across manufacturing sites globally, increasing automation capabilities and optimizing warehouse and sterilization capacity to improve supply chain agility.

Among the Thermo Fisher sites currently being expanded are Rochester, N.Y.; Petaluma, Calif.; Monterrey and Tijuana, Mexico; and Joensuu, Finland.

B&R Automation Studio is the integrated software development environment that contains tools for all phases of a project

The rapid increase in production Thermo Fisher offers an extensive range of laboratory plastics, including Thermo Scientific Nalgene and Nunc plasticware and the Thermo Scientific Manual and Electronic Pipetting Systems. From bottles, beakers, funnels and tubes to pipettes, tips and diagnostic plates, Thermo Fisher consumables support critical COVID-19 work globally and include sample collection vials for diagnostic test kits, pipettes for test processing, lab essentials for research into therapies and vaccines, lab plastics to support clinical and epidemiological studies, and materials for vaccine production and biobanking. z

related to COVID-19 testing, and development and manufacturing of therapies and vaccines, has created historic demand for laboratory

plastics,

including

pipette and automation tips, storage tubes and plates, transfer pipettes, and packaging vials and bottles.

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Blockchain

z Bringing technology to the hemp industry

Kezzler & Trace announce serialization blockchain partnership

T

race, which offers an advanced hemp seed-tosale tracking solution in the USA and leading AIPIA member Kezzler, a global provider of supply chain traceability and serialization technology, has announced a new partnership agreement. The companies with the help of this partnership are certain to redefine supply-chain visibility in the hemp and agro-industry at large.

Trace leverages the power of Ethereum-based blockchain technology to distribute crucial information while removing the potential for altering accurate information, to enhance public and regulatory trust, it claimed. Whereas blockchain uses encryption to guarantee the immutability of transactions, Kezzler applies encryption to guarantee the uniqueness of product identity and centralized processing, allowing for scalable performance.

The partnership between Trace and Kezzler combines the best of both paradigms moving forward, they believe so that both government and private businesses will be able to have unparalleled security, monitoring, and insight into their hemp supply chains.

“We are excited to bring Kezzler’s technology to the hemp industry,” said Joshua Decatur, chief executive officer of Trace. “There is industry consensus that sub-par solutions have held back the private market and complicated the lives of overseeing agencies.

At the end of the day it’s consumers that suffer the consequences. We look forward to continuing our mission of bringing truth and transparency to the supply chain.”

Failures from the systems that are currently deployed in the United States have been widely publicized. These have slowed the industry’s growth and have hindered regulators’ efforts to oversee it, further complicating expansion into additional markets. As more states pass adult-use legislation, the need to create a properly functioning tracking and regulatory system that can

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The partnership between Trace and Kezzler aims to redefine supply-chain visibility in the hemp and agro-industry at large

scale in security, volume, and complexity without affecting performance becomes paramount.

“We recognize the need for innovative solutions in the hemp industry that provide supply-chain traceability for businesses and regulators while safeguarding consumers,” says Robert Lillefloth, director of partnership sales at Kezzler. “Much like Kezzler, Trace has been an innovator since their inception and has championed the commercial advantages of mass unit-level serialization for over 18 years. This new partnership is another example of how we continue to lead the aggregation and track and trace fields.”

Trace delivers soil-to-shelf supply chain transparency through our custom-fit software solutions that are homegrown in cannabis. With its industry-tested product development and blockchain-enabled data integrity, Trace works alongside government and commercial entities to empower consumer confidence, drive operational performance, and ultimately speak truth to flower.

Kezzler claims to make every single product unique, traceable, and interactive. The company offers a cloud-based traceability platform that brings value to brand owners by securing supply chains and elevating the consumer experience. z

Blockchain

z traceability across the pharma supply chain

Sonoco creates PharmaPortal using IBM blockchain technology

S

onoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco, the global provider of temperature assurance packaging for pharmaceutical distribution, is building PharmaPortal, a vendor-neutral blockchain platform for pharmaceutical manufacturers and carriers. Built on IBM Blockchain Transparent Supply, PharmaPortal intends to meet the industry’s needs to trace assets across many different supply chain participants.

The openly governed blockchain network built on open source technology will initially focus on end-to-end

traceability of temperature-controlled drugs, such as vaccines, and provide an audit trail of environmental condition monitoring to help protect the efficacy of these life-saving, life-extending and life-enhancing medicines.

Despite improvements, the US$ 230 billion (approximately Rs 17 lakh crore) cold chain pharmaceutical distribution market still suffers from inefficiencies, which cause value losses estimated at nearly US $ 35 billion (approximately Rs 2.5 lakh crore).

INPACK SOLUTIONS INDIA

“IBM offers deep expertise in blockchain to the pharmaceutical industry to help establish this transformational network led by Sonoco ThermoSafe,” said Raj Rao, general manager, IBM Blockchain Platforms.

This neutral ecosystem will be especially helpful in fostering trust in the pharmaceutical air cargo market by enabling all parties in the supply chain to give and get relevant data in a highly secured, permissioned way.” z

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Events

z Change of leadership

Interpack still scheduled for 25 February to 3 March 2021

O

n 9 September 2020, Messe Dusseldorf announced that Thomas Dohse is the new leader of interpack in his capacity as project director since the beginning of September. He follows Bernd Jablonowski, who rose to the managing board of Messe Düsseldorf as an executive director.

Dohse has excellent know-how and connections within the global packaging industry and the related process industry. He has been part of the interpack team at Messe Düsseldorf since 2005 and led interpack 2017 on an operative level as deputy director.

During this period, the fifty-year-old father of three supported many formative themes for interpack, such as Save Food and the special shows under the innovationparc label. These are now also successful at the international events within the scope of the interpack alliance, which will also be led by Dohse in the future.

Due to the Corona pandemic, the upcoming interpack in Düsseldorf was postponed from its original date in May 2020 to the following year. It will now take place

from 25 February to 3 March 2021 and continues to be fully booked.

Comprehensive hygiene plan for the 2021 trade fair Messe Düsseldorf says it relies on a comprehensive hygiene concept to protect exhibitors and visitors. “interpack is the most important event in the international packaging industry and, especially in times of crisis, provides crucial stimuli in order to build a successful future for the companies involved. Therefore, we give our all to do justice to this responsibility and simultaneously guarantee the best possible protection of the health of the people coming to our trade fair center,” emphasizes Thomas Dohse.

According to the interpack press release, the hygiene plan has already proved that it lives up to its motto: “PROTaction – Back to Business” with Caravan Salon, the first trade fair at the Düsseldorf trade fair center after the Corona break. After selling personalized tickets exclusively online before the trade fair, extensive hygiene measures shaped the concept’s implementation on-site. z

Thomas Dohse, project director of interpack

z Brand Print India 2020 postponed too

Labelexpo India 2020 postponed

T

he Tarsus Group, organizer of Labelexpo India 2020 and Brand Print India 2020, has confirmed that the upcoming editions of the co-located shows, due to take place at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, from 2 to 5 December 2020, have been postponed. Tarsus says this is in light of ongoing concerns over the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.

It was high time for the announcement since even the 2021 Gulf Pack event originally scheduled for April 2022, was rescheduled by Tarsus to December 2021 in May.

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Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo/Brand Print Global Series, said today in the press release issued by the company, “We have been monitoring the evolving situation in India, and the ongoing impact of Coronavirus/Covid-19 means that we are no longer able to run the show as planned in early December this year. We have taken the decision to postpone the 2020 editions of Labelexpo India and Brand Print India.

“We have acted on the advice of our local partners, the venue, the health authorities, and taken on board

exhibitor feedback in reaching this decision. The health and safety of exhibitors, visitors, and staff remains our top priority.”

“We thank all our Labelexpo and Brand Print India exhibitors and partners for their continued understanding and look forward to working with them. Crucially, these shows – along with our other Labelexpo shows around the world – will play a vital role in driving the economic recovery of the region’s label and package printing industry, plus their supply chain, post COVID-19.” z

Events

z New dates: 17 to 21 February 2022 at Pragati Maidan

Plastindia exhibition postponed from 2021 to 2022

T

he 11th edition of the PlastIndia exhibition, initially scheduled to be held in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan from 4 to 9 February 2021, has been postponed by a year and is to be held from 17 to 21 February 2022 at Pragati Maidan. A letter dated 22 August 2020 has been circulated to stakeholders by email by the Plastindia Foundation president Jigish Doshi and its National Executive Council chairman Ajay Shah.

Held at Pragati Maidan for many of its editions, the Plastindia exhibition was moved to Gandhinagar in Gujarat for the last few shows. It was to move back to New Delhi in the reconstructed Pragati Maidan in February 2021. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent health and safety reasons have been cited for the one-year postponement.

Expressing regret at the inconvenience caused by the postponement to the exhibitors and other stakeholders, the letter refers interested exhibitors to the www. plastindia.org website for participation and standard operating procedures from 1 October 2020. z

The Plastindia exhibition was moved to Gandhinagar in Gujarat for the last few shows. Photo: The Packman

z More focus on open houses and regional events

Komori pulls out of drupa 2021

S

atoshi Mochida, representative director, president and CEO of Komori has announced that his company is opting out of the drupa 2021 exhibition to be held on 20 – 30 April 2021. The decision to opt out of the exhibition is made in response to the continued raging of the novel coronavirus and its serious impact on the economy of both developed and emerging countries.

“While an extremely unusual circumstance prevents Komori from participating in the drupa 2021, our plan is to launch an array of new products and services in the days to come, through open house events and active participation at regional exhibitions,” said Mochida. z A Komori presentation during dupa 2016

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Events

z duration of the trade fair reduced to nine days

drupa goes digital – calls it hybrid

O

rganizers of global print expo drupa (April 2028 2021, Düsseldorf, Germany) will introduce a new online platform next month to offer exhibitors and visitors “an additional channel for touching base with the sector, discussing trending themes and presenting product portfolios.” The move follows the withdrawal of several high profile exhibitors from next year’s rescheduled trade fair over concerns regarding Covid-19.

“We have already been working long and hard on enhancing our digital offering,” says Sabine Geldermann, director drupa and Print Technologies. “The pandemic has faced us with new challenges and has ultimately been a catalyst for digitization. With the hybrid drupa we also give those visitors who are unable to travel the possibility to take part in the industry get-together.

At the same time, we meet exhibitors’ needs to reach the international community personally. Via the portal the drupa platform therefore unites the global print community in a targeted manner.”

“The drupa preview thus enables continuous exchange of information until the hybrid trade fair in April 2021, which will combine the on-site event with additional digital content. In the Conference Area, users will find lectures, videos and interviews – providing a preview of drupa 2021. It will reflect the agenda in terms of content and the knowledge transfer that drupa stands for. On fixed days and times interested parties can take part in the web sessions free of charge and chat with the speakers. Afterwards the videos will be available on demand.

“The Exhibition Space brings together what visitors can expect to normally see in the exhibition areas – exciting products, innovative companies and expert input. This means visits to the live event can already be planned at this early stage. In addition, even meetings can already be set up: at the Networking Plaza. The networking options allow companies and interested parties to establish live online contact in advance and intensify this contact at the event in April 2021.”

Digital print technology manufacturer Screen this week joined a number of leading print companies

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Despite some corona-related cancellations, the current booking status remains at a high level with over 1,500 exhibitors and a net hall space of more than 140,000 sqm.

Photo: Messe Düsseldorf

including Heidelberg, Xerox, Bobst, Manroland, Sitma and Komori in withdrawing from next year’s rescheduled drupa, while decorative coatings business Kurz confirmed it would continue a company tradition dating back to 1954, describing its presence at the leading global print expo as “very important.” Koenig & Bauer has also confirmed its commitment to the physical drupa 2021.

drupa shortened to nine-day show drupa has decided to reduce the duration of the trade fair from eleven to nine days for 2021. By doing so, it is responding to the wishes of the partner association VDMA (Printing and Paper Technology Trade Association) and many exhibitors to make the trade fair presentation more efficient and to concentrate the volume of visitors in a targeted manner. This is also in reaction to any continuing travel activities and restrictions.

“Since we are currently assuming that fewer visitors from overseas will be able to travel to drupa 2021, we consider a reduction from eleven to nine days to be sensible in order to direct visitor flows more efficiently.

At the same time, the duration of nine days ensures that running machines can still be shown, which is a unique selling point of drupa,” explains drupa president Claus Bolza-Schünemann.

Despite some corona-related cancellations, the current booking status remains at a high level with over 1,500 exhibitors and a net hall space of more than 140,000 sqm. This once again underlines the industry’s confidence in the international appeal of the event and the need for face-to-face meetings, acquisition of new customers or live presentation of running machines still exists.

In order to guarantee a professional and safe trade fair as usual, drupa not only adapted the general conditions but also relies on a hygiene and infection protection concept that is continuously adapted to the latest corona protection regulations and official requirements. Geldermann points out, “The character of drupa in 2021, due to the pandemic and hygiene regulations, will certainly be different from what we are used to, but it will continue to make a very important contribution to the economic recovery.” z

Budget 2020

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Industry News

Ball to open new US aluminum beverage can plant in 2021

B

all Corporation has announced its plan to build a new US aluminum beverage packaging plant in Pittston, Pennsylvania. The multi-line plant is scheduled to begin production in mid-2021 and will create approximately 230 manufacturing jobs.

“Our new Pittston plant is Ball's latest investment to serve accelerating demand for our portfolio of infinitely recyclable aluminum containers used in the sparkling water, spiked seltzer, beer and carbonated beverage categories,” said Daniel W Fisher, COO, global beverage packaging. “Pittston will join our industry-leading network of more than 20 North American plants, including a new plant currently under construction in Glendale, Arizona, that is scheduled to start up early in the first quarter of 2021.”

Ball plans to make an initial investment of more than US$ 300 million in its Pittston facility over multiple years. The plant will supply customers with a portfolio of can sizes to serve the addressable market.

Ball chose Pittston for its new facility because of the existing infrastructure, proximity to main distribution routes, regional labor base, the cooperation of state and local officials during the site selection process and Pennsylvania's focus on sustainable growth.

Infinitely recyclable and economically valuable, Ball's aluminum cans, bottles and cups enable a truly circular economy in which materials can be and actually are used again and again. In fact, 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today. z

Asahi Photoproducts supports Comexi in a turnkey project

A

sahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, is participating in an important project with Comexi and other industry partners. As part of this Turnkey Project, Asahi will place an Asahi AWP 4835 P water wash processor and Asahi AWP water-washable plates with CleanPrint at Comexi’s Manel Xifra Boada Technology Center in Girona, Spain. The project is designed to educate flexible packaging companies about the value of bringing flexo platemaking in-house and demonstrating how easy that is to do with today’s technology.

“We are proud to be participating in this very important project together with our partner Comexi,” says Philip Mattelaer, head of sales at Asahi Photoproducts, “There is an increasing trend for flexographic printers to bring platemaking in-house, both to drive efficiency and improve quality. This project will demonstrate to the flexo market how easy it is to produce plates in-house,

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strengthening the value chain at the point of print production. In addition to improved efficiency and quality, this project also demonstrates how print providers can drive increased sustainability by incorporating Asahi CleanPrint technology on-site.”

CleanPrint flexographic plates from Asahi Photoproducts have been specifically engineered by Asahi’s chemical engineers to transfer all remaining ink to the printed substrate, reducing makeready time and press cleaning stops in comparison to other platemaking systems while delivering exceptional quality. Asahi CleanPrint flexographic plates are also ideal for fixed color palette printing, a method that is increasingly being adopted to save time and money while still delivering the quality brands expect. This is made possible by the precise register of Asahi water wash CleanPrint plates. Its AWP family of plates and processors bring flexo platemaking into harmony with the

environment, minimizing the use of water, eliminating noxious chemicals, and that way creating a cleaner direction for the flexographic industry.

Making flexographic plates in-house also means faster availability of plates, resulting in improved OEE. This is one factor driving the move to bring platemaking in-house – the same trend the offset printing industry underwent many years ago. Comexi’s Turnkey Project will host regular customer events demonstrating the power of everything under one roof.

“Visitors to the project will be pleasantly surprised to see how quickly and cleanly Asahi AWP waterwashable plates with CleanPrint are produced, and they will have access to experts who can help set them on their own CleanPrint path toward a cleaner flexo printing future,” Mattelaer adds. z

Industry News

Komori-MBO H+H start Indian operations

A

s of 1 August 2020, Komori takes over the MBO Group and its subsidiary Herzog+Heymann.

MBO offers folders, including solutions for inserts and outserts used in pharma packaging. Komori India says that it is starting the sales of MBO equipment from 1 August itself.

MBO produces conventional folders and web finishing solutions, including finishing aggregates, deliveries, and peripherals. Apart from reliable solutions for pricesensitive customers, MBO has its CoBo-Stack robotic stacking solution, planning and analysis software, and data manager 4.0.

The company claims that H+H has more than a 50% market share in its segment in India. H+H is a specialist in specialized solutions and mailing and gluing systems. It provides small-sized folders and large-size folding machines for maps and posters.

With its acquisition of the MBO Group, Komori expects to introduce post-press solutions for commercial and packaging printing. It plans to couple these with its IoT-based cloud solutions such as KP-Connect to provide seamless print production workflows that include post-press processing.

Komori plans to strengthen its standing in the packaging market by providing total pharma packaging solutions. The pharma solutions also comprise shop floor sorting, filling, and end-user packaging solutions.

Well trained MBO service technicians and original spare parts with Komori India’s backing should benefit customers. The company plans to increase its foot-

MBO Comb folding machine K70

print in both the pharma and non-pharma verticals.

It expects that one of the outcomes of the Covid-19 pandemic is the growth of the Indian pharma and pharma packaging market. Additionally, there is an opportunity to replace numerous second-hand folders in the market. z

Heidelberg realignment – no impact on Gallus Indian customers

H

eidelberg is undergoing a realignment of its core business, with it selling the Gallus Group to Swiss company benpac. Heidelberg India president, Samir Patkar reached out to media partners and customers to inform them about the company’s latest initiative.

Earlier, in a press release released on 23 July, the two parties had jointly agreed that Heidelberg will continue to manage sales and service of Gallus products. This effectively meant that despite Gallus being no longer a part of the Heidelberg portfolio, customers of Gallus will continue to “benefit from the proven quality and reliability of the world’s largest service network in the print media industry,” the release said.

In the press release, Samir Patkar reiterates and affirms the company’s commitment to the existing customers of Gallus, that nothing has changed for them as the status quo will continue. The company will continue to provide spare parts and service under the Heidelberg India organization. Further, he also informed that operations at the Avery Dennison Innovation and Knowledge Centre that contains a highly configured Gallus Labelmaster 440 for training and demonstration purposes will continue as before. z

Samir Patkar

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Industry News

Tresu introduces upgraded iCoat II for short-run print jobs

T

resu has introduced an advanced and improved version of Tresu iCoat II. The upgraded version is optimized for coating applications in short-run digital print jobs requiring fast job changes and capable of speeds up to 6,000 sheets/hour, while accommodating paper sizes up to B2.

With unique modularity of the new Tresu iCoat II platform, machine configurations matching any individual customer need are now available. Any configuration can be changed later and more modules added to accommodate any possible future change in brand owners’ printing operations, or changes arising from short-run seasonal fluctuations or fashion cycles. The modular stand-alone Tresu iCoat II targets a broad

span of configurations – from a combi coater with dual varnish system and separate WB and UV circuits for general folding carton applications, to an efficient twin-coater configuration with more advanced singlepass finishing operations for high-end carton. For pharmaceutical packaging applications, an inspection conveyor module can be added, delivering traceability and inspection of individually marked units.

Ronni Nielsen, VP Tresu Solutions Division, says, “We have significantly boosted the Tresu iCoat II to a new level and with this modular stand-alone version, converters can now match digital printing requirements for fast job changes and switch to a new task with great flexibility.” z

New Tresu iCoat II for short run coating and digital printers

Chandrakant Nayak takes over as Dow India’s president

D

ow Chemical International (Dow India) has appointed Chandrakant Nayak as the company’s new country president, effective from 1 September. He will oversee the next phase of expansion and growth of the company.

Nayak will uptake this additional responsibility along with his current role as commercial director – polyurethanes for India and India Sub-Continent. Nayak has been with the company for over 25 years and has held several key leadership positions across multiple business units and regions.

He has helped in establishing Dow India’s business partnerships across major industries including packaging, telecom, automotive, and consumer markets through local business models and innovative product solutions.

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Nayak joined Dow in 1995 in Mumbai as business manager for the polyethylene business and has had extensive experience in key growth economies in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. He was instrumental in the development and launch of the company’s signature CSR program – the Polyurethanes Jaipur Foot Project.

Nayak is a gold medallist in bachelor’s degree in Polymers Technology from Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly UDCT), Mumbai University and holds a master’s degree in Marketing Management from the same university. z

Chandrakant Nayak joined Dow in 1995 in Mumbai

Industry News

Real’s new low-calorie range in the first ever Tetra Pak Craft packaging

T

etra Pak and Dabur have partnered to bring a unique packaging material effect Tetra Pak Craft to India, with the launch of Low Calorie range under Real Activ.

Tetra Pak Craft gives the package a natural look of bare paperboard with wood fibres and helps food and beverage brands bring out the ‘naturalness’ of their product and gain high on-shelf differentiation.

This is the first time that Tetra Pak Craft is being introduced in India.

Tetra Pak Craft has been chosen by Dabur to launch their first-of-its-kind ‘Low Calorie’ fruit juices range.

Addressing the need gap for ‘Calorie Conscious’ consumers looking for tasty, fruit nutrition, Real Activ ‘Low Cal’ range which contains no added sugar, no added color and no added preservatives, is the perfect partner for their fitness goals and healthy lifestyle.

Ashutosh Manohar, managing director, Tetra Pak South Asia said, “We are very happy to build on our partnership of innovation with Dabur for its new ‘Low Cal’ Real Activ range in Tetra Pak Craft pack. As consumer demand for healthy alternatives grows, food companies are looking for packaging innovation that represents the values of the brand and the product accurately.

With its natural look and high on-shelf differentiation, Tetra Pak Craft is the ideal match for products that lay emphasis on natural ingredients and authenticity.”

Tetra Pak Craft, like other Tetra Pak packages available in India, is primarily paper-based and recyclable, making it not just good for consumers, but also the environment. Tetra Pak Craft further adds to Tetra Pak packaging portfolio offering a wide spectrum of innovations for brand owners to leverage packaging as a competitive advantage. z

Real’s new low-calorie range in the first ever Tetra Pak Craft packaging

Schott appoints new MD for Indian pharma glass business

S

chott, an international specialty glass and technology group, has announced Pawan Kumar Shukla as the new managing director for Schott Glass India. Shukla brings over 25 years in the glass, lighting, pipes and electronics industry and comes with a strong background in techno-commercials. Prior to this role, he was the president operations at Surya Roshni, an Indian multinational manufacturer for specialty glass tubing and lighting.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, in ceramic engineering as well as material science and metallurgy, Shukla has also worked with Corning JV in the CRT division as a manufacturing head for twelve years. Commenting on his new role, he said,

“India is a frontrunner of the global pharma industry and primary pharma packaging is one of the most vital components in the entire production chain. While the domestic market is our key focus, our India plant also caters to the Asian market, thereby contributing to the pharmaceutical industry and the Indian government’s vision of becoming a global pharmaceutical hub.”

Presently, Schott is delivering its highly specialised Fiolax glass tubes to leading pharma packaging players in India and abroad for preparing primary packaging products such as vials, syringes, etc. Supporting the world’s fight against Covid-19 with vials capable of holding up to 2 billion vaccination doses, the German leader has reached agreements and started supplying

to leading pharmaceutical companies including key players in India.

Given the exponential rise in demand for quality glass for pharma packaging, Schott had inaugurated a new tank facility in its Jambusar plant, following an investment of €21 million in 2018. Even before the Coronavirus pandemic, the company had forecast a rapid growth trend, and had thus committed additional investments of €26 million for yet another tank facility last year. With a combined investment of €47 million and two new plants, Schott’s India plant is well on track to double its production capacity, enabling supply of its Fiolax glass tubing for both domestic and export demands. z THE PACKMAN | Sep-Oct 2020

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Services

Events Calendar Dates Event Name

Place

26 to 28 November 2019

CPhI India (P’Mec)

Greater Noida, India

3 to 6 December 2019

Paperex

Delhi, India

6 to 8 December 2019

Print & Packtech

Bangalore, India

12 to 14 December 2019

Pacprocess Food Pex

Delhi, India

6 to 9 January 2020

Pamex 2020

Mumbai, India

16 to 20 January 2020

Plastivision 2020

Mumbai, India

28 Feb to 1 March 2020

PacProTech

Kathmandu

19 to 21 March 2020

Asia Packaging & Printing Industry Expo

Shenzhen, China

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR THE UPDATED EVENTS CALENDAR

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20 to 22 March 2020

PackPlus South 2020

Hyderabad, India

21 to 23 April 2020

Label & Flexible Packaging & Film Expo 2020

Shanghai, China

24 to 26 April 2020

Food Pack India Expo

Chennai, India

5 to 9 May 2020

Metpack 2020

Messe Essen, German

7 to 13 May 2020

interpack 2020

Dusseldorf, Germany

3 to 4 June 2020

Innopack Pharma Confex

Mumbai, India

16 to 26 June 2020

drupa 2020

Dusseldorf, Germany

19 to 22 June 2020

Plastasia 2020

Bangalore, India

6 to 9 August 2020

PackPlus Delhi

Delhi, India

17 to 19 September 2020

Pharma Pro&Pack 2020

Hyderabad, India

30 September to 2 October 2020

IndiaCorr Expo

Mumbai, India

8 to 10 October 2020

ProPak India

Delhi, India

25 to 27 November 2020

CPhI & P-MEC India

Greater Noida, India

29 October to 1 November 2020

Labelexpo India 2020

Greater Noida, India

29 October to 1 November 2020

Brand Print India 2020

Greater Noida, India

9 to 11 December 2020

pacprocess India

Mumbai, India

3 to 8 February 2021

Printpack India 2021

Greater Noida, India

4 to 8 February 2021

PlastIndia 2021

Delhi, India

THE PACKMAN | Sep-Oct 2020

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RNI UPENG/2018/76741 Editor Mahan Jyoti Hazarika editor@thepackman.in Cell: +91 9910189285 Senior Desk Editor Sunil Jain Senior Associate Editor Dev Kumar Dutta Associate Editor Pranay Mathur Manash Das Guest Editor Anwesh Koley Design and Production Biswajeet Chaliha Sales and Marketing Mahan Jyoti Hazarika Subscription Address E448, Gaur City 1, First Avenue, Greater Noida West, Gautam Buddha Nagar 201301, Uttar Pradesh, India Issue Published on 8 September 2020 Printed at JK Offset Graphics Pvt. Ltd. Printed, Published and Owned by Mahan Jyoti Hazarika, and Printed at JK offset Graphics Pvt. Ltd., B278 Okhla Phase I, New Delhi 110 020, India and Published From E448, Gaur City 1, First Avenue, Greater Noida West, Gautam Buddha Nagar 201301, Uttar Pradesh, India Editor: Mahan Jyoti Hazarika

Industry News

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Partnership

RNI UPENG/2018/76741

Industry News

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We have been working with Nilpeter for years now, their commitment and attention to detail is unparalleled.

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visit nilpeter.com

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