Spotlight on flexible packaging at IPLAS 2024

Strong presence of Gujarat-based companies at Chennai show

Flexible packaging was the show-stopper at IPLAS (International Plastics Exhibition), a leading exhibition in South India for the plastics industry held in Chennai from 14-17 June. Organized by The Tamil Nadu Plastics Manufacturers Association (TNPMA), the event that provides a platform to companies to showcase their products, technologies, and services, highlighted a wide range of plastics extruding and packaging machinery, raw materials, auxiliaries, molds & dies, and finished products.

With a claimed visitor count of around 75,000 and 500 exhibitors from more than 20 nations, IPLAS was a decent exhibition for businesses to connect with potential customers and partners. Packaging South Asia was present at the show, where we noted decent footfall, especially at the stands hosting blown and cast film lines, slitter rewinders, and injection molding. There were no entry charges for visitors.

The show hosted several equipment manufacturers from Gujarat such as Echaar, Mamata Machinery, Bole injection molding, Biogreenic Polymers, Faha Industries, and more. Many exhibitors felt their stands were too small though several OEMs could display their machinery in the plastics show spanning five halls.

Mamata Machinery, a Gujarat-based manufacturer and exporter of plastic bag and pouch-making machines, showcased its Win 400 PM servo-driven stand-up pouch-making machine and pouches. The company claims it (Win 500) is the only pouch-making machine with the flexibility to produce a center seal, three-side seal, stand-up zipper, and five-side seal pouches on the same platform. It has a strong presence in the frozen foods, nuts, and snack segments in the US market.

Karnataka-based Gurucharan Industries, a manufacturer of single screw, twin die and four die blown film lines in HM HDPE/LDPE/LLDPE, participated with its blown film lines, which attracted decent crowds. The 1996-established company exports its machines to around 20 countries. The blown film process uses extrusion to produce a homogeneous melt that is fed into a circular die head and fed with pressurized air to form a bubble that is cooled, slit, wound and possibly post-treated depending on the specific application of the product.

Kalpvrux, a global supplier of slitter rewinder solutions, showcased its recent innovation Perfector I 600. It is the company’s flagship machine and falls under the T series for dual turret slitter rewinder. According to the Gujarat-based company, this series is an outcome of continuous research on the operational needs of the flexible packaging industry in slitting and rewinding.

“With Kalpvrux’s endeavor of continuous innovation, the features incorporated in the equipment resolves several human variables and provides the solution in predictable time,” said a company engineer. He added, “As a result, the equipment is highly safe and capable of claiming an efficiency of more than 50%. This machine has unique features that reduce the downtime and keep it running at top speed for the maximum amount of time.”

The Perfector I 600 is convenient for working with materials such as BOPP, BOPA, BOPET, PET, and LDPE — plain, printed, coated, or metalized (20 mic -200 mic) paper & coated paper — 30 gsm to 200 gsm. “It can be updated with CE safety standards with options such as multi-zone laser scanner, safety curtain & safety fencing with electrical interlock as per customer needs,” he said.

BL Intelligent Machinery, a leading injection molding machine manufacturing company from Daskroi, Gujarat, believes that opportunities are growing as much as competition. The company says that the injection molding industry is seeing good days, all attributed to the growth of the plastics industry as a whole. According to Satyaprakash Tiwari, director, “The industry is still growing, and shows such as IPLAS facilitate that growth with networking opportunities.”

The show also hosted a wide array of other plastic-based product manufacturers from industries such as polymers, spare parts, films, and non-woven sack machine manufacturers for industrial packaging. Participants said packaging manufacturers in India have started gaining a foothold in global markets but the lack of skilled labor is a significant challenge.

Packaging South Asia — resilient, growing and impactful — daily, monthly — always responsive

The 18-year-old multi-channel B2B in print and digital platform matches the industry’s high growth trajectory. The Indian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Middle East packaging industries are increasing capacity and diversification, with high technology and automation in new projects.

We are mid-way through 2024, and India’s real GDP growth for FY 24-25 will exceed 6.3%. The packaging industry growth will match the GDP growth in volume terms and likely surpass it by at least 2.5% according to our research company www.ippstar.org .

The capacity for flexible film manufacturing in India has increased significantly over the past four years. We expect another 20% capacity addition in 2024 and 2025. Capacities in monocartons, corrugation, aseptic liquid packaging, and labels are growing similarly. As the consumption story returns, we expect demand to return and exceed the growth trajectory of previous years. The numbers are positive for most of the economies in the region – and as shown by our analytics, our platform increasingly reaches and influences these.

For responsible and sustainable packaging, with its attendant regulations and compliances, there is significant headroom to grow in India and the region. Our impactful coverage includes the entire packaging supply chain – from concept to shelf, to waste collection, sorting, and recycling. India is where the leading suppliers to the packaging industry are shifting their manufacturing – an opportunity with stable supply chains and low-cost production efficiencies.

We target brand owners, product managers, raw material suppliers, packaging designers and converters, co-packers, and recyclers. If you want to reach them, your agility and innovation shown on the industry-leading platform can do some of the heavy lifting.

For editorial [email protected] — for advertisement [email protected] and for subscriptions [email protected]

News

Spotlight on flexible packaging at IPLAS 2024