Uflex highlights its aseptic filling machine at PackEx 2017

For Uflex, the Sanand plant is a live example what ‘Make in India’ as a policy can achieve. “Our Sanand plant reaffirms our commitment towards the government’s flagship scheme,’ said Ashwani Sharma, president and CEO, New Business Initiatives at Uflex during PackEx. “Uflex is the first Indian company to venture into aseptic packaging manufacturing in the country. We were also the only packaging company to be invited to participate in Make in India exhibition organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mumbai earlier in 2016. Today, we are proud to have world class aseptic packaging material to offer to our customers along with a technologically superior aseptic liquid filling machine completing the realm of our solution oriented approach for our customers,” he added.

Sharma said the Sanand plant has a manufacturing capacity of seven billion packs of size range 90ml to 1litre. “We can offer various dimensions. We can add foiling, embossing, stamping and holography onto aseptic packaging so that it stands out at the point of sale and at the same time cannot be duplicated by the counterfeiters,” he added.

While only one player may have dominated the aseptic packaging segment in India until now, Sharma said there is enough scope for Uflex to add more value. “When we conceived the plant, the annual consumption of aseptic packs in India was seven billion per year. Now, it has reached 10 billion,” he said. Secondly, the industry is keen on achieving product differentiation in retail supply chain. Uflex can help achieve it perfectly owing to its over three decades experience in offering fully integrated end-to-end flexible packaging solutions.

Sharma said, “Now that the Sanand plant is commissioned, customers are already showing interest in our new product offering.”

The company has already started running trials for a few clients. The best part with the aseptic liquid packaging venture is that Uflex already has a good market the world over in other segments of flexible packaging solutions for solids, semi-solids, viscous fluids, pastes, powders and granular material. “Thus, for aseptic packaging it simply means extending the already existing goodwill of the clients to the liquid segment as well. We can produce all ranges of aseptic packs, from 100 to 125, 160, 200, 500 to 1000ml,” said Sharma.

Sharma added that being a Make in India project, the Sanand plant can compete with any aseptic laminate manufacturing plant in the world. “We have taken care of everything right from technology, efficiency, environment, to sustainability among other factors at the plant,” he said, adding that even the raw materials used are world class and quite different from others.

To begin with, the company is focusing on three liquid packaging segments — dairy products, juices and alcohol. Sharma said around 98% of the Indian market is covered by these segments.

Talking about Asepto Smart 78 liquid filling machine, Sharma said, “The machine is much more advanced and cost-effective, compared to the competition. It is low on maintenance and the total cost of ownership is quite optimised and controlled. The response for the machine at the exhibition has been tremendous.”