Uflex showcases its manufacturing prowess during PackPlus 2017

The company also displayed its collar type fill and seal machine with significant improvementsin speed.

Ajay Tandon, president & CEO, engineering business, Uflex, said, “Now, we have a state-of-the-art machine for packing chips. After filling, the push down technology ensures that salt and other ingredients do not come to seal area. This machine can be used for packing potato chips and other similar items.

The company also displayed its Ecoslit Slitter 450, which it claims to be a value for money. “Ecoslit can go up to a speed of 450m/min. It is available at around 50% of the cost of high-end slitters,” Tandon said, adding, “Our target audience for the Ecoslit 450 are mid-sized convertors as there is an increasing demand for such a product from them.”

Uflex also displayed products from its holography and cylinders businesses at the show. In all, three business verticals from Uflex, namely engineering, cylinders and holography participated in PackPlus.

Tandon said the company received several enquiries for various packaging and converting machines displayed at the show. Response for the exhibit by holography and cylinder was also quite encouraging.

During the show, Tandon also shared updates on Uflex’s Sanand plant, where trials are on for customer validation.

While packaging material will be manufactured in Sanand, Gujarat, the associated filling machines will be manufactured in the plant at Noida. “Our first aseptic liquid filling machine that will be used for filling the aseptic carton packs is ready. It has been tried and tested. We have to put it under validation for acceptability,” Tandon said.

Talking about Extended Shelf Life Aseptic Flexi-Pouch Machine for packaging milk in a special multi-layered pouch that can extend the shelf life of the product up to 90 days, Tandon said Uflex has received certification from the customer that the machine is doing well and has passed all tests for acceptability.

Tandon said yet another interesting development happening at Uflex is its CI flexo machine. “The manufacturing of first CI flexo press with technology partnership with Italy-based Comiflex SRL is about to be complete. The frame of the machine is in place. CI drums have been positioned and rest of the critical and technical parts are on the way. By September-end, we will have the CI flexo printing press ready and in October, we will be going ahead with the trials,” Tandon said.

As a regular practice, Uflex will install the first few machines within the group and only upon being fully satisfied with the performance will it start marketing the CI flexo machines outside the company.

Another interesting development is Uflex’s extrusion lamination machine. “We have received four orders for it,” Tandon said.

On the market trend, Tandon said, flexo printing quality has improved tremendously over the last one decade. Flexible packaging industry is progressively growing in India. Again, gravure is quite widely spread in this part of the world, but CI flexo will also gradually pick up for the advantages it offers in terms of cost efficiency in shorter runs, etc.

At PackPlus, Uflex holography business displayed security holograms, security paper labels and other high quality brand protection and aesthetics enhancing security packaging material. It also showcased new innovations including Fresnel lens, zinc sulphide holography, sterling lens and complex impregnable hybrid holograms produced by combining two to three holographic designs together to name a few. Some other products that were on display were for the convertors of carton packaging. These included transparent, metallised and semi-metallised films.  Uflex holography business manufactures several security features like different types of security tags, various texture designs, holographic transparent films, thermal films, hot stamping foil, Fresnel lens for convertors of flexible packaging and cartons (secondary packaging) just to name a few.

The cylinders business, among other products, particularly showcased laser engraved cylinders with modified cell structures that reduce ink GSM and is very popular among printers/ converters.