Aditya Ghosalkar (AG): How is the establishment of the Optima plant expected to expand the market share and business growth of packaging inks in India?
Paul Koek (PK): The growth of the ink market in India is driven by the packaging market. In packaging inks, the segments of toluene-free (TF) and ketone-free (KF) inks are growing. The  Optima plant is expected to cater to these demands and growth in the market. The plant is built with a flexible production system which allows for varying batch sizes of production to ensure enhanced customer service. This flexibility allows DIC to deliver consistent quality products efficiently and tuned to the market demands.

AG: Any new products in the pipeline?
PK: Yes, we plan to introduce new products under DIC’s vision 2030, which will further augment our market share and grow our business profitably.

AG: Why Gujarat?
PK: DIC India has a wide manufacturing footprint in the printing inks industry. It already has two plants in Gujarat; with Optima added as the third. The expansion of inter-connectivity between west and north India, and our plants’ proximity to the same will enable us to serve the growth in these parts of India and support export.

AG: Why now?
PK: With the expanding logistics infrastructure in India, we can serve pan-India with quality products while expanding our product offerings aligned to DIC Group’s 2030 vision.

AG: What is the future for expanding the business at the Optima plant?
PK: The new Optima plant is our phase-one project, which will cater to the growing flexible packaging. This plant is planned to be the hub for the introduction of new products. The current site has deployed 45% of the total manufacturing footprint of the site. Currently, the company is also augmenting manufacturing of other speciality products at the Optima plant.

AG: Please enlighten us with the TF and KF inks used at the plant; especially the safety quotient?
PK: The Optima plant is solely dedicated to the production of TF and KF type flexible packaging inks. With the facility featuring improved mechanical ventilation to prevent any environmental contamination with the products. These inks comply with the latest solvent regulations for food packaging.