Eat healthy and stay safe, say the Millennial – Part II

Sailu Shaji, packaging development engineer, Equity Packaging

A favourite webinar that you attended in the lockdown
Neha Aggarwal’s weekly Zentangle drawing sessions on Instagram. It takes away an entire week’s stress.

One maintenance tip you are following
Focus on hygiene and health. This is a valuable time to focus on self-care as much as possible.

Your advice during lockdown to your team
Be safe and be virtually connected with your team members.

Your healthcare mantra for Covid-19
Frequent hand wash.

One skill you have acquired during the lockdown
I have learnt to bake cakes and cookies during this lockdown period.

One print technology which could be revolutionary in the post-Covid world
I feel the print workflow technology would be revolutionised by increasing digitisation by introducing new technologies to reduce work load and obtain optimum efficiency.

One packaging innovation that could be the new normal
Automatic dispensing system for packages for products such as soaps and sanitisers.

One lesson from the pandemic for the industry
Work-from-home is doable. It can help employees who find it difficult to commute to the office daily.

One tip on man-management
Encourage and support your employees during a crisis.

Will you purchase Chinese products, for example, raw material and machines post-lockdown?
Yes, till we have better alternatives.

One assistance you seek on behalf of the industry from the government
The government should provide financial assistance for contractual workers and also help workplaces who are unable to implement work-from-home. I would request the government to consider special grants to all affected employees.

One headline you want to see by the end of 2020
World survived the pandemic.

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Sanjeev Srinivasan, executive-strategic business, Phoenix Mecano India 

A favourite webinar that you attended in the lockdown
A webinar on strategic cost and profitability management by my professor, Hari Haran. He spoke about the changing business environment due to Covid-19.

One maintenance tip you are following
The lockdown may have triggered latent reactions leading to buildup of gases or corrosion in critical components of the system. Check, check and recheck for your safety.

Your advice during lockdown to your team
Work within office hours, do not stress yourself while working from home.

Your healthcare mantra for Covid-19
Avoid junk food or any product that may trigger a nasty cough or cold from ice creams to oily food.

One skill you have acquired during the lockdown
I learnt data representation using Tableau.

One print technology which could be revolutionary in the post-Covid world
Digital printing will be a revolution. I have two reasons to say this. First, one doesn’t have to keep much inventory of raw material such as plates, blankets and inks, like one does for conventional processes. Second, as most industries are going digital, we need to provide a system that can handle unique and variable data.

One packaging innovation that could be the new normal
Aseptic packaging will evolve to include more food products. The pandemic has taught us the importance of hygiene and an extended shelf life.

One lesson from the pandemic for the industry
Never rely on historic data to predict the future, a Black Swan event is enough to startle even the most seasoned players. Just because something has never happened earlier (for a long time) doesn’t mean it won’t happen anytime in the near future. Step up your strategies and plan for the worst.

One tip on man-management
We are as strong as our team. Remember to keep up your morale and support employees in more ways than just paying salaries, for instance, healthcare support. The employees are the backbone of any business.

Will you purchase Chinese products, for example, raw material and machines post-lockdown?
Every supply chain is designed to reduce cost and increase profitability, fortunately or unfortunately this has resulted in China being an important part of many supply chains. Hence, I believe that businesses won’t be able to move away from Chinese products in the near future.

One assistance you seek on behalf of the industry from the government
Indian businesses have always struggled on two fronts- shortage of skilled manpower and poor infrastructure. The government needs to address both these subjects very seriously before we even think about overtaking China in any sector.

One headline you want to see by the end of 2020
India has become the first country to eradicate Covid-19.

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Sreeragh Iyer, printing and packaging technologist  

A favourite webinar that you attended in the lockdown
Flexographic Technical Association’s Virtual Forum 2020 was enlightening. The sessions touched upon topics such as flexo print quality, colour consistency, and evolving technologies.

One maintenance tip you are following
Follow a healthy routine. Reduce non-work screen time.

Your advice during lockdown to your team
During such an uncertain period, communication is the key. It keeps work-life in balance.

Your healthcare mantra for Covid-19
Be positive and limit your social media activities

One skill you have acquired during the lockdown
Basic cooking and kitchen management. Lockdown has made me realise how home management is akin to managing an enterprise.

One print technology which could be revolutionary in the post Covid world
I believe package printing will see a major hike in comparison to other industries. Post-Covid, eCommerce and pharma should also see an upswing. This will increase the need for packaging materials.

One packaging innovation that could be the new normal
I feel anti-microbial and anti-viral packaging will be in demand.

One lesson from the pandemic for the industry 
With work-from-home seeming like a new normal, everyone will have to figure out ways to reduce travel, cut costs, and be more productive. For instance, workplace meetings can become a 30-minute Zoom call session. Digitisation and automation will be the path forward.

One tip on man-management
Communication is the key. People should regularly communicate to discuss work as well as check on each other’s wellbeing. Positivity works both ways.

Will you purchase Chinese products, for example, raw material and machines post-lockdown?
It’s difficult to impose a ban or boycott Chinese products as our national demand and many livelihoods depend on globalised trade.

One assistance you seek on behalf of the industry from the government
The government should provide financial help to industries by giving them soft loans or maybe some tax benefits, which can enable them to perform better and come out of this crisis as and when they restart operations.

One headline you want to see by the end of 2020
Unemployment rates reduce to record lows as India overcomes Covid impact. This challenging time will continue to create unforeseen scenarios and seeing such a headline will be a true sign of a strong and resilient economy.

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Sulochana Pathak, key accounts executive, Weener Empire 

A favourite webinar that you attended in the lockdown
Unlock the Covid-19 impact on processing and packaging industry by Messe Duesseldorf India.

One maintenance tip you are following
I’m trying to eat healthy which I found difficult pre-lockdown.

Your advice during lockdown to your team
Utilise your time to make a positive change in the world.

Your healthcare mantra for Covid-19
We need to improve our immunity and build a hygienic lifestyle.

One skill you have acquired during the lockdown
I’m all over the place with guitar, painting and poetries.

One print technology which could be revolutionary in the post-Covid world
The world has become more digital. We might want to move ahead in this direction.

One packaging innovation that could be the new normal
Using recycled resins.

One lesson from the pandemic for the industry
Building a working system that is pandemic proof. And caring for the daily wage workers and their organisation.

One tip on man-management
Inculcating team spirit and making them feel important.

Will you purchase Chinese products, for example, raw material and machines post-lockdown?
Yes, unless we find an equally good alternative.

One assistance you seek on behalf of the industry from the government
A big chunk of the printing and packaging industry is unorganised. If the government could help organise this sector it could benefit both – labourers and owners.

One headline you want to see by the end of 2020
Many environmental improvements are being witnessed due to the pandemic. We should keep working on it even after this pandemic ends. I would like to see a headline ‘Victory over Covid, now together against global warming’.

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Sujit Ail, print and packaging engineer

A favourite webinar that you attended in the lockdown
A webinar by P Sainath, a rural journalist who spoke about migration issues.

One maintenance tip you are following
Accepting the reality and not getting overwhelmed by the daily news. I have stopped watching mainstream news channels. It helps me to keep myself sane and focus on my work.

Your advice during lockdown to your team
Realise my privileges and help and reach out to the ones who have none.

Your healthcare mantra for Covid-19
Drink warm water and practise living a minimalist life.

One skill you have acquired during the lockdown
I was determined to learn about negotiations. So, I completed a book named The Truth About Negotiations. I hope hereafter, I can put some of the practices mentioned in the book into action.

One print technology which could be revolutionary in the post-Covid world
Every technology that deals with packaging will have huge potential to grow. There would be market demand that has to be fulfilled at large.

One packaging innovation that could be the new normal
I feel, post-Covid, packaging will have a major role to play as people would want to avoid direct contact with the product.

One lesson from the pandemic for the industry
Care and dignity for the people in the industry. Post-Covid, people won’t bother on how someone managed their company during the crisis, but how they ensured dignity and took care of its workers.

One tip on man-management
Accounting for relief as a part of contingency funds to ensure at least the workers are taken care of during such situations.

Will you purchase Chinese products, for example, raw material and machines post-lockdown?
Why not? My thought even while typing this was, not just the mobile but most of the components within it have come from China. Stopping the use of Chinese products is unlikely. 

One assistance you seek on behalf of the industry from the government
Opening up of the industry and ease of transportation across India.

One headline you want to see by the end of 2020
Print industry strictly abides by the eight-hour work duty and respects the dignity of the workers by stopping exploitative shifts of 12 hours.

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Vinay Nambiar, sales and marketing- labelling business division, Huhtamaki PPL

A favourite webinar that you attended in the lockdown
A training on sales mastery. It helped me improve my sales and marketing skills.

One maintenance tip you are following
I am focusing on maintaining a balance between my physical and mental wellbeing.

Your advice during lockdown to your team
To stay positive, motivated and showcase high-level of productivity in work even in these difficult times.

Your healthcare mantra for Covid-19
Eat healthy, stay fit and boost your immunity.

One skill you have acquired during the lockdown
I believe I can manage all my household chores on my own now. My parents have well-utilised this time to imbibe in me the importance of home management.

One print technology which could be revolutionary in the post-Covid world
3D printing. With its help, simple parts can be quickly made on-site without requiring a lengthy procurement process and a long wait for the shipment to arrive.

One packaging innovation that could be the new normal
Hand sanitiser in tubes - easy to carry and use.

One lesson from the pandemic for the industry
Although on-site working is crucial for the industry, a well-developed plan should be in place to allow working from home as well, so that businesses do not slow down.

One tip on man-management
Frequent team building exercise can keep team members motivated and connected.

Will you purchase Chinese products, for example, raw material and machines post-lockdown?
Not just Chinese products, but overall, we should try and avoid purchasing from overseas; because this is the time to support domestic establishments and boost the economy.

One assistance you seek on behalf of the industry from the government
Deduction in tax (corporate and personal). This will reduce the product cost and boost its demand.

One headline you want to see by the end of 2020
The world is now Covid-free.

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Part 1: Eat healthy and stay safe, say the Millennial