Today, India is the sixth largest packaging market worldwide with sales of  $24.6bn in 2011.

The packaging industry is expected to grow at 12.3% CAGR during the next 4-5 years to become the fourth largest market, with sales of $42.7bn.

If we consider Indian packaging industry, then label printing has 3%, caps and closures has 6%,flexible has 22%, glass has 10%, printed cartons has17%, rigid has 18% and metal has 10% market share.

India is world’s second largest producer of food next to China. Apart  from being self-sufficient in grains production, India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world.

Currently, about 20%-25% of fruits and vegetables are not consumed due to spoilages at various post-harvesting stages. Only 2%-4% of production is commercially processed.

According to the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the size of the food processing industry is about Rs 3,15,000-crore and includes Rs 99,000-crore of value added products.

According to the draft report prepared by Rabo India Finance, the food processing  industry will jump 117% to Rs 11,500 billion by 2014-15 from Rs 5,300 billion in 2003-04.

The tinplate as packaging medium scores brilliantly. In India, tinplate accounts for 5% of the total packaging material used as compared to 11% in  the developed world.

PrintWeek India puts the spotlight on the metal printing industry in India and  takes a look at the major metal printing firms like Zenith Tins, Hindustan Tin Works, The Metal Printers Co, Oriental Containers, Paramount Tin Printers, Bombay Tin Printers, Central Tin Works, Roshan Tin Printers, Pin Clip Industries and Can-Pack India.

Hindustan Tin Works (HTW), established in 1958, changed hands to the present management, the Bhatia family, in 1977.

Foreseeing the growth in metal packaging the company invested heavily in technology upgradation, modernisation of equipment /automation to offer the best quality. The firm imported machines from UK Switzerland, Germany, USA, Taiwan, Italy and Japan.

In 1995, HTW raised capital for expansion went public and listed itself in the stock exchange.

In 2005 HTW started the first 2-piece beverage can manufacturing facility in Mumbai, to cater to the growing demand of carbonated soft drinks, beer and beverages in the country. HTW signed a JV with Rexam UK, the largest beverage can maker in the world, to form a separate company, Rexam HTW Beverage Can India.

In November 2012, HTW announced its second quarter result. Their profit after tax stood at Rs 1.21-crore as compared to Rs 1.08-crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, thereby showing an increase of 12.03% growth.

Zenith Tins established in 1938, is one of the oldest companies catering to  metal printing, with plants in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara. The metal printing firm has won more than 30 National Awards for excellence in printing and design, nobly complemented by the World Star, India Star and CLIO Awards for best packaging. The company was started by three brothers in a small dingy garage in Byculla, one of the most densely packed localities of Mumbai.

The Tinplate Company of India (TCIL), a Tata Enterprise produces tin coated sheets in India. TCIL has 35%-40% market share in India and exports about 1/3 of its total production to countries in South East Asia, Middle East and Europe. 

Headquartered in Kolkata, TCIL has plants in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. The Solution Centre which is located at Jamshedpur caters to printing and lacquering, scrolling and component punching.