Armor expands India operation, inaugurates Bengaluru plant

The new plant, equipped with an automatic core cutter, packing line and three slitting machines, has a capacity to produce 60-mn sq/m thermal transfer variants – wax-, wax-resin- and resin-based films. A fourth slitting machine will be installed in the next three months.

(l-r) Boisredon, chairman and CEO of Armor Group with Sehgal, vice president and general manager, Armor India at the inauguration ceremony 

Armor’s direct presence in India began in 2014, prior to which customers were serviced from Singapore. Prabhat Sehgal, vice president and general manager, Armor India, said, “Traditionally, the thermal transfer business is a just-in-time business, with less lead-time for delivery. You have to be close to the customer because the product is used at the end-of-line operation.”

He added, “India is an emerging market, and packaging is part of the India growth story. Servicing the growing Indian need from Singapore was going to be an issue. Hence we have to be local and supply the finished products when it is required.”

The Armor team

The size of the thermal transfer market in India is around 100-mn sq/m, and is growing at about 15% per annum; Armor has a 28% market share. “With this strengthened operations, we hope to increase our market share,” said Sehgal.

Armor Group inaugurated a 4,200 sq/m (45,000 sq/ft) industrial slitting and packing plant in the Bidadi Industrial area

Employee-owned, Armor Group has two coater plants, one in France and second in China. It also has six industrial slitting facilities across the world, where semi-finished products manufactured in France and China are sent for finishing, packing and distribution.