This is the second major ink-related development in India after Hubergroup, a global leader in specialty chemicals and print solutions, was acquired by Mavco Investments, a private investment vehicle belonging to select members of the Murugappa family.

According to a statement released by Flint Group, a provider of inks and coating solutions for the printing and packaging sectors, the new facility will focus on the growing paper and board and narrow-web industries in the region.

According to Maximize Market Research, the packaging market in India was valued at USD 128.91-billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to USD 653.57 billion by 2030. The packaging market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.1% from 2024 to 2030. 

The market is driven by the growth of the pharmaceutical, food processing, manufacturing, FMCG, and healthcare sectors.  The fastest-growing segments of the packaging market are laminates and flexible packaging, especially PET and woven sacks. 

Flint’s new plant at Savli will focus on producing water-based inks and coatings for the paper and board market, as well as energy-curable inks for the label and narrow-web sector.

The new 9,000-square-metre facility marks a significant expansion of Flint Group's manufacturing capacity in India, tailored to meet the rising demand in the region’s paper and board packaging and narrow-web label industries. 

Located within 10-km of Flint Group’s Flexible Packaging manufacturing site in Lamdapura, the new facility complements an existing plant that produces solvent-based inks and operates a separate unit dedicated to non-toluene inks.

This development further strengthens Flint Group's robust presence in India, which includes an ISO 9001:2015-certified manufacturing plant in Hosur specialising in inks for narrow-web labels, and a blending site in Noida. Additionally, the company operates warehouses in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, ensuring comprehensive coverage and service across the country.

During his keynote address at the AIPIMA International Conference held recently, SN Venkataraman, chief executive of ITC's Packaging and Printing Business, explained how the packaging industry has witnessed transformative growth, with inks and coatings at the forefront of its evolution. From plain substrates to visually engaging solutions, the role of these elements is central to creating consumer-attractive designs. 

Venkataraman noted that approximately 65% of the Indian packaging market is dominated by global companies, with domestic players holding the remaining 35%. 

“Despite this disparity,” he emphasised, “The industry is at an opportune moment for collaboration and innovation, with exports to Asian markets and increasing investments from multinational firms underscoring India’s growth potential. He further highlighted that India ranks seventh or eighth in the global pigments market, with ambitions to scale and compete with leaders like Germany and Japan.

The Savli, Vadodara plant will use standardised manufacturing process to supply paper and board converters with Flint Group's optimised AQUACode range of water-based inks and coatings. These inks have been uniquely designed to support printers' sustainability goals while maintaining high performance and consistency standards. The facility will take a phased approach to producing these products, with full operational capability including in-house base manufacturing expected by early Q2 2025.

The new site will also manufacture Flint Group’s award-winning EkoCure Dual Cure range to serve the growing Indian label and narrow-web market. This series is designed to cure with traditional Hg UV lamps and low-energy UV LED lamps, simplifying ink inventory for printers transitioning to UV LED curing by enabling them to use one product across all presses.

Upal Roy, managing director of Flint Group India, South Africa, and Middle East, said, “Our new state-of-the-art facility demonstrates Flint Group's commitment to the rapidly growing Indian corrugated packaging and label printing market. By significantly enhancing our local manufacturing capabilities, we're ensuring we can meet our customers’ evolving requirements and strategically position Flint Group to capitalise on future growth opportunities in this dynamic region.”