Manohar Packaging’s Punjab plant picks a Bobst Foilmaster
Mumbai-based specialist in liquor packaging, Manohar Packaging’s greenfield factory in Punjab is up and running since January 2020, operating at the 1,40,000 sqft site.
17 Aug 2020 | By Noel D'Cunha
Patwardhan (c): receiving the PrintWeek Award 2019 for the category Packaging Converter (Carton) of the Year
Equipped with a raft of machines from Koenig & Bauer (formerly KBA) and Bobst among others Manohar Packaging has recently invested in a Bobst foil stamping machine, Speria Foilmaster for its plant in Patiala, which Aditya Patwardhan, director at Manohar Packaging Group, said, will give his company the flexibility to do both hot foil stamping cum embossing and die-cutting.
While Manohar’s products range from integrated, cartons, labels, and canisters its major success has been the ability to deliver high volumes of premium finish, both from Punjab as well as Goa, where it has three units where two Bobst foil stamping machines are already in operation. “At the heart of our operation are the equipment, particularly the Bobst finishing lines because, without it, we essentially be selling only sheets,” said Patwardhan.
The investment was part of Manohar’s overall schedule. “We opted for the Bobst Speria Foilmaster because it comes with many features. For starts, it is designed for hot stamping – it’s platen beams are designed to withstand high temperature and pressure ensures right foil transfer with great precision and efficiency,” Patwardhan.
The Bobst Speria Foilmaster can run at a top speed up to 7500 sh / hr for both foil stamping and die-cutting. “It can handle light substrates as well as boards of up to 2,000 gsm thickness and deliver rock-solid performance for heat transferred foil on paper,” explained Patwardhan.
According to Venugopal Menon, business director, BU sheetfed, Bobst India, Bobst machines are designed for hot foiling and to operate at high pressure and temperature over the years. “The unique double-cam sector drive for gripper motion and locking ensure tight registration, combined with unique foil mounting ensuring fast job changeover.”
Patwardhan said, “We’ve been the pioneers in the technology, thanks to our chairman, Nishikant Shirodkar’s early love for foil gilding, back in the ’60s. Goes to show, some things are truly timeless.”
THE COVID-19 SHOCK
Aditya Patwardhan of Manohar Packaging, said, “We had just installed our KBA 7-LX with a veritable arsenal of value additions specified on the machine to ensure the highest quality standards our patrons have come to expect from us.”
Just then Covid-19 came as a rude surprise, and shock. “We were just about getting this giant plant on its feet when the lockdown was announced. But from mid-April we were back in action,” said Patwardhan.
As for its Goa plant, all the three units got operational under permission for Manohar’s portfolio of clients in the essential services category soon after the lockdown was announced in March 2020. Patwardhan said,
“Although they were very turbulent times, our core team members were on high alert, and we spent a week in perfecting protocols and continuously do so across all factories, offices, and workspaces. All our plants are running at the moment.”
Patwardhan concluded, “It is my belief that we will bounce back as a race, nation, land, and economy eventually, and the bumps along the way will make us stronger. Let’s hope I’m right.”
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