PrintWeek Awards 2024: EPL wins Factory of the Year

When determining the recipient of the Factory of the Year Award, various factors are carefully assessed. These include the overall productivity and efficiency of the factory, taking into account factors such as production output, operational costs, and resource utilisation. The commitment to quality control and continuous improvement should be thoroughly evaluated, considering aspects such as adherence to quality standards, implementation of customer feedback, and continuous process improvements.

23 Sep 2024 | By PrintWeek Team

EPL’s Nalagarh factory, which manufactures multilayer lamitubes, had it all. The 18-year-old factory, built on 4.86 acres, has 23 tubing lines, six printing lines, and one auto capping machine.

Globally, the Nalagarh factory is EPL’s largest tube-making plant. It supplies more than 1,000 SKUs to more than 100 customers, mainly Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson’s, L’Oreal, Reckitt Benckiser, Dabur, and Patanjali.
The EPL plant in Nalagarh is characterised by strong production figures. The factory produced 6.16-million lamitubes in 2023 with a sales volume of Rs 1.38-billion, contributing to 18% of EPL’s global volume and approximately 40% of EPL India’s volume.

The numbers showcase the company’s functional excellence.

29% of the employees at the Nalagarh plant are female, while 16 are specially-abled employees. The ongoing training of employees is also key to the factory’s progress.
Other highlights are the resource efficiency and ongoing reduction of carbon emissions that are prioritised in its manufacturing process. In terms of energy, 90% is renewable, with 168 megawatts/hour of energy saved through process modification and technology upgradation.

46% of the water is recycled, and 100% of its waste is recycled. It has installed equipment like an auto ink dispenser that ensures every drop of ink is used. Its ePad ensures zero paperwork in production.

The plant has BRC Global Standard for Food Safety (BRCGS), Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) and EcoVadis 2023 Gold certifications, among others.

This Factory of the Year Awards recognises EPL’s Nalagarh plant for its resilience in manufacturing and focus on sustainability and cost management.

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