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Sustainable Packaging Importance of sustainable packaging in the food and beverage sector.
Vol. 01 Issue 05 2022
Food-Tech How technology is helping the food and beverage sector.
Vilas Bisne The Most
Head - Sales & Marketing
Reliable
Packaging
Companies
Om Gajanan
Packaging
A Robust Innovator in the Packaging Industry
Editor’s Note PACKAGING INDUSTRY UNCOVERING THE FUTURE
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f we stop for a moment and think of the role packaging plays in our lives, we may be amazed. Packaging is everywhere as we might be handling a lot many bags, boxes, coffee pods, transparent plastic films, plastic cups, pouches, takeout containers, wrappers etc. Our day might be starting with milk bags and maybe ending with the pocket of betelnuts. Over the years, with our changing lifestyle, packaging has tremendously evolved. In the last two years, it has evolved faster than our habits. Because it must be at the forefront of every change as it affects other industries depending on it. Like fast-moving consumer goods, foods and beverages and healthcare, to name a few. There were a few significant ways packaging has evolved during the pandemic. The first major change was the packaging industry’s adoption of digital technology to handle the increasingly complex ways of manufacturing demands. A McKinsey study states that many companies have transitioned their supply chains entirely and twenty to twenty-five times more quickly than everybody thought possible earlier. The packaging industry is now using many
Abhishek Joshi Deputy Editor
abhishek.joshi@insightssuccess.com
digital tools like smart sensors, automated machines, IoT tech, 3D digital printers, etc., to cope with the changing demands. The second major shift is due to the booming of the ecommerce industry. More people are staying home and ordering everything online. This has put tremendous demand on the packaging manufacturers to develop new, more cost-effective materials like re-usable paper packaging, more sustainable, easy-touse and easy-to-recycle containers. The third major change is that the drive for sustainability is challenging the supply chain model in developing new communication tech, logistics methods, materials, and sources. It simply means that the packaging industry has to handle more complex issues in production, storage and transportation. Issues like material durability, reusability, and capability of handling wear and tear problems of temperature, weight, and size. It is immensely satisfying to know that the packaging industry is taking up every challenge with renewed enthusiasm with all these turnarounds. They are not only
meeting every demand and expectation of other industries and consumers alike but also enhancing their trust, faith, and reliability quotient amidst the turbulent times of pandemic by meeting the ever-escalated approval benchmarks. In this edition, ‘The Most Reliable Packaging Companies, ’Insights Success highlights the revolutionary steps taken by the packaging industry and reveals their prospectus with the sagacity of this sector. Read on to enjoy the many stories of innovations by the leading companies in the niche!
C O V E R S T O R Y
Om Gajanan
Packaging
A Robust Innovator in the Packaging Industry
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Innovation with Luxury in Packaging
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Unbox
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Innovative Packaging for a Sustainable Environment
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Adeera Packaging
Sustainable Packaging
Food-Tech
Importance of sustainable packaging in the food and beverage sector.
How technology is helping the food and beverage sector.
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Article
Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Deputy Editor Abhishek Joshi Managing Editor Gaurav PR Wankhade
sales@insightssuccess.com
JANUARY, 2022 Corporate Offices: Designing Head Sandeep Tikode Designer Rashmi Singh
Sr. Vice President Megha Mishra Sr. Sales Manager Tejaswini Whaval Business Development Lead Neha Bhilare Sr. Business Development Executive Kiran Pawar
Technical Head Prachi Mokashi Technical Specialist Amar Sawant
Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off. No. 22 & 510, Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: +91 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com
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The Most
Reliable
Packaging
Companies
Company Name
Management
Brief
Adeera Packaging Private Limited adeerapack.com
Sushant Gaur Founder
Adeera Packaging Private Limited is India's largest manufacturer of paper bags and paper pouches.
Bossar Packaging Pvt. Ltd. bossar.com
Sergey Bodnar Founder
Bossar Packaging Pvt. Ltd. Is a reputed worldwide manufacturer of horizontal form fill and seal packaging machines for flexible packaging since 1992.
Modern Packaging Company modpkg.com
Shiben Dalal Founder
Modern Packaging Company is BRCGS and SEDEX certified and works with industry giants in India as well as the USA, Africa, and the Middle East.
Om Gajanan Packaging ogpteck.com
Unbox unboxit.in
Vilas Bisne Om Gajanan Packaging strives to be a one-window stop for innovation, Head-Sales and Marketing robust, high-quality, efficient end of the line packaging machines.
Mr. Sahil Roy Founder
Unbox is ‘The National Award Winning Company’ within its first year. It has been awarded four national awards in the year 2016 for its innovation in packaging.
Om Gajana n
P ackaging A Robust Innovator in the Packaging Industry
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OGP offers a wide range of end of line packaging machines and material
C O V E R S T O R Y
Vilas Bisne Head - Sales & Marketing
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The Most Reliable Packaging Companies
First impressions are crucial, and packaging is the consumer’s first encounter with your product. Thus, manufacturers place significant importance on product packaging. Packaging goes a long way toward establishing a positive first impression and fostering long-term brand loyalty. Brands are identified just by looking at the packaging. Because of these reasons, the packaging industry got a boost and is evolving with time to provide a package that protects the product and makes it look appealing as well.
Om Gajanan Packaging counts among one such company that has created a mark on the packaging space with its quintessential services. Visionary Genesis OGP was formed in 2006 in Pune to offer quality and intelligent packaging solutions. For the past 15 years, OGP has been offering packaging solutions to food, beverages, pharma, and other significant industries throughout the country. Today OGP is associated with one of the largest beverage companies, one of the largest dairies, and one of the largest pharma companies in India. Products and services offered by OGP have been accepted throughout the country across industries. OGP emphasises after-sales service to a large extent and has a suitably trained staff to support the customer.
An Influential Leader Vilas Bisne (VB) possesses extensive domestic and international experience in the packaging and service industry. Due to this blend of experience of products and service industry, VB has placed OGP with a well-balanced product portfolio, in various industries like food, beverages, pharma, e-commerce, automobile, and other industries in India. VB has guided the team to offer exemplary service support to its customers, which results in long-term association ranging for more than a decade. VB was also associated with CII for a brief time.
Today’s customer satisfaction has always been an integral part of OGP philosophy across all departments
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ne of the most evident responsibilities of packing is to protect the goods throughout transit from the manufacturer to the retailer. As the product lies on store shelves, waiting for customers to buy it, packaging serves as a type of protection. Packaging is the ‘dress’ on the product in marketing and market development, and it can influence whether the product sells in a new market or to new clients.
Beneficial Surprises Packaging industry is a vast creative and innovative industry.The fact that a single packaging product can be associated with multitude of industry in different ways is mind boggling.In today's scenario with the growth in ecommerce,changes in consumer preferences ,technological advance has increased the demand for packaging especially sustainable packaging .In the growing concern of today's world the need of the hour has been environmentally friendly,recyclable pocket friendly sustainable packaging.And this has opened many new doors of opportunities. An Array of Services OGP offers complete lines for beverages in PET, glass, and cans. OGP has extended its portfolio by adding quality products like Vertical form fill seal (VFFS), Pick fill seal (PFS), Horizontal form fill and seal (HFFS) machines for the Indian producers who wish to use the flexible packaging. We intend to expand in the area of machinery. Starting in India in 2006 after an international stint was to search for the gap in the local market. Also, to create a synergy between the company’s strengths and customer
requirements. This place was conveniently acquired by giants in the industry. Surpassing the Pandemic During the pandemic OGP was definitely hit as the new investments dried up. The uncertain situation was also pushing existing customers to defer their expansions. During the initial relaxation provided, some of the customers did start operations wherein OGP was offering them online support. It even helped one of the customers to install and commission a medium size machine through video calling. During the pandemic, while studying the current scenario and speculating the future packaging styles, OGP introduced the primary packaging machines, namely VFFS, PFS, HFFS machines. These machines are essential for industries like rice, sugar, wheat, Indian namkeen, ketchup, mayonnaise, and many more. Even today, it is guiding its customers for non-touch packaging, which will be a standard packaging style of the future. Automation on existing lines has also been a keen interest area for customers during this period.
Words of Wisdom “I would personally advise young innovators to work out ways and means to create eco-friendly plastic while considering the future and make the world a better place to live,” says Vilas. Future Endeavours “In the long run, I see OGP as one of the leading brands in the country that not only provides quality value for money machines but at the same time, provides sustainable solutions,” says Vilas. “Providing sustainable solutions is mandatory today, but at the same time, we should not disturb the current ecosystem that the industry is working on. This will help provide ecofriendly packaging with the fractional increase in price, but eco-friendly packaging will not disturb the current production practice. Hence no need to change the machine,” adds Vilas. Also, this fractional increase will encourage people to buy these without pinching their pockets along with preserving jobs and creating value addition to the product.
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Importance of
Sustainable
Packaging in the Food and Beverage Sector
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ackaging material is something that people interact on regular basis. It is one of the most easily recognizable and accessible items. These materials include plastic bottles, metal cans, cardboard paper bags, etc. However, the production and disposal of these materials safely, require a heavy energy input with proper planning, considering economic and environmental factors. Over the last few decades, global pollution issues are rising, and it has created a demand to reduce the factors that are being potential risks for the environment. As a result, the need for eco-friendly sustainable packaging is on the rise as well. Moreover, as packaging is an important part of day-to-day activities for everyone in the food and beverage sector, consumers are looking for alternative packaging materials that would not only fulfil the packaging requirement but also reduce adverse effects on the environment. Sustainable food packaging consists of materials and is prepared from methods that reduce energy and material consumption.
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Sustainable Packaging
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Helping the environment is one of the benefits of these packaging materials, from an economic point of view, producing lightweight materials helps the food and beverage manufacturers to save money and muster less waste material. This type of packaging is not only good for the environment, but also brings various benefits for the environment, brands, and their potential customers. Additionally, using sustainable food packaging is beneficial as: Using Sustainable Packaging Reduces the Carbon Footprints Carbon footprint is the number of greenhouse gases that are released in the environment as a result of human activities. From the extraction of raw materials to production, distribution, and use, traditional packaging material goes through several procedures. Each of these processes emits a specific amount of carbon into the atmosphere. Eco-friendly packaging employs different methods in each of these processes and reduces carbon emissions, resulting in reducing the overall carbon footprint and they are produced using highly recyclable materials which reduces the consumption of heavy-energy resources. In addition to reducing the carbon footprint, eco-friendly materials are beneficial in creating an impact even in the last stage of the use cycle as these alternative packaging materials are biodegradable and made from recyclable materials. It diminishes their negative impact on the environment. Invulnerable Adoption Traditional packaging is made from synthetic and chemicalbased materials, these chemicals are harmful to both consumers and manufacturers. Most of the bio-degradable packaging material is made from non-toxic and allergy-free materials. Many people are concerned with what their packaging material is made of and what are adverse effects it can have on their health and well-being. Consumers can live a healthy lifestyle by using non-toxic and allergen-free food packaging materials.
beverage sector run on the same machines as that of traditional packaging materials, making their way to better affordability and accessibility. On the other hand, sustainable packaging is versatile and it can be reused and repurposed in the food and beverage industry and replace the traditional standard packaging. This means consumers can use these materials for their daily usage. Traditional packaging not only affects the environment but also inhibits package design originality. When it comes to eco-friendly packaging, consumers have a variety of possibilities for developing creative packaging products with diverse designs and patterns. Furthermore, sustainable packaging can be utilized with any food product without causing any negative consequences on the human health. Sustainable Food Packaging Materials are Plastic Free Most of the traditional packaging used is a one-time usable plastic material. Even though plastic, Styrofoam, and other non-biodegradable materials are convenient to use, however, they negatively impact our environment causing all kinds of environmental problems like clogging water drains, rising global temperatures, and polluting water bodies. After unwrapping, almost all packaging materials are thrown away, eventually clogging the drains. We can reduce the quantity of plastic used in food wrapping material all over the world by using environment friendly food packaging products. Petrochemical materials which are normally used in all traditional plastic products consume a lot of energy in production and its disposal. Petrochemical packaging is linked to health problems when associated with food. A Drive towards a Greener Future As the demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products is constantly rising, it is creating an opportunity for companies to become environmentally conscious organizations. Consumers today are seeking for sustainable products when it comes to their purchasing decisions. As people are getting aware of these products, it is making a shift towards green packaging and going green is attracting more consumers
Enabling Versatility Most of the available packaging materials for the food and 18 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in
- Abhishek Joshi
Adeera Packaging Innovative Packaging for a Sustainable Environment
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contributes towards a sustainable environment with an effective solution of manufacturing plastic-free paper bags. These bags are made from resources that cause no harm to the environment for the manufacturing process and are recyclable.
he generation and disposal of waste is an inevitable part of any industry or developing society. Every time we buy something from any store, we keep the product and dispose the packaging material, which eventually leads to the generation of waste if the packaging is created with sources that are nonrecyclable.
In an exclusive interview with Insights Success, Sushant Gaur, Founder of Adeera packaging, sheds some light on the journey of the company in the packaging industry. Below are the highlights of the interview.
As soon as most of the companies realized it, they started using the solutions like replacing plastic bags with paper bags, boxes made from cardboard, which is helping in recycling the waste material and has controlled the increasing volume of waste globally. We can experience a solid impact of adopting these solutions and contributing towards the goal of creating a sustainable world. Creating a difference with a sustainable vision is made by a few companies, and those companies are worth appreciating and acknowledging since they are immensely contributing towards the betterment of the universe. Adeera packaging is one of India’s first and largest V bottom paper bags manufacturer and is a prime example of such companies. The company
Please describe us about Adeera packaging in detail. Adeera packaging is the largest manufacturer of paper bags (based on the number of bags) in India. It has the largest capacity, 60,000 sq. Ft of space for manufacturing V bottom Paper bags. Adeera pack is the first paper bag manufacturer to have a plastic-free, non-wax water barrier coating which is also heated sealable. We have spent a lot of resources to develop this and is now a very successful product for us. We also manufacture aluminium-lined paper bags that is a replacement for the paper stand-up pouch, with a layer of PE coating. Our products use no plastic anywhere.
What kind of offerings does Adeera provides to its clients? Adeera delivers to more than 30,000 pin codes on time. Our deliveries are done on a relay model where the driver of the vehicle does not spend more than 4-5 hours at a stretch and not more than 12 hours in a day. This reduces road accidents and ensures the trucks are constantly moving, which eventually lowers the delivery time by 40% in long routes and makes delivery timelines more predictable and reliable. Due to guaranteed five-day supplies to most of the locations, our clients no longer take delivery in their DC but ask us to supply to their stores directly. This decreases the carbon footprint by irradicating the need for a large warehouse and removes the need for re-shipping. How was Adeera affected in these pandemic times, and what were the steps were taken by you to curb the damages, all the while helping your clients and maintaining the safety of your employees? Due to the global shortage of good quality, light grammage paper most of our customers have acquiesced to our price increases. Everyone understands the issues faced by our industry –
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The Most Reliable Packaging Companies
A Dynamic Leader For six years, Sanjay Gaur managed the operations for Urja Packaging as a one-man show, and Urja started to grow extremely fast. He decided to partner with their biggest client Atulya Bhatia from Cartonwala, and Adeera Packaging Pvt Ltd. was founded in 2019. One year later, Ashish Agarwal joined as a cofounder to complete the team. Adeera Packaging Pvt Ltd. has two Co-Founders, Atulya Bhatia and Ashish Agarwal. It was founded in 2019, and it took over Urja Packaging, a proprietorship rm registered in 2012 by Sushant Gaur.
container shortage, shipping delays, the paper raw material being unavailable, etc. Even though customers are supporting the price increases, sometimes the process for getting price revisions takes seven days; by then, the price goes up further. This is the first-time spot pricing has come to paper. Earlier, we used to maintain no stock, our mills would provide us with daily deliveries, and in return, we would dispatch our FG the same day. Now due to delays, shortages, our working capital requirements have shot up. India gets the bulk of its imported paper waste from the USA; shipping rates from the USA were between $1,600 to $2,000 pre-pandemic and are currently at $15,000 - $18,000. A 40 ft container can have 25 tons of paper waste; this implies a cost increase of Rs 48/kg on imported raw material. However, most paper mills use domestic waste; with the closure of factories during the lockdown, the supply of local paper waste dried up, and the prices of domestic paper waste
shot up from Rs 14 to Rs 26/kg and have not yet come down. Since we have experienced these price hikes, our first initiative was to conduct our business in a properly organized manner. During the first lockdown, our supportive HR policies helped us retain all our labour during the second lockdown. Due to the increase in demand, we have done the CAPEX that was required to increase our capacity by 100%, and we will be continuing our four-year record of 100% YoY growth this year as well. Where do you envision Adeera to be in the long run, and what are your future goals? How do you plan to embrace the changes happening in the packaging industry? The bulk of our export orders have come due to these sustainable
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commitments. In India, we are experiencing an increasing demand for products made from sustainable paper. We are looking to expand by doing joint ventures, contract manufacturing deals, backwards and forward integration with new and current players in the paper bag industry. We have global ambitions, which we wish to see to fruition in the next four years. We have a target of 250% inorganic growth in 2022-23. The seeds of which have been sown. Our target is to create a globally relevant company in paper bags by integrating forward, backward, and side-ways. Adeera pack is working to make the world environment friendly by promoting recycled paper or agrowaste-based paper bags. In time, we
We are committed to use paper from sustainable and traceable sources. will be manufacturing re-sealable paper courier bags to our customers by doing proprietary modifications to the machines. Over 130 countries across the world have pledged to bring an end to singleuse plastic by 2030; unless there is enough manufacturing of sustainable replacements, this ban can never be successful. We are committed to use paper from sustainable and traceable sources, our inks are all water-based, and adhesives are food-grade and starch-based. We use 100% plastic-free water and oil barrier coating, which is also heated sealable. In the future, we are working towards developing soya-based inks, we are in the process of setting up a 100 ton per month output unit for e-commerce paper packaging in South India and will be manufacturing re-sealable paper courier bags to our customers by doing proprietary modifications to the machines.
What is the current industrial scenario of the packaging industry? Self-regulation is better than enforcement. Brands must realise that their customers care about what they are doing for the environment. International brands are ahead of sustainable initiatives. They are not only looking to reduce their carbon footprint but are also going into the minutia of recycling by demanding a minimum of 40% post-consumer waste in the paper they use. Indian brands are catching up fast. Brands are demanding usage of PEcoating free paper for cups, compostable plastic for garbage bags, and a multitude of other initiatives are being done to be more environmentally responsible. The bulk of our export
orders have come due to these sustainable commitments. In India, we can experience an increasing demand for products made from sustainable paper. Most Indian mills make profits cyclically, and the industry has a very high NPA rate. I don’t think it’s too bad for them to make good profits. I think the end customer needs to make prices sustainable for the mills because currently, there is a severe shortage of good quality paper. Unless large players have the motivation to grow their production lines, we will lose our global competitive advantage on recycled paper to some other country leading to the loss of linked businesses. There are less than 30 Indian mills with a turnover of more than Rs 100 Cr that are listed on the BSE. Only three mills in India have sales of more than 1000 Cr. The largest mill in the world has sales worth Rs 1.11 Lakh Crore. Although west rock has manufactured other packaging goods as well, it has acquired those businesses through active M&A activities, which is a mark of an evolved sustainable market.
We are exploring to set up a manufacturing unit in the USA and are also exploring to take over a plant in Africa, and by March 2022, Adeera will have one of the largest factories manufacturing paper SOS bags.
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Food-Tech
How
Technology is Helping the
Food and
Beverage
Sector
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he food and beverage companies are drastically advancing due to the involvement of emerging technologies in their day-to-day operations. These technologies are creating vast opportunities to boost and power the essential requirements in this niche to improve its productivity and efficiency.
These technologies include the Internet of Things (IoT), advanced data analytics, smart sensors, as these elements have the potential to sustainably drive the advancements in the food and beverage sector. The implementation of these emerging technology is enabling the companies to enhance product quality, reduce energy consumption, and optimize processes. Increasingly using them will eventually result in staying competitive and fulfilling the diversified demands of potential consumers, altogether. Additionally, the companies from large corporations to smaller, more agile brands, growing numbers of companies in the industry, gather ample amount of data about their facilities. This is beneficial to transform the manufacturing environment and redefine their workforce, operating processes, and assets operation in well synchronized manner with the new environment. Technology redefines the food and beverage sector and its manufacturing procedures in many numerous ways. It also enables a reliable, effortless, and convenience to all the parts of the production process and effortless mass production of the food and beverage products by enhancing: 25 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in
Integration of Equipment and Supply Technology is integrating new equipment and systems in a manufacturing facility. As a result, operations are becoming well-planned. It is improving the overall equipment operations, reducing extra efforts, and is advancing accurate asset utilization. Food Processing Active implementation of elements of technology made it possible to enhance and optimize the food processing operations through specialized and integrated software. With this software, the manufacturers are increasing productivity and efficiency with the co-existence of reduced energy consumption and improved product quality. Filling and Packaging As there are specialized management tools available, the manufacturers are using data to uncover potential enhancements in their filling and packaging processes. Manufacturers are combining packaging, and production lines to manage their plants much more efficiently. Automation is enabling cost-effective operations with efficiency and using automated software together with expertise, and great connectivity, is allowing the manufacturers to quickly scale these solutions across their facilities. As these complex procedures are becoming effortless, on the brighter side, the food and beverage industry is experiencing new efficient methods in their operations. It is allowing the manufacturers in the sector to improve: Integrated Functions and Asset Management Manufacturing food and beverage products is a complicated process involving many equipment, people, and tasks. To improve this process, it is important to have a comprehensive view of this process as much as possible. Technology enables this comprehensive view by connecting the various systems involved by gathering all of the data in one place. With a centralized system, manufacturers observe all the relevant data from wherever they are and make adjustments remotely. It also allows the manufactures to control and alter processes without physical interaction with the particular machinery. It is also useful to avoid errors in production and handling emergency situations.
Food and Beverage Quality The most important aspect of this niche is providing food products that must meet high-quality standards and regulations to be suitable for consumers. Before the involvement of technology, manufacturers had to control their processes manually. Today, technology is assisting the production process with quality assurance and is driving improvements to enhance the quality of food and beverage products. Observing the data is crucial to the assurance of quality output. Data Analytics, an element of technology allows the manufacturers to track all kinds of data related to their production process. This allows the manufacturers to monitor the variations in the process that could lead to quality-related issues in realtime and enables quick correction of these issues. It helps them to potentially save a significant amount of time and money in the batch production process, where products are manufactured in mass volume. Additionally, these advanced solutions allow the manufacturers to record and playback the processes visually to troubleshoot any error, quickly and accurately. This helps them to prevent the issue from happening again in the future. Optimize Production Lines Improving the production line-up supports the company in comprehending greater visibility and making improvements to deliver better results. Technology enables the production machines and devices to work in an integrated manner and observe their data in one system. This connectivity makes it easy to optimize production lines eventually by quickly identifying changes and issues. Powering the Innovations Technology is playing a significant role in transforming the food and beverage industry. These new technologies are offering numerous benefits to food and beverage companies moreover, it is also powering the innovations and as a result, the success rate of this niche is touching the skies. - Abhishek Joshi
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Innovation with Luxury in Packaging
A Visionary Leader Unbox started its operations in 2016, but its journey began in 2011 when its founder Sahil Rao started his journey in the print industry. He studied printmaking from a local family in a small town in Germany called Biberach. It was an old printing press that was converted into a small college. It used to print newsletters for Nazis during World War II, so you can imagine the style and the tradition it carried. After getting hands-on experience with the traditional print techniques, he shifted back to India to take over the familyowned business of commercial offset printing. After working in the commercial printing business for about a year, he thought of exploring new areas to maintain the required growth and innovation of the company. This was when Unbox was founded. A manufacturer of bespoke luxurious Packaging!
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The Most Reliable Packaging Companies
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he evolution of the packaging industry is a new phenomenon globally, and since this swing is in the hype, we are looking at different types of packaging solutions. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, these services hyped up and created new opportunities for the packaging industry. Unbox counts as one of the finest and national awards winning companies. It provides the finest quality and is a foremost manufacturer in premium boxes, consistently improving the quality with a specialty marked as "Handcrafted and unique design". It is creating innovation in packaging. They are catering their services in sectors like food, pharmacy, cosmetics, electronics, software, automobile, tourism, and many more, expanding their services in industries within India and few in Europe and North American market. Unbox benchmark stands with the significance of four national awards for its exceptional quality in packaging services. In the following interview, Unbox’s Founder, Mr. Sahil Roy, and Team gave us clear insight into the packaging industry's current landscape, how Unbox established a strong foothold in the market. Please brief us about Unbox. We mainly work with paper and paperboard to produce these boxes. Our focus has always been on quality and innovation in packaging. Unbox is known for its unique packaging designs. Initially, we started producing only handcrafted boxes, but with the focus on improving the quality, we started investing in the latest types of machinery. Today, we have a dedicated team that works on the structural designs for the packaging. We also have a complete
in-house set-up of machinery required to manufacture these premium boxes. Our passion for quality has been recognized throughout the country and has made us proudly stand here as ‘The National Awards Winning Company’. We have been awarded four National Awards till date for our Innovation in Packaging. We have been catering to most of the industries within India and a few in the European and North American markets, mainly for food, pharma, cosmetics, gifting, electronics, software, automobile, tourism, and many more. What made you venture into the packaging industry?
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When I was back from Germany, I decided to join my dad’s business of commercial offset printing. For a year, I tried to understand the business, but I started to see the downfall of the commercial print market. The technology was overshadowing the commercial print business. So, I had to take a foot down from my dad’s business and analyzed the industry again. I started visiting the printing presses in the country and found out that technology will eventually slow down the commercial print business. But packaging is one of the areas that is growing rapidly. So, I started meeting people and understood their views about the industry. I found out a gap in the Packaging industry that needed to
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Unbox is a manufacturer of bespoke luxury packaging
be filled. That’s how I decided to enter the packaging industry. What kind of services do you provide to your clients? We provide a wide range of services to our clients. We provide them with premium corrugated packaging, paper cartons, rigid boxes, canisters, and other forms of paper-based packaging from our packaging business. We also offer them graphic design support. Our commercial business offers all kinds of commercial printing like Brochure, Catalogues, Diaries, Calendars, Magazines, Coffee Table Books, etc. We have recently started with a new brand called DoBeDo, where we make origami-inspired table lamps. We mainly sell it for corporate gifting and have an online presence in the B2C market.
What kind of challenges have you faced while entering the packaging industry? Initially, it was tough since this business was new for me. Whatever knowledge I had gained from my school and our family business was for commercial printing. I thought it was best that I outsource the manufacturing to focus more on creating the brand. I worked with a few box manufacturers for a year. We had started getting many inquiries, but no job was delivered in time to the clients, and there were constant issues with the quality. Sometimes suppliers can cause you a lot of stress, and it gets challenging to find the right guys.
managed to convince a few people to shift to Pune and work with me. They had some fancy demands which I had to fulfill because I wanted things to happen. I got them to Pune and invested in our very first machine to make rigid boxes. A couple of months later, we started getting a grip on creating one of the finest packagings worldwide. We have attracted more than 500 businesses and have made many lakhs of boxes to date. How was Unbox affected in these pandemic times, and what were the steps you took to curb the damages while helping your clients and maintaining the safety of your employees? Just 2-3months before the pandemic, we had signed up with some big clients around India. It felt like the turning point for our business, so we had invested and planned accordingly. But just a few days before the lockdown, most of the orders were cancelled due to the uncertainty of the market. We
The only thing I had to do was start the manufacturing in-house. But getting the right skilled people for packaging was very difficult, especially in Pune. I
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were shut for almost a month, and it felt like a big financial crisis. After we opened up, the initial 2-3 months were a real struggle for our entire team. Some were stuck in their villages. We had to send some cars from here to get them back. On the brighter side, the lockdown has taught all of us the ease of ordering things at home just by clicking a button. But to get a parcel delivered at your home with having a great unboxing experience requires a great thought behind the packaging. I thought this was a golden opportunity for us to showcase our expertise in creating that unboxing experience with the best possible service our clients can get. We started catering to those industries that have a great online presence and that values good packaging. Since the first lockdown, we have grown three times to what we were just by focusing on the right market.
What would you like to advise the young innovators who want to venture into the packaging industry? Packaging is a great industry, and especially post-pandemic, it has been growing drastically. The only advice I would give is that one should really think twice before starting a manufacturing unit. I think setting up a new plant and investing heavily in the machinery for a newcomer is an old way of doing a business. One should find a smarter way to enter the packaging business without putting down all their savings and investing heavily into it. I think the future is into collaboration rather than trying to rule the industry. Where do you envision Unbox to be in the long run and what are your future goals, and how do you plan to embrace the changes happening in your industry? We are seeing a sudden rise in the food industry and have been catering to a lot of clients in this industry. We have started outsourcing many other
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products to showcase them to our existing clientele. We have begun to export some of our packaging products and are planning to increase it in the future. Due to the uncertainty of the market, we think it is always best to diversify our portfolio. Hence, we have also come up with our brand called DoBeDo, where we sell sustainable products at an attractive price. We plan to grow that vertical simultaneously. What is the current industrial scenario of the packaging industry? Currently, there is a lot of competition in FMCG packaging. Since the packaging industry is growing significantly, many commercial printing presses have started investing in packaging machinery. We can see even more competition in the future. To stay in this industry for the long run, one must innovate and find their niche to survive the competition and avoid working on ridiculously low margins.