Etp feb mar2017

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Volume 17 Issue 6 February - March 2017

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Deepak Lamba CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Subramaniam S PUBLISHER, PRINT & PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Joji Varghese EDITOR & CHIEF COMMUNITY OFFICER | Niranjan Mudholkar niranjan.mudholkar@wwm.co.in +91 9819531819

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Printed and published by Joji Varghese for and on behalf of owners Worldwide Media Pvt Ltd (CIN:U22120MH2003PTC142239), The Times of India Building, Dr DN Road, Mumbai 400001. Printed at JRD Printpack Private Limited, 78, Resham Bhavan, 7th Floor, Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai - 400 020. Editor: Niranjan Mudholkar. Published for February - March 2017 Disclaimer: All rights reserved worldwide. Reproducing or transmitting in any manner without prior written permission prohibited. All photographs, unless otherwise specified, are used for illustrative purposes only. The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct. However, we accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions and accept no responsibility for any loss or damage caused as an effect thereof. The information provided in this publication is for general use and may not be appropriate for the specific requirements and / or conditions of the reader/s.

The opinions expressed by experts are their own and in no way reflect those of the publisher.

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Living in exciting times!

here is an ancient Chinese curse – ‘May you live in exciting times’. It was called a ‘curse’ because ‘exciting’ during most ancient times implied a lot of upheavals and transformations as against a stable life. I look at this curse in a positive light in the context of the overall scenario in our country today. While I do believe that the curse is upon us, I am actually happy about it.

Never before has a nation witnessed such multiple transitions across every possible and imaginable fields and segments. Be it social or economical, cultural or industrial, political or educational.

India today is a country that is creating a new dynamic identity for itself. It is cleaning itself, it is skilling itself, it is digitising itself and it is making itself. While Make in India may be a popular slogan what is actually happening is that we are ‘Making India’.

“India is cleaning itself, it is skilling itself, it is digitising itself and it is making itself. While Make in India may be a popular slogan what is actually happening is that we are ‘Making India’.”

And how can the plastics industry be isolated from such a great transformation? In fact, considering the deep connections that this industry has with every sector and every social strata, plastics will continue to be a vital component in the new structural organisation of our nation. The industry in itself needs to gear up. Rather than being a passive player in the game it must assume an active role. If the need be, even become a game changer in a positive way. Think about it.

It’s been a great start to the year 2017 for all of us at ‘The ET Polymers’.

Our maiden awards platform has seen unprecedented success. It couldn’t have been possible without this fantastic industry. Well, all I can say is that ‘stay with us, we have just started’.

Editor & Chief Community Officer

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CONTENTS 8

22

18

News

Event Calendar

Innovation:

30

Fabricating tools in the space

Interview:

34 AGRICULTURE Taking gardens to new ‘heights’

For the Compounders’ fraternity

Medical:

35

46

More wear comfort, less weight

Market:

38 40

Historic collaboration!

New chapter of growth!

Event:

AWARDS The ET Polymers Awards – Beginning of a new era

26

AGRICULTURE New age of farming

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31

RECYCLING Back to basics!

51

42

A mega show in the making!

43

Plastivision India 2017: Mecca of the plastics industry

Products

36

BUDGET SMEs friendly budget

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NEWS

Prafulla Kumar Gupta takes charge as Director (HR), GAIL India

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rafulla Kumar Gupta has taken charge as Director (Human Resources) of GAIL (India) Ltd. A Mechanical Engineer G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Gupta has more than 33 years of rich and diverse experience in oil & gas sector, particularly in project execution along with Operation & Maintenance of Natural Gas pipelines, Gas Processing Units, City Gas Distribution, Natural Gas &

Petrochemical Marketing and Human Resources.

Prior to his appointment as Director (HR), Gupta served as Executive Director (Marketing-Petrochemicals) and was instrumental in creating an enabling mechanism for petrochemical marketing, streamlining processes and systems to prepare GAIL for the challenges arising out of enhanced polymer capacity of the Company.

Uflex launches aseptic liquid packaging brand

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flex has unveiled ‘ASEPTOTM’ its aseptic liquid packaging brand. ASEPTOTM is derived from the word aseptic which means sterile. Aseptic packaging ensures that food remains free from bacteria and other harmful microorganisms for a period of at least eight months under room temperature.

Speaking on the new launch, Ashwani Sharma, President & CEO, New Business Initiatives, Uflex Ltd said, “Aseptic Packaging market in India is majorly classified into three segments i.e. Juices, Dairy Products and Liquor. Packaging of flavoured milk, other dairy items and liquor in Aseptic packaging material will play a key role in propelling the growth of aseptic packaging in the coming years both in India and overseas. Our total manufacturing capacity of seven billion packs per annum will cater to 90 percent of the domestic market demand. In APAC, the market growth is around seven percent and in India the growth has been in double digits for the last 3-4 years.”

PIL demerges PVC Pipe business

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rakash Industries Ltd (PIL) has emerged as a diversified player with interest in steel, power and PVC pipe sectors. Considering the colossal growth prospects in both steel and PVC, Prakash has decided to demerge the PVC Pipes business into a separate entity, which shall not only enable both the businesses to grow independently with their focused vision, strategies and operations, but also contribute significantly towards unlocking the potential value of the businesses for the shareholders.

According to PIL, a more ‘pureplay’ Company, having a singular business is also preferred by the investors as the business follows a focused and sector specific growth strategy, thereby counteracting the conglomerate discount and enhancing the value of the business.

Petroleum Minister visits Myanmar for strengthening Hydrocarbon Relations

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he Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan visited Myanmar to enhance regional cooperation in the Hydrocarbon sector with the neighbouring country. During his visit, Pradhan met his Myanmar counterpart U Pe Zin Tun, Union Minister of Electricity and Energy, Myanmar. He discussed issues of bilateral engagement in the hydrocarbon sector. In the upstream sector, both leaders discussed the current and future participation of Indian Oil and Gas companies in the Upstream sector of Myanmar. Presently, ONGC Videsh Ltd and GAIL have invested in gas producing blocks in Myanmar. OVL and Oil India Ltd have invested in exploratory blocks. The interest of Indian Upstream companies in participating in the forthcoming bid round in Myanmar was conveyed.

Lubrizol and FinOlex Industries join hands

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he Lubrizol Corporation and FinOlex Industries Ltd have signed a FlowGuard Processor agreement for the manufacturing and sale of FinOlex FlowGuard Plus CPVC pipes and fittings in India. The product will be launched in the market by FinOlex Industries in April 2017 and will cater to housing and real estate segments.

“Lubrizol is dedicated to supplying the highest quality CPVC compounds to service the Indian hot & cold water plumbing markets,” explains Matthew Timmons, Managing

Director, Lubrizol Advanced Materials India Pvt. Ltd. “Our partnership with FinOlex Industries highlights the need and importance of quality CPVC pipes and fittings made from time-tested CPVC compounds provided by Lubrizol. Since January 2016, we have been manufacturing these world quality materials from a state-of-the art plant in Dahej, Gujarat.

Our association with FinOlex will further strengthen FlowGuard’s commitment to delivering reliability in India through FinOlex’s wide spread network in the country.”

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NEWS

STEER, Merck to conduct research on processing special effect pigments

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TEER has announced a research collaboration with Merck, a leading science & technology company, on creating corotating twin screw extruder technology to process special effect pigments. The research collaboration will focus on accelerating the development of an appropriate technology for the plastic industry to effectively process special effect pigments. While STEER will use process know-how, technology platform and knowledge of materials transformation, Merck brings to the table its understanding of pigments and their behaviours and core research work in plastics. STEER labs in India will carry out the research work. STEER and Merck will jointly validate the research work before taking to market the technology platform.

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Babu Padmanab-

han, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, STEER, said, “This is a major milestone for STEER, as the research collaboration is an acknowledgement of our capabilities and technology by a global leader. Our 21st century, corotating twin screw processor with fractional lobed elements allows for work on materials using precise application of forces — kneading, stirring or shearing material at specific zones of the processor — resulting in a quantum jump in process capability. With its ability to work with sensitive materials, our technology truly ushers in a new age of advanced materials through Intelligent Compounding. Our rich legacy of research and patented technologies will complement the objectives of this unique venture.”

Indigenously developed Delayed Coker unit commissioned at Barauni Refinery

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ndigenously developed Delayed Coking technology with the joint partnership of IndianOil and Engineers India Ltd (EIL) has been implemented in the 600 TMTPA capacity Coker-A unit at Barauni refinery, making it first of its kinds in India. All the latest stateof-the-art features have been incorporated in the new unit, bringing it at par with the international standards with enhanced safety and reliability. The revamped unit will add to the profitability of the Barauni Refinery and IndianOil as a whole, with enhanced yield of distillates and reduced coke yield. This technology deployment through partnership of two leading Public sector entities IndianOil & EIL is a landmark achievement for Indian refining industry inching further towards the ’Make in India’ initiative.

LEGO Group breaks ground for new office complex & public park in Denmark

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ali Padda, President and CEO of the LEGO Group, Ib Kristensen, the mayor of Billund, Denmark, and Claus Flyger Pejstrup, Senior Vice President, and responsible for the LEGO Group Headquarters, jointly broke the ground on one of the largest LEGO construction projects in Billund, Denmark, the home and headquarters of the LEGO Group.

Work on the office complex ‘LEGO Campus’, which was announced in July 2016, is expected to take four years, with the first employees moving in during 2019. When fully completed, the complex will have room for up to 2,000 employees and include 52,000 m2 of office space surrounded by a public park.

Flex takes over AGM Automotive

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lex has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire AGM Automotive (AGM). AGM is a leading global supplier of automotive interior components and systems, including overhead console systems, interior lighting, electronic components and textile flooring solutions.

Providing high quality and innovative automotive interior solutions, AGM is a trusted design partner of major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) around the globe.

AGM is headquartered in Troy, Michigan, with additional facilities in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, Austria and China.

“AGM is a highly respected, awardwinning provider of automotive interior components and systems,” mentioned Chris Obey, President of Automotive at Flex.

“This strategic acquisition will complement and expand our automotive offerings, particularly in lighting, and will further strengthen certain key strategic customer relationships.

The addition of AGM will enhance our ability to provide customers with more complete solutions for innovative interior lighting systems, from plastics through electronics, and drive greater growth of our dollar content per vehicle,” he continued.

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NEWS

Metamaterial Technologies Inc. partners with Airbus

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etamaterial Technologies Inc. (MTI) and its optical filters division, Lamda Guard, announced that it has entered into a new agreement with leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus to validate, certify, and commercialize its laser protection product metaAIR, for aviation. In 2014, MTI signed its first agreement with Airbus to test and tailor metaAIR, which is a flexible metamaterial optical filter, engineered to protect vision against harmful laser beams aimed at aircraft.

Laser strikes on commercial aircraft are rising globally and laser pointers are increasing in power and decreasing in price.

Lasers can distract pilots during critical phases of flight and can cause temporary visual impairment. In 2015, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the number of reported laser incidents nearly doubled to 7,703 in commercial

aviation. In 2015, there were 1,439 laser incidents reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK and were almost 600 reported by Transport Canada.

“We know from facts and conversation with clients that cockpit illuminations are real, immediate and increasing in frequency, metaAIR will benefit our customers,” said Pascal Andrei, Vice President, Chief Product Security Officer. “We also see an increasing number of possible applications for metaAIR, beyond the commercial aircraft division.”

Tetra Pak to open a new facility to manufacture closures in Thailand

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etra Pak is to build a new plant at its Rayong site in Thailand, dedicated to producing closures for carton packaging. The €24 million investment, which will create around 60 jobs when it opens early in 2018, will be capable of producing more than 3 billion closures every year.

With demand for welldesigned closures on beverage cartons rising all the time, the new facility will provide much-needed local production and essential extra capacity.

Michael Zacka, Cluster Vice President, Tetra Pak South Asia, East Asia and Oceania (SAEA&O) said, “The new production facility will ensure faster delivery for customers across the region, offering a broad range of exciting closures that meet consumer demand for functionality and convenience.”

“It’s another sign of the confidence we have in this region, and our commitment to putting our customers’ success at the heart of everything we do. Together with the packaging material factory that we will open in Vietnam in 2019, our fourth in southern Asia alone, our ability to serve customers in this exciting part of the world is growing stronger all the time.”

The new production facility will be located within the company’s existing Straws and Strips Plant in Rayong.

Plastic Omnium records double-digit growth

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lastic Omnium has set new records with double-digit growth seen repeatedly in all the group’s financial aggregates. Speaking on the results, Laurent Burelle, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Omnium said,“From a strategic perspective, Plastic Omnium closed the most important acquisition in its history by integrating the Faurecia Exterior Systems business.

This large-scale operation has given the Group a new dimension - 2016 pro forma revenue of €7.5 billion - and provided leverage to grow both its customer portfolio and technological potential.

Furthermore, Plastic Omnium has sold off a number of non-strategic activities in order to focus on its core businesses, namely the automotive industry and the environment.”

Burelle further added, “From a commercial perspective, business was very intense and confirmed the success of a growth strategy driven by the addition of new industrial facilities, gains in market shares and the success of our innovation portfolio geared to a reduction in weight (CO2) and emissions (NOx).”

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NEWS

Faurecia partners with Tactotek

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aurecia has announced a partnership agreement with TactoTek. Through this investment in the Finnish startup, the Group is strengthening its expertise and technological offer in smart surfaces.

TactoTek is a leading provider of solutions for Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE): integrating printed circuitry and electronic components into 3D injection molded plastics. The investment in TactoTek strengthens Faurecia’s capabilities for

its “smart life on board” strategy, and in particular the development and production of intelligent surfaces.

David Weill, Vice President of Marketing & Development at Faurecia Interiors said, “Our partnership with TactoTek is an important step in the development of intelligent surface solutions. We intend to complete this offer in the long term by integrating different technological bricks capable of creating a new experience of connectivity in vehicles.”

Clariant Presents ColorForward Automotive 2018

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lariant has released the Automotive Edition of ColorForward 2018. This, the third edition of the colour/trend analysis tool for automotive designers and marketers, includes a new prototype format: carpet and textured plaques.

Clariant ColorForward trend-analysis and colour-design tool has been released every year to help plastic product designers and marketing professionals make more informed color choices. It presents four global societal trends that can be expected to influence consumers and then links them to colours that evoke an emotional response related to each trend. For the last three years, ColorForward Automotive has focused on the needs and interests of that market.

“This year,” explains Roberto Romanin, Clariant ColorWorks Graphic Designer, “we redesigned the presentation to better show OEM designers how consumer trends can be translated into colours and then how the colors can be used in automotive applications. From the 2o colours in the 2018 palette, we singled out those that our Automotive Team felt are most suited to their industry and then we present them in materials and shapes that reflect the surfaces and textures common in car design.”

Thermoset plastics market will grow

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esearch and Markets has announced the addition of the “Thermoset Plastics Market - Forecasts from 2016 to 2021” report to its portfolio. According to the report, global thermoset plastics market will witness significant growth on account of better processing capabilities for exports in the future. Moreover, various innovations in packaging, rising demand from end-user markets and growing disposable income in emerging economies also positively impact the growth of thermoset plastics market. However, the ecological impact of utilisation of plastics can restrict the growth of the market. Focus on sustainability and adherence to environmental standards for reducing CO2 emissions and variations in the price of crude oil are some factors which can impede the growth of this market over the next six years. On the contrary, rising demand from end-user industries in APAC Region is driving the demand for thermoset plastics over the next six years.

Dell ships first recycled ocean plastics packaging

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ell has announced the technology industry’s first shipment of ocean plastics packaging, the result of an innovative, commercial-scale pilot program. Dell recycled plastics collected from waterways and beaches for use in the new packaging tray for its Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, building on the company’s broader sustainable supply chain strategy. In 2017, its ocean plastics pilot will keep 16,000 pounds of plastic from entering the ocean. Dell will transition its award-winning XPS 13 2-in-1 to ocean plastics packaging beginning April 30, 2017.

To ensure the packaging does not end up back in the oceans, Dell will stamp each tray with the No. 2 recycling symbol, designating it as HDPE. Dell’s Packaging team designs and sources its product packaging to be more than 93 percent recyclable by weight so that it can be reused.The ocean plastics supply chain process is made of multiple stages: Dell’s partners intercept ocean plastics at the source in waterways, shorelines and beaches before it reaches the ocean. It then processes and refines the used plastics, mixes the ocean plastic (25 percent) with other recycled HDPE plastics (75 percent) from sources like bottles and food storage containers.

Then, it moulds the resulting recycled plastic flake into new packaging trays and ship the trays for final packaging and customer delivery.

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NEWS

Koch Industries acquires Guardian Industries

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och Industries, Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of Guardian Industries Corp. following the receipt of all regulatory approvals. Koch initially invested in Guardian in 2012, acquiring a 44.5 percent minority interest in the company at the time.

Guardian brings new capabilities and expertise to Koch in several highly technical manufacturing and distribution industries.

In addition to being one of the world’s largest producers of float, value-added and fabricated glass products, Guardian is also a leader both in high-value coatings on plastics for the automotive industry and the distribution of specialty building products.

“Guardian began in 1932 as a small windshield company in Detroit and has since become an established leader, proudly serving a global customer base in multiple industries,” said Ron Vaupel, president and CEO of Guardian.

“The combination of Guardian’s expertise and Koch’s existing

capabilities and infrastructure provides a tremendous opportunity for all of us to create more value for our customers and the communities in which we operate.”

Sadara signs agreement with Saudi National Automobiles Manufacturing Company

Dow Corning expands healthcare application center

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adara Chemical Company (Sadara) and Saudi National Automobiles Manufacturing Company (SNAM) announced that they have signed a Cooperation Agreement for SNAM’s planned Automobile Manufacturing Cluster in PlasChem Park. Under the agreement, Sadara will work with SNAM’s Auto Cluster tenants who will include automobile parts manufacturing companies - primarily Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and automotive Tier1 and Tier2 manufacturers - and identify potential third-party investors who are able to utilize Sadara’s slate of specialist chemicals and plastics products to manufacture automotive parts locally.

Spread over an area of 1 mn sq mtr, the Auto Cluster is expected to be the largest manufacturing cluster to be located in PlasChem Park. The Park is being developed in collaboration with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu and will consist of downstream chemical and conversion industries supplied with products from Sadara and others in Jubail.Ziad Al-Labban, CEO, Sadara,said “This is an exciting partnership for us as it will help drive development of an emerging sector within Saudi Arabia’s downstream manufacturing industry. Our specialty chemical products can be utilised by third-party investors to make components used in automobile manufacturing. With SNAM on board, we have a catalyst for manufacturers to come in and quickly begin to realize value on their investments.”

s part of its strong focus on driving innovation in healthcare, Dow Corning has announced its plans to invest in state-of-the-art capabilities and new product technologies. In particular, the company is expanding its North American Healthcare Application Center in Midland, Mich. with additional capabilities for characterizing material performance to support advanced application development and help customers develop new innovations. Dow Corning continues to expand its portfolio with new medical-grade silicone solutions, such as soft skin adhesives (SSAs) for optimising the patient experience with wearable devices, all of which are on display at the company’s booth.

“Innovation in material technologies is essential to enable tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs, particularly novel skin-adhered diagnostic and therapeutic devices,” said Marie Crane, Healthcare marketing leader, Dow Corning. “Dow Corning continues to invest in both advanced silicone solutions and application development capabilities, which go hand-in-hand.

By generating meaningful data related to material performance and processing, we can better help our customers gain a competitive advantage with the design and manufacture of new products that incorporate our medical grade siliconbased technologies.”

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CALENDAR

Mark your DIARY

July 8-14, 2017

June 8–10, 2017

May 16-19, 2017

March 21–22, 2017

A LIST OF KEY TRADE SHOWS HAPPENING BETWEEN MARCH 2017 TO DECEMBER 2017.

CAP India

Location: Mumbai, India Organised by: CHEMEXCIL, PLEXCONCIL, CAPEXIL, SHEFEXIL Website: www.capindiaexpo.in Background The 2nd CAPINDIA 2017 will be an expansive showcase of India’s manufacturing capacities and capabilities (including its abilities to service overseas markets) and will be attended by domestic & overseas buyers, international agents and distributors seeking market representation from Indian exporters, end-users seeking raw materials for captive consumption, private label buyers, merchant exporters, industrial and marketing consultants, Central and State Government Departments & agencies and many more.

Chinaplas 2017

Location: Guangzhou, China Organised by: Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd Website: www.chinaplasonline.com Background Following the very successful staging of the 30th edition this year, CHINAPLAS 2017 will return to China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou from 16 -19 May next year, occupying 26 exhibition halls with total exhibition area reaching 250,000sqm! The show spotlights “Intelligent Manufacturing High-tech Materials Green Solutions”, featuring “Automation Technology Zone”, “Composite & High Performance Materials Zone” and “Recycling Technology Zone” which gather international suppliers of advanced plastics & rubber machinery and materials.

Kenya Plast

Location: Nairobi, Kenya Organised by: Enterprising Fairs Website: www.kenyaplast.in Background The major highlight of this edition will be the significant number of visitors not just from Kenya, but from all the neighbouring East African countries. The event will be leveraging the support of leading chambers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda who have already committed their support to promote Kenya Plast.

Plastasia

Location: New Delhi Organised by: Triune Exhibitors Pvt. Ltd. Background 6th PLASTASIA-2017 in its sixth edition will showcase the latest technology and machineries used in manufacturing of plastics and petrochemicals with participation from different parts of the world. This event will be an excellent platform for exhibitors to publicise and display their products, innovation and services, build brand image and develop leadership in market position in the global areas. It will be an ideal stage for those who are interested to explore and acknowledge the most recent technologies and trends of the relevant market as well as exhibit a vast range of products and services related to the PLASTIC INDUSTRY.

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T-Plas

Location: Bangkok, Thailand Organised by: MDNA Website: www.tplas.com

October 17-21, 2017

Fakuma

December 6–9, 2017

Background A unified business platform for the plastics and rubber industries, T-PLAS - International Trade Fair for the Plastics and Rubber Industries will present a comprehensive range of solutions from the latest machinery and equipment, semi-finished products, raw materials, technical parts and reinforced plastics, to a full suite of services for the two industries.

Plast Eurasia

December 11–14, 2017

September 20-23, 2017

CALENDAR

Plastivision Arabia 2017

Location: Friedrichshafen, Germany Organised by: P. E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG Website: http://www.fakuma-messe.de/en/fakuma/ Background Fakuma offers a comprehensive overview of all plastics technologies; whether injection moulding – Fakuma holds a top international position here – extrusion technology or thermoforming: the user can find out specifically about all processes machines and tools that are relevant for the working and processing of plastics. The focus here is on practice, as around 1,700 exhibitors present the entire process chain for the economic production of plastic components.

Location: Istanbul, Turkey Organised by: Tüyap Fairs and Exhibitions Organization Inc. Website: www.plasteurasia.com Background The exhibition areas of the Plast Eurasia include plastic, machinery and equipment, mould making, plastic products, raw materials, packaging technology, hydraulics, pneumatics, etc. International exhibitors can present their latest trends, products and developments to an interested audience here. The trade fair is an ideal platform to establish new business contacts in the plastics industry.

Location: Sharjah, UAE Organised by: AIPMA and Expo Centre Sharjah Website: www.plastivision.ae Background The event has become the leading platform to showcase the latest machineries and global manufacturing trends. It gives the regional plastic processors an opportunity to source the complete range of plastic converting requirements – from raw materials, additives, moulds & machinery. Moreover, since the show will be held along with 4th Arabia Mold, it will be an exclusive multiindustry trade event for the regional plastics, mold-making, printing and packaging industries.

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AGRICULTURE

Taking Gardens to NEW ‘HEIGHTS’

BADVE ENGINEERING LTD HAS REVOLUTIONISED HYDROPONICS CONCEPT OF GARDENING BY DEVELOPING A CUP HOLDER TRAY. WITH THIS, THE GARDEN CAN BE GROWN IN VERTICAL AS WELL HORIZONTAL FORMATS. READ ON TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT.

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ydroponics is a novel method of growing plants. In this method, plants are grown without soil, using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. The method can be used for growing gardens successfully indoor under specific light conditions. Additionally, advantages of Hydroponics include ability to grow year round, ability to produce higher yields than traditional, soil-based agriculture, eliminating the need for pesticide, and so on. Despite these advantages, its commercialisation seemed distant to Hanul Technologies Pvt Ltd due to the unavailability of user-friendly technique and process requirements.

Requirements Considering the benefits, the Pune-based company wanted to commercialise hydroponics concept. In order to do this, it needed a robust hydroponic process that was easy to use. The other area of

In addition to the needs mentioned, hydroponic systems available on the market had multiple challenges such as handling pots in high volumes was not possible. The areas of concern were leakages, difficult maintenance, poor aesthetics, etc. Also, placing high volume of plants was space consuming.

Considering these needs and constraints of the customer in the present hydroponics system, Badve Engineering Ltd accepted the challenge of developing a new system.

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AGRICULTURE

Key parameters considered during design Leakage-proof

Designed as a single part without any joint

Fungus free

• No sharp edges • Sufficient radius • No chance for any stagnant water

Easy to handle

• Pick and place • Self-locking arrangement for top and bottom

Maintenance

Easy to remove and clean

Lead time

• Two cavity injection mould • Regular available material grade • High productivity

challenge was that although this concept asks for continuous flow of water, the stagnant water may harm the plants. Other aspects to be considered were smart space utilisation and applicability to large number of plants/pots. These requirements eliminated the use of pots already available on the market as they did not fit in any of the criterion.

In addition to the requirements mentioned, hydroponic systems available on the market had multiple challenges such as handling pots in high volumes was not possible. The areas of concern were leakages, difficulty in maintenance, poor aesthetics, etc. Also, placing high volume of plants was space consuming.

Considering these needs and constraints of the customer in the present hydroponics system, Badve Engineering Ltd accepted the challenge of developing a new system.

The solution After the much brainstorming and efforts in research, Badve

In a nutshell The requirement: • Easy to use hydroponics systems for commercialisation • Leakage-proof • Smart space utilisation The solution: Cup holder tray made of plastic Benefits • User-friendly and easy to maintain system • Aesthetically appealing • Space saving

As the customer wanted it to be easy to handle, the system is made in two pieces—tray and cup holder. Its selflocking arrangement makes user-friendly.

Additionally, the pick and place approach makes it easy to maintain.

Engineering Ltd developed the cup holder tray which was made of plastic. One of the foremost advantages of use of plastics was that it was fungus-free. This ensured health of the plant grown in the pot. Adding into it, the food grade High Impact Polystyren (HIPS) material was chosen to ensure the quality of the pots.

As the customer wanted it to be easy to handle, the system is made in two pieces—tray and cup holder. Its self-locking arrangement makes the system user-friendly. Additionally, the pick and place approach makes it easy to maintain as well. It can be easily removed and cleaned not to mention the well-designed product is aesthetically appealing. One of other achievements of the development include: Reduction in lead time resulted in higher profitability.

Furthermore, the tray is designed as a single part without any joint. This feature makes the product leak-proof. The system is also made in a way that it does not allow stagnant water, which would otherwise be harmful to the plants. Moreover, the system features sufficient radius and does not have any sharp corners.

This Hydroponic system has won ET Polymers Award 2017 for Excellence in Agriculture as it has permitted a novel method of agriculture to be penetrated in the market.

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AGRICULTURE

Automat Irrigation Pvt Ltd offers multiple irrigation systems to farmers.

New age of farming

AUTOMAT IRRIGATION PVT LTD EMBARKED ON A JOURNEY TO DESIGN LASTING HYDROCYCLONES FOR FARMERS. HERE IS EXCERPT OF THE COMPANY’S EFFORTS OF INNOVATING AND DELIVERING A COST-EFFECTIVE PRODUCT THAT IS SUITABLE IN HARSH WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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ydrocyclone is not a new concept to the agricultural world. Until now, this equipment was only made in metal, which had multiple disadvantages. The hostile weather conditions, high parts per million salt content and the impact of centrifugal force resulted in metal product having life not more than 18-24 months. With this information, and to fulfil this latent need of the farming community, Automat Irrigation Pvt Ltd decided to take up a project to develop a polymer-based sand separator specifically for irrigation application that act as a primary filtration before the secondary filtration (screen/disc filters could be used).

The basic design of the product was made based on the ba-

Key Benefits of polymers based Hydrocyclone • Non-corrosive and Durable: Engineering plastic • Minimal energy loss: Extremely low head loss at high flow rates.

• Easy flushing • Hydro dynamically designed to create maximum centrifugal action to separate heavier particles

There were four different materials that were considered which were Polyamide, Glass-filled, PPA glass-filled and Polycarbonate to make the product. Based on various discussions, simulations that the company undertook, it was decided to use different materials for different parts of the Hydrocyclone. sic principles of physics using centrifugal force and hydraulics in order to make a design that leads to maximum efficiency of separation of particles. The company’s core team of five out of 15 R&D personnel were selected to design and execute the project.

Since the project had immense scope globally and there were high stakes involved, the company chose their partners carefully. In this project associate Raw material technology partners was DuPont, Capital Equipment partner was Ferromatik Milacron and the mould partners was the company’s Malaysian associate. The total development cost without the capital expenditure that went into it was about Rs. two cr.

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AGRICULTURE

Material selection There were four different materials that were considered which were Polyamide, Glass-filled, PPA glass-filled and Polycarbonate to make the product. Based on various discussions, simulations that the company undertook, it was decided to use different materials for different parts of the Hydrocyclone. One of the problems that the team faced after making the prototype was that a certain area where the velocity of the water and the velocity of the larger sand particles is very high was getting worn out. To solve this problem, the company was inspired by the automotive sector.

A TPU inserted sleeve was co-moulded in the material and a Dampner was put into it to dampen the speed and also take the impact of the highly abrasive sand particles.

Results A Hydrocyclone made of polymers now is in the field for as long as four years without any problem. Out of about 80,000 units that had been sold so far, the returns have been about 600 pieces and the root-cause analysis of the problem that have been ascertained and the problem was taken care of. Out of 60,000 pieces sold in the last two years, the returns have only been 10 pieces.

It is cost-competitive both in the short and the long term—in the short-term because the cost of the plastic Hydrocyclone sand separator is lesser than that of a metal counterpart. In the longterm, the cost advantage is even higher. The advantage is about 70 percent over that of the metal Hydrocyclone because metal Hydrocyclone lasts for two years and this lasts for five years, as a result it gives a direct 60 percent cost advantage and additional 10 percent cost advantage for the initial low cost of it.

The development of this product was a watershed in terms of acceptability of plastics and polymers in the filtration space both primary as well as secondary in the emerging markets and economies where farmers operate with a very strong mindset. It leads to a chain reaction after which the organisation has developed multiple products in plastics, thereby reducing not only the cost but also ensuring high-durability or greater durability of the product.

Apart from its current usage, it’s in under demonstration in

In a nutshell Key problem: The hostile weather conditions, high parts per million salt content and the impact of centrifugal force resulted in metal product having life not more than 18-24 months.

Innovation: Hydrocyclone made of polymers. Later, it was decided to use different materials for different parts of the Hydrocyclone.

Outcome: A cost-effective Hydrocyclone that’s lasts for 60 months. The development of this product was a watershed in terms of acceptability of plastics and polymers in the filtration space both primary as well as secondary in the emerging markets and economies

It is cost-competitive both in the short and the long term—in the shortterm because the cost of the plastic Hydrocyclone sand separator is lesser than that of a metal counterpart. In the long-term, the cost advantage is even higher. The advantage is about 70 percent over that of the metal Hydrocyclone because metal Hydrocyclone lasts for two years and this lasts for five years, so, that gives a direct 60 percent cost advantage and additional 10 percent cost advantage for the initial low cost of it. farms from the hot & dusty Sahara desert to the cold chilly Canadian terrains so that the farmers have wider acceptance of the new product and technology.

This product has won ET Polymers Award 2017 for Excellence in Agriculture as it has contributed towards improving the longevity of secondary filtration and increased its life thereby protecting the irrigation system better from clogging.

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INNOVATION

Fabricating tools in the space THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BRASKEM AND MADE IN SPACE ENABLES ASTRONAUTS G TO FABRICATE PARTS AND TOOLS USING 3D PRINTING IN THE SPACE.

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reen Plastic, which is made from sugarcane, is now being used to fabricate parts in space, thanks to a partnership between Braskem, the largest thermoplastic resin producer in the Americas, and U.S.-based Made In Space, the leading developer of zero gravity 3D printers and an official supplier to NASA. The technology allows astronauts to fabricate tools and spare parts in space using the biobased resin, which effectively increases the autonomy of space missions.

The first part made from the raw material outside of Earth was a pipe connector for a vegetable irrigation system, which was fabricated by the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), the first commercial 3D printer permanently allocated in space. The equipment, which will fabricate various types of parts using I’m greenTM plastic, is located on the International Space Station (ISS) and was developed by Made In Space with the support of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).

For over a year, Braskem’s Innovation & Technology team has been working with Made In Space to develop a Green Plastic solution especially for 3D printing in zero gravity. The partnership will enable astronauts to receive by e-mail digital designs of the parts and then print them, which means dramatic savings in terms of time and costs. “Through this partnership, we combined one of the greatest innovations in polymers, Green Plastic, with advanced space technology to print 3D objects in zero gravity.

Putting a renewable polymer in space for printing applications represents an important milestone in our history,” said Patrick Teyssonneyre, director of Innovation & Technology at Braskem.

Polyethylene made from sugarcane was the material chosen for the project because of its combination of properties, such as flexibility, chemical resistance and recyclability, and also because it is made from a renewable resource. There are great expectations surrounding the project’s benefits, since 3D printing in space was defined by NASA as one of the advances essential for a future mission to Mars. “The ability to print parts and tools in 3D on demand increases the reliability and safety of space missions. This

partnership with Braskem is fundamental for diversifying the raw materials used by the AMF and for making this technology more robust and versatile,” said Andrew Rush, CEO of Made In Space.

Braskem’s technology is also present in the structure of the actual printer. The equipment’s printing bed is made of Braskem’s ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE), which is marketed under the brand UTEC. The resin provides increased tack for printing with Green Polyethylene and offers mechanical properties, such as superior abrasion and impact resistance.

From space to Earth The project should drive the development of solutions that go beyond manufacturing in space to create opportunities for innovations in polyolefin applications. Braskem’s innovation team is ready to create, together with its Clients, solutions in Green Plastic and to make them specific for 3D printing. “The technology has the potential to impact the plastics chain by enabling new applications and mass personalization made with a renewable resource,” said Gustavo Sergi, director of Renewable Chemicals at Braskem.

Reinforcing the relevance of its environmental aspect, a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Green Plastic indicated the removal of 2.78 tons of CO2 for each ton of biobased resin produced. The study was conducted by the consulting firm ACV Brasil and subjected to a technical review by a panel formed by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research GmbH (IFEU) and Michigan State University.

I’m greenTM Green Plastic I’m greenTM plastic is made from ethylene derived from sugarcane ethanol. Its greatest advantage is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the air by capturing carbon gas during its production. It also features the same properties as traditional polyethylene, which means that manufacturers do not have to change their machinery and that it can be recycled.

Source: Braskem

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RECYCLING

Back to basics!

Shirish Phadtare (Partner in Rudra) doing waste collection

WATER TURNS TO ICE WHEN FROZEN, AND AT ROOM TEMPERATURE ICE TURNS BACK TO WATER. SO ON SIMILAR LINES, IF PLASTIC IS MADE FROM CRUDE CAN WE TURN IT BACK TO HYDRO CARBON FUEL?

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ost of us progress through life without giving much thought about our surroundings. After a while we stop noticing things. Everyday our life in city is filled with lots of trials and tribulations that waste is least of our worries until something does not work. We were also one those who knew about plastic waste and its implications but didn’t give it much thought. Then we witnessed an incident that made us think and ask questions!

Impact on Nature In 2009, I along with my partner Shirish Phadtare had gone to one of the wildlife sanctuaries with our respective families. One morning our guide informed us that our route has been changed.

As natural curiosity we inquired about the reason, and we were told that it’s because of the death of some deers. Next day naturally our interest was piqued when we discovered the real reason for death of those deers. We had assumed that some wild animal would have been responsible for those deaths. Later we found out that the reason for the death was plastic in the stomach of

the deers. Naturally we were appalled with this news. For most it would have been a story to be talked about at the dinner parties but for us, it was a turning point in our life.

Although, we did not give it much thought but for next few months every time we used to discuss about this trip we used to feel frustrated about the waste plastic and used to say to each other someone should do something about this environmental men-

The process is simple.

The machine effectively reverses the plastic production process; where the pyrolysis process cracks the long chains of polymer to produce useable fuel.

Dr Medha Tadpatrikar, Director, Rudra Environmental Solution (India) Ltd.

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RECYCLING

ace. There should be strict penalties for people who throw garbage on roadside.

I guess after repeating similar conversations, we both thought of understanding the problem of waste plastic and to see if we could find a solution to this.

Knowledge gathering From day one we were ready for the failure as we did not think that we will find some solution. But the curiosity and determination was there and so was eagerness to learn. Shirish and I have no engineering background; so for the first few months it was all about learning and knowledge gathering. As we did not know much we used to have really wild ideas and asked many questions to various experts. Can you please explain? - This was our most common question during that time. We were New plant very fortunate to meet so many experts who explained and cleared many doubts. Water turns to ice when frozen, and at room temperature ice turns back to water. So on similar lines, if plastic is made from crude can we turn it back to hydro carbon fuel?

This thought was the basis of our future experiments, and soon it became the focus of our life. So began journey of Rudra Environmental Solution.

After kitchen experiments, we built our first machine where we managed to turn the waste plastic to fuel. Our happiness soon turned into more experiments and learning as someone pointed out that we are emitting the gases that were produced in the conversation process.

With our deflected egos and need for more money, we decided to concentrate on our business. It took us almost two years to save money for our project and also to learn about the characteristics of the gas. We developed the second machine in 2013 in which we started to use the gases produced in the process as energy sources for the machine itself.

and pyrolyised in absence of oxygen that produces hydrocarbon vapours. Plastic is pyrolyised at 380–430oC, and the gases are condensed. The condensed vapour produces fuel and synthetic gases, out of which the syngas is used as energy source for further heating of reactor. This synthetic gas, which is a by product is passed through scrubber and cleaned prior to use as a heating source; helping improve the efficiency of the process. The fuel passes through filtration system before it’s collected.

Non-plastic material and non-pyrolyised plastic falls at the bottom of reactor; this can be collected after the shift or during weekly maintenance. The machine converts waste plastic into fuel and cleaned synthetic gas. The exact recovery ratio and characteristics of the fuel varies depending on the types of plastic received.

Each tonne of plastics produces approximate 500 to 600 litres of fuel along with 20–25 percent synthetic gas, which is used in the process. There is also 5–10 percent moisture along with about 10 percent residual char, which can be used as road filler with bitumen. The produced fuel can be used directly for burning in kerosene stoves, boilers, furnaces and certain types of gensets, etc.

The process

The way ahead

The process is simple. The machine effectively reverses the plastic production process; where the pyrolysis process cracks the long chains of polymer to produce useable fuel. At the start up, natural gas/LPG or diesel is used, depending on availability. During the process, the heat output is monitored to maximise the consistency of the fuel. The process is a batch type process, which takes between three to seven hours to complete depending on the capacity of the machine.

The pyrolysis process is performed within a heated sealed reactor. The reactor is fed with shredded plastic and is heated

The waste plastic to fuel process produces very low emission, due to the capture of almost all of the output, both liquids and gases - inside the system. Plastics are heated and pyrolyised in absence of oxygen as opposed to burned. The legality and permissions for putting such plants needs to be much easier, because only then the technology will be widely accepted. The plastic, which does not get recycled such as wrappers, thin plastics can be turned in to usable fuel. Otherwise it ends up in landfill, in our rivers and oceans causing more environmental damage.

Even though we were successful by this time we had turned

The beginning

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RECYCLING

Dombivali. All collection is done by our two mini-trucks and a team of five.

We are working as a social enterprise so the Rudra Environmental focus of this work was mainly to help society.

Solution won ‘The When we used to go to rural areas for collection, Economic Times we realised that women in villages rely partly on Polymer Awards firewood.

Sometimes they even used plastic for 2017’ for Excellence burning. To reduce the cutting of trees and to in Recycling in the prevent them from burning plastic, we encourSMEs segment for aged them to use plastic fuel. This has had a converting waste great impact on their daily lives. plastic into fuel.

Even today our emphasis is on improving It starts at home our process and the quality of our fuel so the While all this development was happening, we research and development is essential part. The most satisfying started to create awareness of segregation at source in terms of part for me personally is that the awareness is increasing. The plaswaste plastic. But soon realised that simple talk without action tic industry is also becoming sensitive towards supporting newer does not bring about any change and a senior citizen’s passing technologies like ours by helping us showcasing it on bigger platcomment struck a chord with me. He said to me that even if he forms. starts segregating at his house when it goes out it will be mixed The attitude towards waste is changing gradually but the with other garbage and will mostly end up in landfill. So I promSwatch Bharat Mission has had a great impact on citizens, which ised to pick up the plastic from his home if he starts collecting. is evident in increase in segregation and recycling. The day is not And the collection began. At first I used to go out with my driver long when we try to recycle most of our waste in to useful comand used to collect waste plastic in my car. modity.

Soon the word of mouth has spread across city. Now through our NGO ‘Keshav Sita Trust’ we collect waste plastic from almost 10,000 households, businesses, hotels in Pune, Baramati and BhiThe author is Dr Medha Tadpatrikar, Director, Rudra Environmental mashankar. Recently, we have started collection from Thane and Solution (India) Ltd. into mad scientist, every day we came up with new ideas for improvement. Since this time we started to refer to Shirish as vision engineer, simply because he used to come up with some crazy but still workable ideas. After running the plant continuously for couple of years we designed the third plant and only then started to market and sale the machine that successfully converted all kinds of waste plastic into fuel which had higher calorific value.

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INTERVIEW

For the Compounders’ fraternity THE INDIAN POLYMER COMPOUNDERS COLLABORATORY (IPCC) HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED RECENTLY. THE CONVENER OF IPCC, S. SRINIVASAN (ALSO MD OF X MOLD POLYMERS, CHENNAI) EXPLAINED THE VISION BEHIND THIS INDUSTRY BODY.

By Niranjan Mudholkar While there are so many other plastics industry related associations, what was the need behind formation of IPCC? The purpose of IPCC is to have a networking forum that focuses on Strategic, Critical and Specific issues relevant for sustainable growth in India. Current associations do address generic issues across the value chain. But predominant focus is the suppliers of key raw materials or end users. The moulders do get covered by the end users specification and support. But the compounders who have specific needs in the knowledge, technology, skill building and regulatory domain that need to be addressed.

There is a generational shift happening in the compounders’ fraternity. From small to medium size, owner driven, domestic and technology focused companies are now evolving to become larger, professional and globally aligned organisations. Marketing and customer focus is becoming the need of the hour. We need IPCC to support compounder to better prepare to face the same.

Who are the brains behind IPCC? The journey to making IPCC has just begun. It took a while to reach here and was possible due to thought partnering with several eminent people like Nikunj Agarwal of Prayag, Dr. Sanjoy Roy of Shamrock Polymer Corp., B.K. Humad of Premium Poly Alloy, Ganesh K. of PMC, Inder Jain of APPL, Achal Thakkar of Tipco, Dr. (Prof ) S.K. Nayak of CIPET and Satish Padmanabhan of STEER. As the head of the Collaboratory, what is your personal vision for this organisation?

There are possibilities for pooling efforts and building common

Objectives & membership • Strategic, Critical and Specific issues relevant for sustainable growth in India in the knowledge, technology, skill building and regulatory domain • Identify common opportunities, challenges and risks including regulatory aspects and better prepare the industry to face the same.

• Facilitate pooling efforts and building common infrastructure for larger good of the industry in areas like growing consumption of polymer compounds, technical support and build human skills & capabilities.

“The Indian Compounders can learn from the developed markets and increase the competitiveness to succeed in the emerging markets of Asia, Africa and Middle East.

S. Srinivasan, Convenor, IPCC Membership IPCC will have two types of members.

Primary members: • Only organisations qualify to be a primary member.

• It should be a manufacturer of thermoplastics compounds with a manufacturing base in India.

• A manufacturer of thermoplastic compounds could either be a manufacturer of colour compounds (or) masterbatch (or) PVC compounds (or) Technical compounds Associate members: • An organisation or individuals engaged in activities related to Polymer Compounding Industry will qualify to be an associate member.

• The activities may include manufacturing of allied products/equipment or marketing/trading or consulting or providing service and technology relevant to polymer compounding industry. infrastructure for larger good in areas like growing consumption of polymer compounds, technical support and build human skills and capabilities. IPCC can facilitate this. My vision is to have a networking team that works with in defined code of ethics as core values that collaborate for sustainable growth. The Indian Compounders can learn from the developed markets (like US and EU) and increase the competitiveness to succeed in the emerging markets of Asia, Africa and Middle East.

Compounders can and do play a very significant role in recycling, bio / biodegradable polymers and advanced material which in India today is insignificant / not recognised. Significant work can be done in this through collaboration.

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MEDICAL

More wear comfort, less weight LIGHTWEIGHT & TOUGH OPTICAL FRAME WITH A UNIQUE PLASTIC RIM LOCK DESIGN

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ogether with Evonik, Mentor Optical Ltd, an eyewear manufacturer based in Hong Kong, successfully developed its new brand model Plasteel using Evonik’s high performance plastic VESTAKEEP PEEK. Innovation at Evonik with VESTAKEEP PEEK supported the creation of the Plasteel Eyewear at Mentor Optical, which is a lightweight and tough optical frame with a unique patented plastic rim lock design. The Eyewear weighs just 9 grams whereas traditional frames weigh as much as 23 grams, thereby offering the greatest wear comfort. In addition, Plasteel frames’ rim height can be designed to be as low as 1.6mm while the thickness at the temple can be as thin as 0.9mm. The frames are ultrastrong and can sustain a 360 bending test without breakage providing performance and protection against broken eyewear especially in sport activities. With a patented plastic rim lock design, the frames al-

low prescription lenses to be mounted easily and eliminate damages associated with traditional ‘push through’ method.

VESTAKEEP for Plasteel Plasteel inherits its excellent mechanical properties and performance from VESTAKEEP® Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) produced by Evonik Industries. VESTAKEEP PEEK is a highperformance thermoplastic polymer ideal for producing reliable & long-lasting components for use in the toughest conditions. It is characterized by its superior resistance to stress cracking making it suitable for injection molding very thin components. VESTAKEEP PEEK has a high energy absorption and its ductile behavior can prevent any premature deformation and cracks in the frames.

Furthermore, VESTAKEEP PEEK has excellent biocompatibility and biostability due to the polymers’ high chemical resistance and thermal stability.

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BUDGET

SME-friendly budget BENEFICIAL FOR THE COMPANIES WITH ANNUAL TURNOVER UP TO RS. 50 CRORE

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resenting the General Budget 201718 in Parliament, the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley said that the income tax for smaller companies with annual turnover up to Rs. 50 crore is reduced to 25 percent in order to make MSME companies more viable and also to encourage firms to migrate to company format. As per data of Assessment Year 2015-16, there are 6.94 lakh companies filing returns of which 6.67 lakh companies fall in this category and, therefore, percentage-wise 96 percent of companies will get this benefit of lower taxation. This will make MSME sector more competitive as compared to large companies.

The revenue forgone estimate for this measure is expected to be Rs. 7,200 crore per annum.

Furthermore, Jaitley said it is not practical to remove or reduce MAT at present. However, in order to allow companies to use MAT credit in future years, he proposed to allow carry forward of MAT up to a period of 15 years instead of 10 years at present. Minimum Alternate Tax is at present levied as an advance tax. Although the plan for phasing-out of exemptions will kick in from 1.4.2017, the full benefit of revenue out of phase-out will be available to the Government only after 7 to 10 years when all those who are already availing exemptions at present complete their period of availment.

The Government announced several Measures for Stimulating Growth in the budget proposals for 2017-18. A concessional with-holding rate of 5 percent is being charged on interest earned by foreign entities in external commercial borrowings or in bonds and Government securities. This concession is available till 30.6.2017. The Finance Minister proposed to extend it to 30.6.2020. This benefit is also extended to Rupee Denominated (Masala) Bonds.

The Government gave income tax exemptions to Start-Ups with certain conditions last year. For the purpose of carry forward of losses in respect of such Start-Ups, the condition of continuous holding of 51 percent of voting rights has been relaxed subject to the condition that the holding of the original promoter/promoters continues. Also the profit linked deduction available to the start-ups for 3 years out of 5 years is being changed to 3 years out of 7 years.

The Government gave income tax exemptions to Start-Ups with certain conditions last year. For the purpose of carry forward of losses in respect of such Start-Ups, the condition of continuous holding of 51 percent of voting rights has been relaxed subject to the condition that the holding of the original promoter/ promoters continues.

In order to give a boost to banking sector, Jaitely proposed to increase allowable provision for Non-Performing Asset from 7.5 to 8.5 percent. This will reduce the tax liability of banks. He also proposed to tax interest receivable on actual receipt instead of accrual basis in respect of NPA accounts of all nonscheduled cooperative banks also at par with scheduled banks. This will remove hardship of having to pay tax even when interest income is not realised.

Considering the wide range of use of LNG as fuel as well as feed stock for petro-chemicals sector, the Finance Minister proposed to reduce the basic customs duty on LNG from 5 to 2.5 percent.

In order to incentivise domestic value addition and to promote Make in India, he proposed to make changes in Customs & Central Excise duties in respect of certain items in his speech.

Some of these proposals are also for addressing duty inversion.

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BUDGET

A forward looking budget THE POLYMERS INDUSTRY REACTS TO THE UNION BUDGET 2017-18 FOCUS ON OVERALL DEVELOPMENT The Union Budget 2017 is forward looking and focuses on job creation with an emphasis on rural employment along with raising disposable income of citizens to revitalise the economy post demonetisation hence encouraging stability and growth. Flagship schemes like ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’ have been strengthened to address the objectives of overall development. Steps taken towards making India a more tax compliant country are welcome, this with GST when fully implemented, will boost tax buoyancy and growth. An enhanced focus on the agriculture sector will help provide the resources necessary to help rural communities prosper and provide access to a safe, diverse and nutritious food supply across the country.

Ram Mudholkar, President, DuPont South Asia

A TRULY WORKMAN AND BUSINESS-LIKE BUDGET Post demonetisation, rural landscape had come under stress along with the SMEs and the informal sectors of the economy and needed a boost. Though the Budget has used a little elbow room, pegging the fiscal deficit at 3.2 percent for 2017-18, it has rightly chosen to traverse the path of fiscal consolidation by limiting the market borrowing. It would certainly help keep inflation in control. The macro credibility of the Indian economy has been kept intact. Abolition of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board is a great signal to the foreign investors about furthering of reforms and ease of doing business. A boost to the digital economy by way of stepping in telecom infrastructure would bring in more transactions in the formal sector. The focus on investment in infrastructure would fill in the gap created by subdued investment from the private sector.

Sunil Kanoria, President, ASSOCHAM

ACTIONABLE ROADMAP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GST We welcome the Union Budget for 2017-18 year. It continues to build on some of the large initiatives rolled out last year, and is also a pro-manufacturing budget with favorable announcements for the MSME sector coupled with the vision of India being a global electronics manufacturing hub. The continued focus on, and the inclusion of an actionable roadmap for the implementation of GST is heartening as this will enable India to become ‘one market’, improving ease of doing business immensely. The various initiatives around skilling and education such as setting up of India International Skill Centres and expansion of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras will provide the necessary boost to several sectors, especially those in fledgling/ new age industries. Niche sectors such as Robotics, for instance, will benefit hugely from such programs propelling India to her rightful place on the global Technology map.

Samay Kohli, CEO and Co-founder, GreyOrange

FOCUS ON IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE MASSES The budget clearly reflects the present government’s focus on improving the condition of the masses and creating infrastructure for longterm growth. The other major focus, the digitisation of the economy, will certainly improve tax compliance and increase tax revenue.

Almost 100 percent increase in loans under MUDRA Yojana is indeed commendable. The idea of integrated oil major as originally floated by UPI and which was found unviable then, is now being reconsidered. I think developing more refining capacity in India would be better move than creating strategic reserves of crude oil. I wish the budget had reflected this by reducing surcharge on the salaried taxpayers. Expanding the period of setting off MAT payments to 15 years is a good move.

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MARKET

Historic collaboration!

KABRA EXTRUSIONTECHNIK HAS ENTERED INTO A JOINT VENTURE WITH UNICOR GMBH, GERMANY AT K SHOW 2016 FOR CORRUGATED PLASTICS PIPE TECHNOLOGY. THE FORMALITY OF THE AGREEMENT WAS COMPLETED AT KABRA’S CORPORATE OFFICE IN MUMBAI RECENTLY

By Niranjan Mudholkar

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t the K Show 2016 Kabra Extrusiontechnik Limited (KET), India and Unicor GmbH, Germany announced a strategic partnership to provide fully integrated extrusion solutions for corrugated pipes in India. The aim is to capitalise on the respective strengths of both partners to provide expert corrugated pipe technology solutions initially in India and gradually in other export markets. The formality of the agreement was completed at Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd’s corporate office in Mumbai recently. “We have completed what we started at the K show,” said S V Kabra, Chairman, Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd. The production of corrugated plastic pipe demands for perfectly working corrugators that are exactly adapted to customers’ needs. This strategic partnership combines the global resources and technical expertise of Kabra Extrusiontechnik Limited, India’s leader in manufacturing of plastics extrusion lines and Unicor GmbH from Germany – a world leader in equipment for corrugated pipe industry. The collaboration plans to make corrugated pipe machines in India using Unicor expertise with KET’s manufacturing capabilities to offer value for money solutions in India as well as other strategic markets.

“We are really excited about this cooperation. Unicor is one

The market has already opened up and we have timed our cooperation with Unicor very well. The whole idea is to offer local manufacturing, local support, local service and of course, German technology. With that, we will be able to open up the market further.

Anand Kabra, MD, Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd. of the world leaders in equipment for corrugated pipes. As we all know, Kabra is the largest manufacturer of extrusion machines in India. I think it is a great cooperation following our cooperation with Battenfeld, which has been lasting for over 33 years.

Unicor offers a wide range of equipment for corrugated plastic pipe for all dimensions from technical pipe with a diameter of 3 mm up to drainage pipe with a diameter of up to 2400 mm. So Kabra will be able to offer such equipment in times to come. We will start with a certain range and add on the complete range for the Indian market,” said Anand Kabra, Managing Director, Kabra Extrusiontechnik Limited.

Unicor has unique expertise in providing customised solu-

Kabra and Unicor officials at Kabra’s Corporate Office in Mumbai

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MARKET

tions for customers. The company has been in business for over 30 years and enjoys Global leadership status with strong customer base in more than 50 countries. Unicor’s range of products include various types of machines for all applications – electrical, medical, automotive, water, sewer pipes, etc.

Indian market

We see that there is a big demand for corrugated pipe technology in this region and we are absolutely convinced that to serve this market it is a necessary to have a strong local partner.

Klaus Kaufmann, MD,

“Our products are extremely versatile and aimed at providing Unicor GmbH higher productivity and better energy efficiency. We have about 1,000 corrugated units running worldwide. In the corrugated industry, we are the company that drives and pushes technolThe larger objective is also to project ogy. In fact, we are the holder of several patents. While we alKabra as the one-stop solution for all ready have customers all over Asia, the market has always been piping requirements. We want to give challenging for European companies. We have been working a package to the pipe manufacturers very hard in India and we have a good customer base here. We where all their needs are fulfilled by see that there is a big demand for corrugated pipe technology us. They don’t have to go to different in this region and we are absolutely convinced that to serve this manufacturers. This is the philosophy market it is a necessary to have a strong local partner. Moreobehind this cooperation. We want people ver, the local partner must also be able to produce extrusion to believe that when you think of pipes, machine lines of high quality and it has to be a company which think of Kabra. is highly respected in the domestic market and also has some success in the exports market. I am really proud and happy that S V Kabra, Chairman, Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd. we found such partner here in Kabra Extrusiontechnik Ltd. Today we have signed the agreement and both the companies will work together in the Indian market to serve the demands of technik Ltd. the Indian customers,” said Klaus Kaufmann, Managing Di“Enhancing quality of output with better design and manurector, Unicor GmbH. Unicor makes complete range of corfacturing capabilities is as important for us as it is to our customrugated pipe machines from corrugators, die heads, toolings, ers; our aim is to offer maximum customer value and the highdownstream to even inline couplings. est level of long-term, local product support,” added Kaufmann.

“Our joining forces shall have far reaching positive implicaSpeaking from the market perspective, Divyesh Shah, Associate tions for plastic processing industry offering the best expertise for Vice President, Kabra Extrusiontechnik Limited said that corrutheir corrugated pipe requirements,” said S Shenoy, CEO, Kabra gated pipe are easy to install, easy to transport and the service Extrusiontechnik Limited. “We should be able to give complete life is almost three times compared to the conventional RCC or solution to our customers when it comes to piping,” he added. spun pipes.

Kabra Extrusiontechnik, which caters to a broader spectrum of “The market has already opened up and we have timed our applications in Infrastructure, Construction, Packaging, Agriculcooperation with Unicor very well. The whole idea is to offer loture, and Irrigation, already has a very strong R&D facility and cal manufacturing, local support, local service proven manufacturing processes. and of course, German technology. With that, “We will be getting the technology knowwe will be able to open up the market further. how from Unicor and this cooperation will be a Kabra will also be selling these made in India perpetual one as long as we are together in the “The collaboration equipment in the nearby countries like Sri Lanbusiness. This is a great step especially for the plans to make ka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Additionally, in the Indian market. The Indian market for Double corrugated pipe future, we will also be looking at other export Wall Corrugated (DWC) pipes has opened up machines in India markets,” shared Anand Kabra. in a very large way. The standards are already in using Unicor “The larger objective is also to project Kabra place. There are many state governments and expertise with KET’s as the one-stop solution for all piping requiremunicipal corporations, which have now started manufacturing ments. We want to give a package to the pipe specifying these pipes in the tenders. Additioncapabilities to offer manufacturers where all their needs are fulfilled ally, we also see big opportunities as the smart value for money by us. They don’t have to go to different manucities start coming up. We are certain that this solutions in India facturers. This is the philosophy behind this comaterial will be the preferred material over ceas well as other operation. We want people to believe that ‘when ment or concrete pipes. In the infrastructure you think of pipes, think of Kabra’,” stated S V development, we see a huge opportunity,” instrategic markets.”

Kabra. formed Anand Kabra, MD, Kabra ExtrusionFebruary-March 2017 | The Economic Times POLYMERS | 39

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New chapter of Growth!

ECON MACHINERY PVT. LTD. OFFICIALLY OPENED ITS STATE OF THE ART ASSEMBLY FACILITY AT VADODARA IN GUJARAT. THE FACILITY WILL ALSO SERVE AS A SPARES AND SERVICE SUPPORT FACILITY BESIDES BEING A FULLY EQUIPPED TECHNICAL CENTRE FOR CONDUCTING TRIALS OF VARIOUS APPLICATIONS OF CUSTOMERS.

By Niranjan Mudholkar

E

CON Machinery Pvt. Ltd. officially opened its state-of-the-art assembly facility at Vadodara in Gujarat recently. ECON Machinery is an Indian subsidiary of ECON GmbH, which is a leading European manufacturer of Underwater Pelletizing System, Air Pelletizing System, Screen changes, Pyrolysis furnace, and Pellet and bulk materials dryers. ECON India, which started its journey in 2013, will utilise this facility to fast track its growth in the market.

The facility was inaugurated by Uwe Neumann, Sales Director, ECON GmbH and Vinu Chavda, Director Sales India, ECON Machinery Pvt. Ltd. The occasion was graced by key company officials as well as ECON’s customers. The event was exclusively covered by The Economic Times Polymers magazine.

“With this facility, we are fulfilling the Indian Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Make in India’. It also reflects our long-term commitment to the Indian market,” said Uwe Neumann, Sales Director, ECON GmbH. He informed that ECON India will be primarily catering to four key customer segments includingcompounders, masterbatch companies, petrochemicals and the recycling industry.

“We have studied the market in 2013 and we feel that the size of 500 kg to 2.5 tonnes is normal compounding size in the market. Considering that we invested in this facility where we have 35 mm twin screw extruder and ECON Underwater Pelletizing System EUP150. This assembly facility will also serve as a spares and service support facility besides being a fully equipped technical centre for conducting trials of various applications of customers. We conduct trials for customers. We ask customers to send their materials, which are tested and the results are shown to the customers. That’s the way we convince our customers that we have the best technology,” shared Vinu Chavda, Director Sales India, ECON Machinery Pvt. Ltd. “When ECON entered India, our analysis of the market was

With this facility, we are fulfilling the Indian Prime Minister’s vision of Make in India. It also reflects our long-term commitment to the India market.

Uwe Neumann, Sales Director, ECON GmbH.

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MARKET

ing and compounding industries,” Chavda explained.

Neumann also adds that operating ECON machines is very easy compared to its competitors’ machines. “We understand that many times the operators at our customers’ plants may not be highly skilled. So we have made our machines easy to operate increasing the efficiency and productivity for our customers,” he shared.

According to Chavda, ECON’s innovative technology enables the pelletizing of plastics not right,” admitted Neumann. “We thought that every compounding company and masterbatch manufacturer will be our customer. But later we realised that we need to look at customers who are interested in producing high quality pellets. Initially, we had met about 2,000 customers but we narrowed down the number to about 400 based on the market research that we did.

We changed our strategy and starting focusing on these customers who wanted to produce high quality pellets with ECON machine for quality sensitive markets. This strategy has worked for us and we have been very successful for the last one and half year. Now we have customers who have bought a single line first and then they went on to buy the second line and then the third line and so on. Once a customer buys our machine then he will surely come back to us for his next machine,” he said confidently.

“It took us some time to understand the market. Due to the advanced technology, our machines are priced on the higher side but slowly there is acceptance because the customers have now started to understand the value proposition. This technical center will be of great help to us as we will be able to demonstrate the true benefits of our equipment to more and more customers. Our patented technology offers huge advantages to the masterbatch-

Pyrolysis furnace ECON is quite keen to introduce a new equipment in the Indian market. According to Uwe Neumann, Sales Director, ECON GmbH, this is an equipment that encourages green production. “You can clean plastic contaminated parts with this furnace without polluting the environment. If you clean the parts with a flame, then it will cause pollution in the air and that means big problem. If you clean the parts manually then the results may not be satisfactory,” he explained.

Neumann said that the pyrolysis furnace works fully automatically. “You put in the parts, press the start button and it does the job. The time to clean the parts depends on the material and the level of contamination. I believe this product is good for the Indian market. It is quite commonly used in Europe and North America. We have also started selling it in China. So I guess, it is time for India to start using it,” he added.

This assembly facility will also serve as a spares and service support facility besides being a fully equipped technical centre for conducting trials of various applications of customers.

Vinu Chavda, Director Sales India, ECON Machinery Pvt. Ltd. that could not be processed with conventional methods. “We can pelletize high temperature, high filler, elastomers, natural resins, silicone, hot melt adhesives and even with highest MFR up to 2400. ECON’s all pelletizer version are fully equipped with fully automatic pressure adjustments on die plate, that makes it easy to operate and uniform pellets throughout.” He further added that the Company is well equipped to provide good after sales service.

“We have a qualified technical team at our technical centre and we very good stock of spares.”

Neumann, who also looks after other global markets for ECON, said that the India market is very important market for the Company. India will be contributing about six percent to ECON from the global perspective in the current fiscal. Its aim is to increase that share to 10-11 percent. “We also need to understand that we are also working on new markets. We have direct presence in Austria, US and India. Plus we have agencies in about 25 countries. These agencies also look after the neighbouring markets. For example, the agency in Mexico also takes care of markets like Costa Rica and Peru. Last year, we delivered machines in 46 countries. So a market share of six percent is big.

Our biggest market outside Austria is Germany and number two is China. Number three is US and then it is India,” he shared.

Since ECON operates in different markets, does it customise its machines to suit these markets? Neumann, who looks at customisation in a different perspective, believes that each machine is an individual machine. “Customisation depends from customer to customer based on the specific application or requirement. The basic ECON machine which is sold in Europe or North America is the same as the one sold in India. But it gets customised to suit the individual requirements of the customer,” he said ECON India is already looking at the exports market and has found its first customer in Nepal. “We are also looking at other markets like South East Asia and Iran,” said Chavda.

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EVENT

A mega show in the making!

OVER 200 OVERSEAS BUYERS AND OVER 7,500 BUSINESS VISITORS INCLUDING MERCHANT EXPORTERS ARE EXPECTED TO VISIT THE CAPINDIA 2017 SHOW, WHICH IS AIMED AT PORTRAYING INDIA AS A RELIABLE AND COMPETITIVE SOURCING HUB FOR CHEMICALS, PLASTICS AND ALLIED PRODUCTS.

T

he Plastics Export Promotion Council (popularly known as PLEXCONCIL) sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Commerce, Government of India, represents the exporting community in the Indian Plastics industry. “The export promotion strategies evolved since 1955 have fetched rich dividends, which are exhibited in the form of high export growth rates. From a meager export turnover of US$ 16.5 million in 1955-56, the exports from the Indian plastic industry has reached over US$ 7.7 billion in 2015-2016 and the target is to cross US$ 15 billion by 2020,” says Pradip Thakkar, Chairman, PLEXCONCIL. These achievements represent the dedicated efforts of the about 2300-strong PLEXCONCIL members who are always in the process of creating a niche for themselves in the world markets by virtue of their determination to achieve technological excellence, a sense of commitment to satisfy their customer’s requirements and their inherent entrepreneurial qualities. The PLEXCONCIL on its part is committed to support the efforts of its members to achieve export excellence and service the overseas buyers to find appropriate trade partners in the Indian plastics industry.

In its pursuit to achieve export excellence, CAPINDIA 2017 event is being organised wherein potential business delegations from overseas are invited to India and buyer-seller meets will be arranged. CAPINDIA 2017 will be a two-day exhibition in Mumbai spread over 10,000 sq mtr running from March 21-22, 2017. This event was conceived by DoC (Department Of Commerce) and the four EPCs (PLEXCONCIL, CHEMEXCIL,

CAPINDIA 2017 would also facilitate commercial and technical co-operation and explore joint ventures. This event would provide unique opportunity to Indian manufacturers / exporters to interact with potential overseas buyers.

From a meager export turnover of US$ 16.5 million in 1955-56, the exports from the Indian plastic industry has reached over US$ 7.7 billion in 2015-2016 and the target is to cross US$ 15 billion by 2020.

Pradip Thakkar, Chairman, PLEXCONCIL CAPEXCIL and SHEFEXIL).

The prime objective of this event is to portray India as a reliable and competitive sourcing hub for chemicals, plastics and allied products. In addition, it is also our objective to not only make this event a showcase for the chemical and plastics sectors but also to make it an international networking event in the future to come.

Over 450 exhibitors covering manufacturers/exporters showcasing a range of Industrial & agricultural inputs, Consumer Items, Packaging items, and Plastics processing machinery are expected to participate. Over 200 overseas buyers and over 7,500 business visitors including merchant exporters are expected to visit the event. CAPINDIA 2017 would also facilitate commercial and technical co-operation and explore joint ventures. This event would provide unique opportunity to Indian manufacturers / exporters to interact with potential overseas buyers.

42 | The Economic Times POLYMERS | February-March 2017

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EVENT

Plastivision India 2017:

Mecca of the plastics industry AN EVENT THAT GATHERED WHO’S WHO OF THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY

By Swati Deshpande

P

lastivision India 2017 organised by All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA) took place at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai during January 19-23, 2017.

This show in its 10th edition gave a platform for the plastics machinery manufacturers to meet the length and breadth of the industry under single roof. Taking advantage of this opportunity almost 1,500 exhibitors showcased best of their capabilities.

Inauguration The trade fair of such a magnitude was well supported by the government as well. It was inaugurated by Anant G Geete, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

Also present at the inaugural ceremony were Amit Kumar Ghosh, Managing Director, UPSIDC and Ming yang, DGM, CMEC International Exhibition.

While speaking at the inaugural function Geete confirmed the Government’s support with the industry by saying ‘We are with you’. On the other hand, Ghosh illustrated various efforts that UPSIDC is taking to strengthen the plastics industry in Uttar Pradesh.

Exhibitors The exhibitors at the show come from different segments. Right

The trade fair of such a magnitude was well supported by the government as well.

It was inaugurated by Anant G Geete, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. Also present at the inaugural ceremony were Amit Kumar Ghosh, Managing Director, UPSIDC and Ming yang, DGM, CMEC International Exhibition.

from the raw material & chemical suppliers to pre & post processing machines manufacturers, mould & dies, packaging lines, automation solution providers are in the exhibitors list. Having such an elaborate exhibitor segments are well categorised into pavilions. Our pavilions were thoughtfully created. The show had pavilions where similar kind of businesses will be located together such as Automation & Robotics, Plastics in Infrastructure, Green Pavilion, etc. However, the unique pavilions were Consultant Clinic and Job & Career Fair. The Consultant Clinic offered an enthusiast complete guidance — from conceptualisation up to beginning of production — of setting up a plastic related enterprise. On the other hand, Job & Career Fair was a perfect match making place that aimed at bridging the human talent gap.

Other than these specialised pavilions, Plastivision India 2017 also saw country pavilions—China, Taiwan, UK, Korea, Germany, Italy, USA and Turkey.

Additionally, the event acted as a knowledge sharing platform though seminar on the latest technological developments. Speakers who came from across the world revealed latest developments and spoke on the area of their expertise.

Speaking on the event, Kailash Murarka, Chairman Plastivision India 2017 said, “We worked very hard make the event fruitful for exhibitors as well as visitors. And we are thrilled that both of them were happy about the conduct of the event. I must say that with the immense response particiapnts, Plastivision India 2017 was a grand success.”

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EVENT

Milacron is proud to participate in Plastivision 2017. The show is a great opportunity for the Indian market to see first-hand the capabilities of Milacron’s total product portfolio. We have many customers in India experiencing the full advantage of Milacron program instalments. This show allows us to further demonstrate this advantage.

We look forward to continuing our focus on the growing Indian market and manufacturing leading industry technology for not only India, but the entire globe.

Shirish Divgi, Managing Director, Ferromatik Milacron India Pvt Ltd

We demonstrated a packaging machine at the exhibition and received excellent response towards it. We are happy about visitors footfall. I am hopeful that we will be able to generate huge number of inquiries and based on that we will be able to grow our business. Besides, we have been focusing on automation and robotics as we believe it is the future of the plastics industry.

J. N. Bhat, Managing Director, Shini Plastics technologies India

At Plastivision India 2017, we launched two machines Ventura 150 and Ventura 250. Both the machines come with energy efficient servo screw drive. We are extremely happy with the response that we received at our booth.

Our team had been extremely busy in attending customers. With this kind of response we are hopeful about the growth of the business in the coming year.

Amit Pendse, Managing Director, Electronica Plastic Machines Ltd

It’s been a good show. We displayed our hybrid injection moulding system, which is energy. Then we had power quality products and the whole range. The new system we showcased is the all electric machine system. Plastics is one of our biggest segments when it comes to automation products. As far as business in this segment is concerned, last one year has been better than the previous year.”

Manish Walia, VP, Industrial Automation Business Group, Delta India Electronics Pvt. Ltd.

“At this show, we have promoted 3D IML. This is the first time we are launching in India. In 3D IML, we engraving in the mould and we are putting a label on it. This is a patented technology. We also displayed a product based on vacuum bubble technology called Octopus. It can be removed and reapplied many times – more than 10,000 times.

And it does not leave any residue.”

M Prashant, GM -Yupo Business, Mitsubishi Chemical India P ltd

“We cater to a wide range of industries and this show is a good platform for us to showcase our solutions. Our focus is to develop import substitutes at competitive pricing without compromising on quality.”

Yogesh Shah, Director, Oswin Plastics Pvt Ltd.

44 | The Economic Times POLYMERS | February-March 2017

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ffer O l cia Spe -Year 1 s sue s I 6 0

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AWARDS

Winners at ET Polymers Awards 2017

The ET Polymers Awards – Beginning of a new era WITH THE MAIDEN EDITION OF ET POLYMERS AWARDS, THE MAGAZINE HAS CREATED A MUCH DESERVED AWARD PLATFORM FOR THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY.

By Swati Deshpande

T

he Economic Times Polymers (ET Polymers) magazine recently hosted The Economic Times Polymers Awards 2017 in Mumbai concurrently with Plastivision India 2017.

On this occasion, the who’s who of the plastics industry gathered under the single roof to celebrate the success of the winners.

A Venkatrangan, Managing Director, Huhtamaki PPL Ltd; and Amit Puri & Aditya Bhadauria, both Owner-Director, Alok Masterbatches and Amit Mohan Prasad, Investment Commissioner, Senior IAS, UP Government inaugurated the awards ceremony by lighting lamp.

Additionally, a CEO Panel discussion was held, which focused on the current and future market trends in the plastics industry.

Awards In the glittering ceremony, the awards were bestowed upon the winners who excelled in the use of plastics in the categories of automotive, agriculture, recycling, consumer durables, packaging and building & construction. Along with the large enterprises, efforts of SMEs were also recognised during the event.

Besides rewarding the innovations, ET Polymers Awards also acknowledged contribution of the CEOs and industry leaders through People’s Award. Anil Jain, Vice Chairman & CEO, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd was rewarded as CEO of the Year

It feels great to be recognised by such an esteemed publication. My journey of 35 years in this industry, does not involve as much as plastic as people. Achievement is the result of teamwork and the story of Manushree Technopack Ltd is no different.

Vimal Kedia, Managing Director, Manushree Technopack Ltd

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AWARDS

2017 while Kailash Murarka, Chairman, Plastivision 2017 was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to the Indian Plastics Industry. The Lifetime Achievement Award for the year was bestowed upon to Vimal Kedia, Managing Director, Manjushree Technopack Ltd for his continuous contribution to the industry for last 35 years.

While speaking during the awards ceremony, Kedia said, “It

 Excellence in Automotive

Faurecia Interior Systems India Pvt. Ltd., PPAP Automotive Ltd. and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.  Excellence in Recycling

Rudra Environmental Solution (India) Ltd. and Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd.

 Excellence in Building & Construction

Sputnik, Mitsu Chem Plast Ltd. and Prince Pipes & Fittings

 Excellence in Packaging

Manjushree Technopack Ltd., Triveni Polymers Pvt. Ltd. and Huhtamaki-PPL

 Excellence in Agriculture

Automat Irrigation Pvt. Ltd. and Badve Engineering Ltd.

 Excellence in Consumer Durables

Ariston Thermo India Pvt Ltd

Kailash Murarka, Chairman, Plastivision India 2017

The Economic Times Polymers Awards is a great initiative for the plastics industry.

There was much need for such a platform for this industry, which encourages the industry. It is my pleasure that this is being conducted concurrent with Plastivision India 2017.

feels great to be recognised by such an esteemed publication. My journey of 35 years in this industry, does not involve as much as plastic as people. Achievement is the result of teamwork and the story of Manushree Technopack Ltd is no different.”

Speaking about awards, Kailash Murarka, Chairman, Plastivision India 2017, “The Economic Times Polymers Awards is a great initiative for the plastics industry. There was much need for such a platform for this industry, which encourages the industry.

It is my pleasure that this is being conducted concurrent with Plastivision India 2017.”

Industry Partner for The ET POLYMERS Awards was All India Plastics Manufacturing Association (AIPMA). The Masterbatch partner was Alok Masterbatches while DHFL was Finance Partner. ECON Machinery Pvt Ltd came on board as a Trophy Partner.

February-March 2017 | The Economic Times POLYMERS | 47

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AWARDS

Plastics — Today and Tomorrow THE INTERESTING PANEL DISCUSSION DURING ET POLYMERS AWARDS 2017 TOUCHED UPON VARIOUS AREAS OF THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY. BELOW ARE THE EXTRACTS OF THE PANEL DISCUSSION.

O

n the occasion of ET Polymers Awards, a CEO panel discussion on the theme of Indian Plastics 4.0 was held. Esteemed panellists, Shrikant S. Bairagi, Chief Executive Officer, Prothom Industries India Pvt. Ltd., Robin Banerjee, Managing Director, Caprihans India Ltd. and Amit Puri, Director, International Sales & Marketing, Alok Masterbatches touched upon current and upcoming market trends in the domestic plastics industry.

While speaking about the Indian market, Puri stated, “India is a very unique market, which has extremely high volumes in all segments. So, solutions which are made for North America or South America may not be relevant in the Indian context. Here we saw a need to provide customers the solution, which works and fits in the requirements here.” The Indian market not only has its own needs and requirements, but also has its own set of challenges. Speaking on the current scenario in this aspect, Banerjee noted, “Plastic industry comprises of two sectors - organised and unorganised. The organised sector does not get affected by demonetisation. In fact, in long run, the organised sector is expected to do better in the demonetised economy. Unorganised sector has felt tremors of demonetisation to some extent. However, the government, with its industry-friendly policies, is helping both the sectors grow.” On the other hand, Bairagi who is expert in the plastics toy manufacturing said, “Globally the toy industry stood at $85 billion in 2015 and is expected to touch $100 billion by 2019. In India, this industry is very fragmented. But approximately this industry in India is around Rs. 1,000 cr. Out of which manufacturing of toys is around Rs. 600 cr. There is huge scope for this industry to grow.”

“India is a very unique market, which has extremely high volumes in all segments. So, solutions which are made for North America or South America may not be relevent in the Indian context.

Here we saw a need to provide customers the solution, which works and fits in the requirements here.”

Amit Puri, Director, Alok Masterbatches

“Globally the toy industry stood at $85 billion in 2015 and is expected to touch $100 billion by 2019. In India, this industry is very fragmented. But approximately this industry in India is around Rs. 1,000 cr.”

Shrikant S. Bairagi, Chief Executive Officer, Prothom Industries India Pvt. Ltd.

“The organised sector does not get affected by demonetisation.

In fact, in long run, the organised sector is expected to do better in the demonetised economy.”

Robin Banerjee, Managing Director, Caprihans India Ltd

48 | The Economic Times POLYMERS | February-March 2017

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May 2017, Chennai

2015 – We created a new benchmark!

2016 – We created history!!

2017 – ??? categories Safety Quality Productivity Green Manufacturing Innovation (Product / Process) Machining Excellence Digital Manufacturing Human Resources (HR) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Supply Chain

Nominations now open. contact: Ms Anjali Nair themachinist@wwm.co.in | +91 9769429278 ETPAwards2017_SD.indd 49

2/24/2017 1:28:49 PM

AWARDS

Plastics industry holds bright future ahead HERE ARE EXCERPTS OF THE SPECIAL ADDRESS DELIVERED BY AMIT MOHAN PRASAD, INVESTMENT COMMISSIONER, SENIOR IAS, UP GOVERNMENT DURING ET POLYMERS AWARDS.

Special Address Plastics is one of the most important industries and it is growing with fast pace.

Although global average of the consumption of the plastics is about 42 kg per capita but India is far behind compared to this- about 11 kg per capita.

Amit Mohan Prasad, Investment Commissioner, Senior IAS, UP Government

The Economic Times Polymers Awards function was graced by Amit Mohan Prasad, Investment Commissioner, Senior IAS, UP Government, who delivered a Special Address. Congratulating the ET Polymers magazine, he said that the award function is an excellent platform to recognise the efforts being done by the industry.

Adding about the industry, Prasad mentioned, “Plastics is one of the most important industries and it is growing with fast pace. Although global average of the consumption of the plastics is about 42 kg per capita but India is far behind compared to this— about 11 kg per

capita.” He further added that best part of this industry is that most of the units belong to the MSME sector. They create employment in very large number. Capital to employment ratio is best in the MSME sector. “Indian plastics market comprises about 30,000 companies and employs around four million people,” he continued. The growth rate of the Indian plastics industry is one of the highest in the world.

Further he mentioned, The Plastics is one of the rare industries because it is entire world in itself. Today, it is difficult to imagine of a sector which is not touched by plastics.

Plastics from cradle to grave A VENKATRANGAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HUHTAMAKI PPL LTD EXPLAINED WHY PLASTICS IS AN IMPORTANT MATERIAL. During the event that is recognising excellence in plastics, it is imperative to look back and have an overview of journey of the commodity. Doing exactly the same, A Venkatrangan, Managing Director, Huhtamaki PPL Ltd threw light on birth of plastics through keynote address delivered at ET Polymers Awards 2017.

Speaking during the function, he mentioned that the birth of plastics was need of an hour during late 1800s. Elaborating on the same with one of the examples, he narrated, “Plastic has an interesting beginning. It was demanded as a replacement for ivory in billiard balls. In late 1800s billiards became a very popular table game and was played at every club, house, social gatherings, etc. Popularity of such an extent started impacting population of elephants.” After due experiments plastics was looked upon as one of the alternatives. Same is the case with combs which were made of tortoise shells.

Adding further, he mentioned, “If you look at the plastics and wonder why that is such a special material, the answer would be pace of innovation. In addition to rapidity of development, applications in varied areas from cradle to grave and from deep under water to aerospace makes plstics magical material.”

If you look at the plastics and wonder why that is such a special material, the answer would be pace of innovation. Rapidity of development, applications of cradle to grave from deep under water to aerospace that’s what marks plastics.

A Venkatrangan, Managing Director, Huhtamaki PPL Ltd

50 | The Economic Times POLYMERS | February-March 2017

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PRODUCTS

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Plastic beats metal

s a result of continuous research and development, igus has now presented a new lubricationfree and maintenance-free material for very high speeds in continuous operation. The iglidur L350 is ideally suitable for use in fans, blowers or electric motors - and at an even lower cost. In rotational tests in the igus test laboratory, the material proved its full potential against metallic solutions.

Friction and wear play a very important role, especially where permanently fast rotations prevail. With iglidur L350, another lubrication-free and maintenance-free material from igus is available, which is designed for permanently high speeds. The new high-performance plastic for moving applications scores high compared to other solutions such as metallic sintered bearings due to the much higher resilience against impacts and edge pressure. In igus’ own test laboratory, the bearing made of iglidur L350 also showed a three-fold reduction in wear at speeds of 1.5 m/s. And while sintered bearings reached their limits at still higher speeds, the coefficients of friction and wear for iglidur L350 plain bearings remained constantly low.

Low-cost Tribo plain bearings for dynamic applications The new material can be used due to the low thermal expansion of the bearings even in demanding ambient conditions with temperatures

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of up to +210°C. Due to the low moisture absorption, the contact with different media is also safe. With continuous research, the price of iglidur L350 could also be reduced by 50 percent compared to similar igus materials. The iglidur L350 is suitable for a wide range of applications, from fans, blowers and electric motors to simple household appliances. It is the alternative to oilimpregnated sintered bearings, both for the initial installation and for the retrofit. Plain bearings made of iglidur L350 can be calculated and ordered online; the For more info: material is also available for the development igus GmbH and production of customer-specific geometries ocyrus@igus.de and bearing solutions. www.igus.de

Recycling machines

n this year’s Plastivision India, POLYSTAR had live demonstration of two products— Repro One and Repro Air.

Solution for PP Raffia and Woven/Non-woven The one step recycling machine Repro-One has an integration of a heavy duty single-shaft shredder that is directly connected with the extruder pelletizer. The recycling machine is ideal for PP raffia/PP non-woven manufacturer who process their rejected raffia waste (tapes, fabric, jumbo big bags, lumps) generated from in-house production. The recycled pellets can be put directly back into tape extrusion lines for immediate reprocessing. These recycled pellets can be loaded in high percentages and still produce excellent fabric with good tensile strength and elongation.

This eliminates the need of pre-cutting/pre-shredding largesized, thick or bulky waste (including hard plastics), feeding the waste directly from the shredder into the extruder at a very fast

and constant rate without over-heating the material. This technology ensures continuous and uniform feeding to the extruder that produces high quality recycled pellets.

Solution for Film (HDPE and LDPE) Repro Air—a compact, air-cooling film recycling machine is specially designed for blown film and cast film producers. The model can effectively recycle HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE film scraps (mono and multi-layer), startup or changeover film rolls (film-onroll), edge-trim waste, T-shirt bag bundles (cut- offs) from in-house production. lightly-printed film can also be recycled into high quality, uniformed pellets.

This air-cooled recycling line does not require any water consumption and takes up very little space, it can fit right next to or in between blown film machines. The pellets produced by the hot die face pelletizer are 100 percent dry and can be put directly back into the production line for immediate reprocessing.

February-March 2017 | The Economic Times POLYMERS | 51

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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP Statement about the ownership and other particulars about newspaper entitled THE ECONOMIC TIMES POLYMERS as required to be published in the first issue of every year after the last day of February.

FORM IV (See Rule 8) 1. Place of Publication:

The Times of India Building Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001

2. Periodicity:

Bi-Monthly

3. Printer’s name:

Mr. Joji Varghese for the Proprietors, Worldwide Media Private Limited

Nationality:

Indian

Address:

The Times of India Building, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001

4. Publisher’s name:

Mr. Joji Varghese for the Proprietors, Worldwide Media Private Limited

Nationality:

Indian

Address:

The Times of India Building, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001

5. Editor’s name:

Niranjan Mudholkar

Nationality:

Indian

Address:

The Times of India Building, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001

6. Names and addresses of individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding more than one per cent of the total capital as on February 28, 2017 in the companyWorldwide Media Private Limited (Owner), The Times of India Building, Dr. D. N. Road, Mumbai 400 001 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Limited (Shareholder holding more than 1% of total capital), The Times of India Building, Dr. D. N. Road, Mumbai 400 001 I, Joji Varghese, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date: March 1, 2017

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(Joji Varghese) Signature of the Publisher

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