Aerolam is a leading manufacturers of air bubble insulation (reflective insulation) and XLPE Insulation. The company recently announced an investment of INR 100 crore to set up a new manufacturing unit in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The new plant aims to manufacture bubble guard and cast polypropylene film using state-of-the-art machinery. We talked to Brijesh Patel, managing director of Aerolam to know more about the new development. Here is an excerpt from the interview:
Mahan Hazarika: Please tell us about your company and the journey so far.
Brijesh Patel: When I was working in Dubai, I visited some of the biggest exhibitions there and that’s when I came to know about the insulation industry. For over two years, I did extensive research about the insulation industry in India and technologically advanced insulated product that I intended to bring to India, and that’s how Aerolam was established in 2011. Insulation industry was at a novice stage in our country when we started. In a short span of time, Aerolam became one of India’s leading manufacturers of double bubble insulation – Reflective Insulation.
Aerolam Group expanded vertically and horizontally over the last decade. We export various insulation products to 13 countries. UAE, Qatar, Maldives, UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa, Spain, Sweden, Sri Lanka, Peru, Nepal and Bangladesh are some of the major export markets for us.
While the company was started with just one vertical initially, we have expanded our verticals as well as strengthen our presence across sectors like real estate, education, manufacturing, packaging and plastic films.
We will also hire around 200 people to work in the bubble guard and CPP units.
Mahan Hazarika: Please tell us about the INR 100 crore investment in Ahmedabad, Gujarat?
Brijesh Patel: Investing INR 100 crore to set up the manufacturing plant in Ahmedabad is a huge step forward for us. The new manufacturing facility is an integral part of our mission, aligned with the agenda of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the new Industrial Policy 2020 introduced by the Government of Gujarat. Aerolam is contributing to post-COVID economic development of Gujarat by boosting investments for generating employment and also by introducing the latest technology for improved productivity. We are working towards achieving an accelerated and balanced economic growth by building an innovation-driven ecosystem.
It is a greenfield site. We will manufacture innovative and technologically advanced products – bubble guard and cast polypropylene film (CPP), using state-of-the-art machinery at this unit. The unit will create high-quality and environmental friendly packaging products, aimed towards sustainable growth. The production capacity of the unit is 8,760 tonnes bubble guard and 10,512 tonnes CPP. Aerolam Bubble Guard is a versatile product that cuts across industrial usage. From packaging, construction, automobile to printing, it is used across sectors. CPP has been a boon for food and pharmaceutical packaging. We are the first company in the world to manufacture bubble guard with the highest range up to 6,000 GSM.
Mahan Hazarika: Why has Aerolam decided that this is a good time to establish a new plant for bubble guard?
Brijesh Patel: Crisis brings challenges as well as opportunities. Crisis of higher magnitude like COVID-19 pandemic calls for equally bigger corrective measures. The pandemic has presented India an opportunity to be the biggest manufacturing hub in the world. Starting the new manufacturing unit for bubble guard and CPP films is one of the steps undertaken in our capacity. We are also putting our efforts to reach out to potential clients from different countries who were earlier buying products from China.
Mahan Hazarika: Please tell us about the machines at the new plant?
Brijesh Patel: We have invested in the latest machines with wide operating range. These machines can manufacture multiple products which can be used for different applications. We have already acquired our first machine to manufacture up to 6,000 GSM double bubble guard.
We intend to create and produce novel high technology materials based mono-material for food and pharma products packaging. For this, we have made huge investments in the newest available technology in the production of CPP films. We have ordered a 5-layer co-extrusion CPP line with machine direction oriented (MDO) unit.
Mahan Hazarika: Please tell us about the latest trends and challenges in the bubble guard and CPP market? How do you overcome these challenges?
Brijesh Patel:The world is looking to solve the growing challenge of the waste management owing to the mass use of plastics in an irresponsible manner. Acting on new packaging structures and materials will give huge support to effectively handle the waste management. Developing new and recyclable mono-material structures requires the use of new manufacturing technologies to replace the different non-recyclable materials.
At Aerolam, we have introduced Bubble guard, made of out polypropylene which is 100% environmental friendly and 100% recyclable. The packaging material and boxes developed using Aerolam Bubble Guard can be used up to 70-100 times, depending on the usage and handling of products. This reduces carbon footprint in the environment.