At Pamex 2023, DGM displayed its flagship SmartFold 1100 SL automatic folder-gluer. At speeds up to 400 meters/minute, the folder-gluer is capable of running straight line, crash-lock bottom, double wall, four- and six-corner conical cartons, and three-ply cartons. The folder-gluer has future upgradability capabilities for inline window patching, inline handle applicator, inline tape applicator, inline plasma treatment, inline inspection system, and inline Braille.

When The Packman team spoke to Puneet Aggarwal, managing director, India Subcontinent, DGM on the third day of the show, he said, “We have already closed 10 deals till now and hopefully we will close another four deals by tomorrow.” The company inked its first deal with Design O Xperts of Patparganj Industrial Area, Delhi, which is diversifying to packaging. The company booked the SmartFold 1100 SL for its new plant in Sahibabad.

In addition, DGM sold a die-cutter and a folder-gluer to Santoshi Enterprise for its greenfield project in Uttar Pradesh. It sold another die-cutter to MJ Global in Ecotech, Noida followed by two die-cutters and one folder-gluer to Miraj Multicolor, Udaipur. Miraj is an old customer of DGM, which installed three DGM machines only last year. Meanwhile, Ahmedabad-based Raj Paktech booked a SmartFold 1100 SL folder-gluer for its upcoming packaging plant; while Vasai-based Uday Multi Print invested in a SmartFold 800 PC folder-gluer for its pharma packaging needs.

In India, DGM has 12 engineers on direct payroll for service and support. The company also plans to start its own assembly center in India. “We had taken a factory to start assembly in India but because of the lockdown, we could not start it then. But now as China is open, we have a full plan to start our production in India. Hopefully, by July 2023, we will start our first assembly plant in India,” Aggarwal said.

Speaking about the trends and challenges, Aggarwal said, “In the mono-carton segment, brands are creating more variants but at the same time reducing the run length. However, they are keen on producing packaging with different capabilities and designs that require machines with higher flexibility on capabilities and productivity, and quality production at an affordable price. Today the main industry concern is the high cost of service and spares.”