Siegwerk, one of the leading global providers of printing inks and coatings for packaging applications, commissioned a new solvent-based blending center at Siegwerk’s Bhiwadi facility in India. The new blending center, spread across 3400 sqm, is an addition to an existing 100% toluene-free manufacturing plant which will support its industry-leading growth. The new blending facility is also equipped with an ultra-modern quality control lab, an energy-efficient air handling unit and a solar power generator for the entire blending center, reiterating Siegwerk’s commitment to sustainability.
The state-of-the-art facility will have an extensive blending capacity of over 13,500 metric tonnes and the capacity of the solvent-based warehouse will be escalated from the initial 150 MT to 700 MT now. Siegwerk Group has invested INR 212.2 million (INR 21.22 Cr) in the new blending facility. The facility was inaugurated virtually by Dr. Nicolas Wiedmann, CEO, Siegwerk Group; Ashish Pradhan, president, Siegwerk Asia and; Ramakrishna Karanth, CEO, Siegwerk India region.
Pradhan said, “Siegwerk’s path-breaking innovations and developments in our production technology has made us industry leaders. The packaging ink industry in Asia has grown by more than 10% in the past 2 years and there has been an over proportional increase in the flexpack business which has boosted our confidence in expanding our manufacturing capacities in the India region. In the past year, we have built a lot of customer-first offerings and we intend to build on this robust momentum in 2022, starting with this Blending Center which fully operates on solar renewable energy, keeping with our endeavor to leave a positive impact on society. Siegwerk will ensure continued customer satisfaction through quality, delivery and after-sales services that will provide immense value for our stakeholders.”
Speaking about the expansion, Karanth said, “Siegwerk has always been dedicated to providing safe printing inks and coatings solutions to customers. The current capacity expansion move with the induction of the state-of-the-art blending center reaffirms our commitment to keep innovation alive and to keep our customers contented. We now have a blending capacity to suit the growing needs of our customers in India region. Decades of customer relations have resulted in our synergistic growth in the Indian market. The new center will augment our efforts to bring in new products, capabilities and innovation.”
Sustainability and safety measures
The facility wholly runs on sustainable power, through its rooftop solar panels with an installed capacity of 301 kWp. The facility has an automated fire safety mechanism, with an automatic addressable fire and smoke detection system for fire detection and firewalls and foam sprinklers at the dispensing stations for firefighting. There is also a hydrant system all around the plant including water monitor and hose reels.