Sparsh Industries is the first company in India to have the Bobst AluBond process on a wide web machine and are achieving fantastic barrier results. The Expert K5 3300 mm metallizer was commissioned in June 2020 and is producing metallized CPP with oxygen barrier of less than 10 cm³/(m² d) and water barrier of less than 0.50 g/(m² d); the AluBond process enables substrates to achieve higher bond strength results without any modification.
Bobst has a longstanding relationship with Sparsh of over 10 years and has four Bobst metallizers. Sparsh Industries was incorporated in 2009 and is a well-known and reputed manufacturer of plain polyester and metallized films marketed under the ‘SPARSHPET’ brand. Sparsh metallized films are available in different optical densities for various applications. Sparsh also manufactures CPP films, customized holographic film and paper, offline coated products and polyester resins. The company has advanced R&D and testing facilities for the purpose of process innovation and product development. Sparsh Industries is currently in expansion mode and is developing an aluminum foil rolling plant, and an additional polyester film and polymer plant.
Ashutosh Agarwal, CEO of Sparsh Industries is extremely satisfied with the way the metallizer is running; we decided to speak to him to find out more.
Thank you, Mr Agarwal for taking the time to speak to us; firstly, can I ask you why you chose the Expert K5 and the AluBond process?
Ashutosh Agarwal: Sparsh Industries is one of the fastest growing conglomerates as of today and in order to keep growing, we strive to provide our clients with a wide variety of safe and affordable options with sustainable packaging materials. We understand the Expert K5 is a well proven and high productivity metallizer with high quality of metallized products which makes it an ideal choice for our requirements. We also have been given to understand that this K5 metallizer has been optimized to handle the new generation of sustainable substrates such as CPP and CPE as well as better handling of more thermally sensitive materials.
Sparsh has commissioned a 3200 mm wide cast line which is capable of producing both CPP and CPE along with mono orientation (machine direction orientation) as an added feature for improved stiffness, tensile, tearing and barrier properties. This Expert K5’s metallizing process will give the perfect combination for value added CPP and CPE substrates and a solution to the current needs of the flexible packaging industry.
Flexible packaging pouches produced with AluBond process
The AluBond process which ensures high metal adhesion values on any substrate gives Sparsh a competitive advantage. A high metal adhesion level translates to higher barrier properties and consequently imparts higher bond strength to the laminate. This is very impressive and we are very happy.
Sparsh has recently expanded its offering to offer CPP films as well – can you tell us what lead you to this decision?
Ashutosh Agarwal: The growth of CPP films in India has been limited so far due to the lack of availability of high quality films as well as the absence of innovative products and lesser scale of operations and production capacities. The majority of the Indian market has been dominated by BOPET and BOPP films for packaging applications but CPP/CPE has got its own unique properties and advantages and can be used for various laminate structures. Due to regular enquiries and demand from our customers for plain CPP and metallized films, we made the foray into CPP manufacturing and commissioned our 1st CPP line in July 2020. We are doing well in this area and looking forward to introducing new product line and expanding our capacities.
CPP, CPE and its oriented class offers value added features such as transparency, considerable gloss level, improved mechanical properties, higher barrier properties, good dimensional stability, high tearing property etc which means it is preferred for applications across packaging. Furthermore, the technological advancements in the industry makes the product suitable for its usage in high-speed packaging machines.
How do you think the film you are producing with the AluBond process will benefit your customers?
Ashutosh Agarwal: Our versatility allows us to custom make vibrant high impact printing and packaging solutions to meet the most demanding product specifications for our clients. The AluBond process has been shown to greatly increase metal bond strength and metal adhesion on the most commonly used substrates (PET, BOPP, CPP and PE) during aluminum vacuum metallization. This leads to value added product with consistent quality. This also makes our products stand out in the market, thus immensely benefiting our customers. Bobst is known in the industry for their handling of heat sensitive films such as CPP and we felt the AluBond process definitely gives our product an edge over our competitors.
The COVID pandemic has had a big impact on all our lives and the industry – how has the pandemic affected Sparsh Industries?
Ashutosh Agarwal: Businesses today are faced with unique challenges as they continue to steer clear of the grave effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is changing the way we work and use technology overall. People are very cautious with their purchases and choices when it comes to packaged goods, choosing hygienic and better packaging as opposed to their choices earlier. As the entire world adjusts to the ‘new-normal’, we as business leaders needed to rethink our strategies to drive resilience and come out of this pandemic stronger rather than weaker. We turned this challenge into an opportunity so that we not only survive but also thrive.
Can you tell us about your current manufacturing facilities and your future development plans at Sparsh industries?
Ashutosh Agarwal: Currently the manufacturing facilities in Kanpur are truly leading edge and have the following capacities:
- BOPET film – Two 8700 mm wide BOPET line with installed capacity 63,000 MTPA
- Polymer plant – One with installed capacity of approx. 60,000 MTPA
- CPP plant – One 3200 mm wide with installed capacity approx. 9000 MTPA
- Metallizers – Five with combined installed capacity of 29,000 MTPA
Sparsh Industries has undertaken aggressive expansion plans for the coming years. It aims to increase its overall production capacities by adding more production lines including value-added products in its portfolio. With the ongoing expansions, Sparsh has targeted to commission one BOPET line of 10,600 mm wide (installed capacity 48000 MTPA) and one aluminum foil rolling plant of 2250 mm wide (installed capacity 29000 MTPA) in 2021. Sparsh is also targeted to commission its second polymer plant in 2022 with an installed capacity of 100,000 MTPA.