In this interview with The Packman, Manjusha Singh, CEO of Siegwerk India, discusses the company’s commitment to sustainability, food safety, and innovation in the packaging inks and coatings space. She sheds light on Siegwerk’s strategic investments, the evolving needs of the Indian flexible packaging market, and how the company is preparing to meet future demands with cutting-edge, compliant, and circular solutions.
Mahan Hazarika: What are some recent investments your company has made that you think have benefited the packaging industry?
Manjusha Singh: At Siegwerk, our core focus continues to be on product safety, operational efficiency, and advancing circularity – principles that remain central to our growth strategy. Over the next five years, we are committed to investing consistently in our infrastructure, talent, and processes to better serve a fast-growing and increasingly demanding market. These strategic priorities will enable us to not only meet evolving customer expectations but also lead the industry in sustainable and high-performance packaging solutions.
Mahan Hazarika: As an ink manufacturer, what do you expect from the supply chain like the brand owners and the converters?
Manjusha Singh: As an ink and coating manufacturer our ambition is that our whole supply chain should be ‘rethinking packaging in a circular economy’. We expect strong collaboration and leadership from brand owners in driving this sustainability and product safety agenda.
Mahan Hazarika: What is your perception about the growth of the flexible packaging market in India and what are the growth drivers?
Manjusha Singh: The flexible packaging market in India is poised for significant growth, driven by factors such as rapid urbanization, expanding e-commerce, and an increasing demand for lightweight, high-performance packaging solutions that ensure food safety and quality. At Siegwerk, we are well-positioned to support this growth with our comprehensive portfolio of inks and coatings, which are designed to meet stringent food safety standards, regulatory requirements, and the evolving needs of circularity and sustainability in the Indian market.
Mahan Hazarika: Over the next 5 years, what are your company’s growth strategic priorities and goals?
Manjusha Singh: Siegwerk has always been deeply committed to product safety, operational efficiency, and circularity and these continue to guide our strategic direction. To support this, we will be consistently investing in our infrastructure, talent, and processes to effectively serve a rapidly growing and increasingly demanding market. Our goal is to strengthen our capabilities and stay ahead of evolving industry needs, while driving innovation and sustainability across the value chain.
Mahan Hazarika: Now that the market demand is ever-growing for sustainable solutions, what are your thoughts around the market evolution of water-based and solvent-less technologies?
Manjusha Singh: These technologies, they are the future. We see that having sustainable, safe and compliant products is going to become the standard for all manufacturing industries. And as demand increases for packaging that can be recycled, composted, or reused, we are making sure that our solutions provide sustainability as well as efficiency and commercial viability at industrial scale.
Mahan Hazarika: What are the key issues that affect the printing inks, adhesives, and coatings industry?
Manjusha Singh: The industry is navigating several critical challenges, including raw material price volatility, stringent regulatory requirements and increasing demand for safe, sustainable and circular solutions. Additionally, rapid technological advancements, evolving customer expectations and global supply chain disruptions are pushing companies to innovate while maintaining efficiency.
Mahan Hazarika: How does Siegwerk think about and ensure food safety compliance with national and international standards and regulations?
Manjusha Singh: Food safety is non-negotiable. We have globally compliant inks for food packaging which comply with Swiss Ordinance, EuPIA, IS 15495. Science leads us – our world-class network of toxicologists, our centralized migration labs, and our product stewardship tools like the Ink Safety Portal set the industry standard for transparency and safety.
Mahan Hazarika: What do you believe to be your best products in the markets, and why?
Manjusha Singh: Siegwerk has been in this business for over 200 years and has seen the way the industry has shaped and evolved. One thing that has stayed with us is our commitment to safety, product quality and innovation, which runs across all our portfolios.
