UFlex, India’s largest multinational flexible packaging and polymer science company and the first Indian manufacturer of aseptic liquid packaging, has announced to double its production capacity from 3.5 bn packs per annum to 7 bn packs per annum. To achieve this, the company has decided to invest in a second printing line from the Heidelberg Web Carton Converting. This investment is part of its larger growth strategy in the liquid packaging space on the back of its ambition to expand its global footprints. Investing in the Heidelberg Intro Web printing technology is thus the first among many steps toward achieving its production capacity.
UFlex, established in 1985 and after becoming extremely successful in flexible packaging, it was time to diversify with offerings within the packaging business and aseptic liquid packaging emerged as an obvious choice for the scope of innovation in the segment. The decision was taken and the greenfield plant in Sanand with 85,000 sqm packaging area and a current printing capacity to produce 3.5 billion packs per annum was commissioned. Now, the company aims at doubling the production capacity with the second printing line in the plant. Asepto plant, within a few years, has become a subject of interest in the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, it was necessary and a definite requirement to increase the existing capacity.
When the factory was completed, the investment was only in the latest technology and state-of-the-art machinery. One of the key-suppliers is Heidelberg Web Carton Converting, which delivered an Intro web-flexo printing press. The high-class machine prints 7 colors at a web-width of 1320 mm with a speed of 500 MPM for all packaging materials of Asepto products. The highest quality and reliability of the machine combined with the best performance parameters are proven facts of Heidelberg Intro. Therefore, Intro was the first choice for the second machine as well. The new custom-built Heidelberg Intro will be installed this year and will double Asepto’s printing capacity.
Ashwani Kumar Sharma, president and CEO, Aseptic Liquid Packaging, UFlex, says “Asepto is on a significant growth path. Heidelberg’s Intro Web-Printing-Press machine is the perfect fit to meet all our, and our customer’s requirements. Not only are the expectations for the machine, but also the seamless after-sales service factors makes Heidelberg Intro an ideal system to give a push to our growth plans. The partnership shared by the two market leaders over the years has created a win-win situation for both of us. Once the commissioning of the project is complete, we will be looking at global expansion. Asepto Sanand will certainly act as a benchmark.”
Heidelberg Web Carton Converting
Based in Weiden, Germany, Heidelberg Web Carton Converting (HWCC) is the webfed flexo press division of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). Providing integrated inline webfed solutions, HWCC complements Heidelberg’s market-leading position in the world of packaging. Utilizing the most powerful sales and service network in the industry and overseeing the biggest installed base in the market, HWCC provides the longest experience and broadest application know-how to enable packaging printers not only to cope with new challenges but also to exceed customer expectations.
