Mumbai-based Sohan Dye-Chem, manufacturer of pigment power and paste, will be working on increasing its footprint in the packaging segment, Vivek Balsaraf, company’s business development manager said during the recently concluded Asia Coat + India 2019 show, which was held in Mumbai.
“Until now we were making pigments which were being used for making inks for application in the textile industry. However, now we will start making pigments for packaging inks as well. Our new plant in Kurkumbh near Pune will be utilized for this,” Balsaraf said.
In February, Sohan Dye-Chem commissioned its second plant in Kurkumbh which will have a capacity to produce 250 metric tons of pigment powder every month. The plant will also manufacture yellow, orange and red pigment powder. The company already has a plant in Dombivali near Mumbai, which was manufacturing 80 metric tons of pigment powder every month. Apart from manufacturing of pigment paste using the powder in-house, Sohan Dye-Chem also supplies the pigment powder to companies manufacturing masterbatches and inks.
According to Balsaraf, Sohan Dye-Chem has decided to focus on the packaging industry because it is witnessing robust growth and major packaging ink manufacturers are expanding capacity.
“The Indian packaging industry is growing at a very healthy rate and therefore demand for packaging inks is also healthy. We believe this trend will continue and demand for packaging inks will see consistent growth. That is why we wanted to increase our focus on the packaging industry applications. The Kurkumb plant will supply pigments for solvent-based inks, offset inks and water-based inks,” he said.
The Kurkumbh plant will manufacture only high-performance pigments that are used in niche applications and not run-of-the-mill products which offer low margins, Balsaraf added.
Sohan Dye-Chem was founded in early 90s by Bharat Tawde and is now actively managed by his two sons, Sohan Tawde and Rohan Tawde.
