UFlex Limited, India’s largest multinational flexible packaging and polymer science company and the first Indian manufacturer of aseptic liquid packaging at its Asepto plant in Sanand, is doubling its annual production capacity from 3.5 billion packs to 7 billion. To make this happen, the company decided to invest in a second flexo printing line from the Heidelberg Web Carton Converting at its plant in Sanand near Ahmedabad. The investment is part of its larger growth strategy in liquid packaging on the back of its global ambitions. UFlex Asepto says investing in the Heidelberg Intro Web flexo press is the first among many steps toward doubling its production capacity.
Established in 1985, UFlex is extremely successful in flexible packaging. It has built a comprehensive, flexible packaging ecosystem with the manufacture of films, gravure cylinders, holograms, chemicals, inks, coatings, and adhesives. The company also produces gravure and flexo presses, coextrusion laminators and filling and sealing equipment.
Several years ago, it diversified to aseptic liquid packaging with the building and commissioning of a spectacular greenfield plant in Sanand in Gujarat with a printing capacity to produce 3.5 billion packs a year. Recently, the company announced its intention to double its production capacity with a second printing line in the plant. The Asepto plant, within a few years, has aroused considerable interest in the Indian subcontinent. UFlex says it is a necessary and definite requirement to increase the existing capacity.
Right from the start, infrastructure and equipment investment was only in the latest technology and state-of-the-art machinery. One of the key-suppliers, Heidelberg Web Carton Converting, delivered an Intro web-fed unit-to-unit flexo printing press. The highly specified machine prints 7-colors with a maximum web-width of 1320 mm at a rated speed of 500 meters per minute for all of Aspeto’s packaging materials. The quality and reliability of the machine combined with its performance are proven at Asepto in Anand. The Intro was the first choice for the second machine as well. The new custom-built Heidelberg Intro will be installed in 2021 and will double Asepto’s printing capacity.
Ashwani Kumar Sharma, president, and CEO, Aseptic Liquid Packaging of Uflex, explains, “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 the expectations for the press but also the seamless after-sales service factors make the 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.”
Smart Packaging Solutions Virtual Congress -19 March 2021
The Smart Packaging Solutions for India and South Asia Virtual Congress on 19 March focuses on food and pharma supply chains, brand security, and sustainability. Organized jointly by IPPStar and the AIPIA, the virtual congress’s topics include brand authentication, condition monitoring, and active and intelligent packaging that contributes to the safe delivery of authenticated products leading to safety, security, and customer engagement. Please look at the agenda of the conference here, and for registration, please click here. You can also email Ruchi at conference@ippgroup.in or Umesh at subscription@ippgroup.in. Call us in Noida at 120-4546988 or 4326053 – Umesh at Xtension 30; Ruchi at Xtension 33; Gaurav at Xtension 23; and Mohit at Xtension 25.
