The ACI Packaging Group established in 1983 comprises Agarwal Corrugation and Agarwal Matpack, owned and managed by Deepak and Nilesh Agarwal and their sons. Jaipur’s established packaging group has diversified to monocartons and labels with the new Agarawal Matpack plant inaugurated on 26 April 2024. The traditional inauguration also heralded automation and efficiency with new offset and flexo presses from Komori and Alliance and finishing, converting and inspection equipment from DGM, Ample Graphics and Alliance.
Not far from the corrugated plant, the brand new purpose-built monocarton and label plant contains brand new presses from Komori – a GL40 7-color plus coater combination offset press, and an Alliance NovaA5 370 mm wide flexo press.
In the converting and finishing section, there are DGM Technofold 1100PC and Smartfold 1100SL folder-gluers, a Technocut 1050S die-cutter, and a Technofoil 1050FC foil stamping machine as well as an Ample laminator, flute-laminator, a window patching machine and rigid box making machine. In addition, there is an Alliance Acer label inspection rewinder.
Apart from monocartons and litho-laminated cartons, the new plant will produce rigid boxes and labels. “This new facility aims to better position our business in the market. The corrugation business was already booming, but we were receiving inquiries from several customers on the folding carton side. The expansion was a simple decision based on our inability to say no to our customers,” says Nimit Agarwal, the managing director of Agarwal Matpack.
Building the new plant and assembling the timely delivery and installation of the entire array of new equipment required both learning and listening to industry colleagues. “We met with senior officials of Komori and traveled to Hyderabad for a demo. After being fully satisfied, we decided on the GL 40 press,” says Agarwal.
As far as the converting equipment, the company made one of the single biggest purchases of four DGM machines simultaneously at the Pamex event in Mumbai this February. “The deal is based on positive industry feedback about DGM’s technology and after-sales service,” he says. The much-anticipated plant opening was rescheduled several times and the full commissioning and production are expected in the next few weeks.
The group currently processes approximately 1500 metric tons of corrugated paperboard monthly for customers in a 300-400 kilometer radius and with the new carton and label plant, it expects to expand its reach across the country. By expanding its carton packaging and label offerings, and using new machines and automation technologies, the new plant embodies speedier delivery of quality finished cartons and labels.
