of which Rajoo Engineers accounts for INR 550 million. The other companies in the group produce films
Rajoo Engineers is the flagship company of the Rajoo Group that has its manufacturing base at Rajkot in Gujarat (W. India). They started off in 1986 and produced their first line — a TQPP (Tubular Quenched Polypropylene) film line — in 1988. They had an IPO in 1994 and are today an INR 1 billion group, of which Rajoo Engineers accounts for INR 550 million. The other companies in the group produce films, sheets, bag making machines, foamed plastics and engineering products.
Rajoo Engineers are a highly technology driven company. Starting with the development of the first Indian coextrusion feedblock for multilayer sheet lines in 1991, they have an impressive record of innovations in extrusion and downstream technologies. Some major landmarks are as follows:
1994 – First indigenously designed oscillating haul-off for blown film lines.
1995 – First indigenous extruder incorporating grooved feed bush, barrier screw and cross-hole mixing section.
1995 – First indigenous wide-width blown film line (lay-flat width: 3000 mm).
1996 – Exported India’s first “CE” compliant machine to Europe.
2000 – Asia’s first stack type universal coextrusion die for multilayer blown film.
2000 – Launched the first PET sheet extrusion line.
2001 – The world’s largest output downward extrusion TQPP line.
2002 – India’s first electro-hydro-pneumatic plug-assist thermoformer with in-mould cutting for producing polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) containers.
2003 – World’s first two-layer downward extrusion TQPP line.
2005 – Asia’s first 7-layer coextruded blown film line.
2006 – Asia’s first 7-layer blown film line with conical spiral stack die.
2006 – Asia’s first 3-layer blown film line with fully automated touch screen controls, oscillating haul-off and fully automatic centre-surface-gap winder.
2006 – Asia’s highest output 3-layer film line (lay-flat width: 4000 mm, output: 1000 kg/hr).
2008 – India’s first high-barrier 5-layer thermoformable sheet line.
They are highly respected for their quality and service, an attribute demonstrated by the fact that repeat orders from customers constitute 60% of their sales. They have also established a firm foothold in international markets (again, 60% of their output is exported) and have installations all over Africa, Latin America, South and South-East Asia, the Middle East and even developed markets like Japan, Germany, the UK and the USA.
An interesting development during 2008 worth special mention is a unique first-of-its-kind hi-tech pilot line for Reliance Industries’ Product Application Centre that can produce both 5-layer (4 extruders, output: 75 kg/hr) high barrier thermoformable sheets and multilayer high barrier blown film.
Rajoo have also earned a name for their displays at major international trade shows. At Plastindia 2006, their stand was one of the largest and most impressive in the show; they were running a 15 metre high fully loaded 7-layer blown film plant turning out 2100 mm wide rolls of 1000 mm outer diametre at output rates of up to 550 kg/hr, a 1.2 metre diametre 3-layer die with a matching dual lip air ring for wide-width blown film, a monolayer PP sheet line and a thermoformer using a 21-cavity mould operating at 25 strokes/minute and turning out 30,000 containers an hour. At K-2007, they bowled everybody over with a horizontal extrusion system for producing monolayer high-transparency thermoformable PP sheet and an inverted 500 mm conical spiral stack die system for 3-layer blown film. At Plastvision 2007, they won the “Best Stand” award for their display of a high output automated monolayer blown film plant with a downstream bag making machine for producing T-shirt carrier bags.
At Plastindia 2009, which will be held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi between the 4th and 9th of February 2009, Rajoo Engineers will be demonstrating and launching two new lines at their 750 square metre stand (Stand No 4H-M1, Hall No 4). The first of these is a fully loaded high output 3-layer blown film line with enhanced cooling technology that can deliver 550 kg per hour. It incorporates a 400 mm die with a binary dual air flow ring with automatic thickness control. The line can produce all kinds of 3-layer films including stretch hood film, pallet hood shrink film, lamination grades and liquid packaging grades. A special feature of this line is the drastically reduced energy consumption. This is a great benefit since energy consumption is the second highest cost component in the manufacturing process. The full line configuration includes 2 x 70 mm + 1 x 90 mm extruders, 400 mm stack die, a maximum lay-flat width of 1500 mm, IBC control system with three sensors, multi-component gravimetric gsm control and continuous blending and a fully automatic dual station surface winder with taper tension control. The total plant is controlled through an integrated touch screen based supervisory control panel.
The second line on display will be a RPET (recycled PET) sheet line that uses post-consumer PET bottle flakes as raw material. The RPET sheet can be used in a wide range of applications like blister packaging, thermoformed disposable containers, hinged lid boxes and lids. The line will consist of a crystalliser, dehumidifier, extrusion system, polishing roll stack and winder. It will feature a 90 mm extruder, a 50 mm extruder, continuous diverter type screen changers, a polymer melt metreing pump, an ABA feedblock and an 800 mm die that will deliver 250 kg per hour of RPET sheet in trimmed widths of up to 700 mm. It will also include an on-line trim cutting and recycling system and a dual station winder to produce rolls of up to 1000 mm outer diametre.
I spoke to Sunil Jain, President of Rajoo Engineers, and he reaffirmed that, “Rajoo is poised to maintain its leadership status in Asian industry. We are well on our way to becoming a global player to reckon with.”
(Our next issue will feature a detailed interview with Sunil Jain.)
