The Flint Group’s CEO Pepyn Dinandt visited the company’s several ink plants on the outskirts of Vadodara in mid-February. Dinandt was in India to inaugurate the company’s new R&D laboratory at the Lamdapura flexible packaging ink plant which is 10 kilometers from its new plant in Savli that was officially opened 26 November 2024 with great fanfare. In the two-day company celebration in February, the London-based CEO took the time to tour all the Flint plants and to meet all the employee teams that had arrived from across the country. In addition, together with Upal Roy the company’s managing director for India, the Middle East, and Africa, Dinandt was personally thanked and honored by local non-profit groups for supporting their women’s and child welfare activities.
Water-based inks for paper & board alongside energy-curable inks for labels
The new ink 9,000 square meter manufacturing unit in Savli will produce water-based inks and coatings for the paper and board sector, alongside energy-curable inks for labels and the narrow web market. These will include Flint’s AquaCode water-based inks and coatings, providing sustainable, high-performance solutions for paper and board converters. It will produce the award-winning EkoCure Dual Cure range designed for traditional UV lamps and low-energy UV LED systems. The innovative ink range simplifies inventory for printers transitioning to UV LED technology by providing a single product suitable for all presses.
The phased production at the Savli plant will include full in-house base manufacturing by early Q2 of calendar year 2025. It will transition the group from a global production model for UV and water-based inks and coatings to local manufacturing, in response to Indian customer feedback.
The investments in the new Savli plant and the global raw material R&D lab at Lamdapura will help to make Flint’s Vadodara plants a hub for innovation and technical expertise. These complement the company’s existing local operations, which include a solvent-based ink plant and a non-toluene ink facility for flexible packaging. Roy and Dinandt were emphatic, “This lab is integral to our global operations, for ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety.”
In our triangular conversation with Dinandt and Roy, the Flint Group CEO said he was especially interested in the developments relating to packaging sustainability and especially in the attitudes of various stakeholders including the converters on the ground. He made it clear that the new investments in India are aimed at the region’s high growth in packaging and the company’s simultaneous concern with the environment and its commitment to sustainability.
We discussed the new packaging waste management regulations, the extended user responsibility guidelines in place, and the impending guidelines for compliance. He was especially aware of the fast-growing Indian packaging market and the possibilities for the Flint Group to leverage the country’s scientific and technical talent to drive global innovation and operational excellence.
