Germany’s Minebea Intec, a leading industrial weighing and inspection technology manufacturer, showcased its inspection products at the Anuga FoodTec 2024 exhibition in Mumbai. The company also highlighted several of its weighing machines during the event.
“This is a packaging exhibition, and it’s crucial for us to demonstrate and display the various solutions we offer for different applications in a customer’s packaging line, whether in food or pharmaceuticals. However, this expo predominantly focuses on food. You’ll find all our products designed for the packaging line on display here,” said Mohan Bhat, head of the industrial scales division and managing director of Minebea Intec India.
“Our core business remains weighing, but the inspection division is steadily catching up,” Bhat added.
Peter Grimley, vice chairman of Minebea Intec, highlighted the company’s comprehensive weighing solutions that integrate the entire process for customers.
“Whether it’s weighing raw materials arriving in trucks, bulk weighing, batch weighing for recipes, packing into individual cartons or boxes, and then shipping out, we provide a solution for the entire process, which is unique in our industry. We offer a complete chain of solutions for goods from arrival to dispatch, and the same applies to our inspection solutions,” Grimley explained.
Rising demand for inspection systems in India
While weighing remains the core business for Minebea Intec in India, the popularity and demand for inspection systems is growing due to increasingly stringent regulations.
“Inspection is gaining more traction these days as regulations become stricter. Customer safety is becoming a bigger priority in the market, and regulators are tightening the screws,” Bhat noted.
Optimism about the Indian market
Minebea Intec supplies its products in India through various channels, including direct sales to customers, consultants, and through OEMs. The company has a robust manufacturing setup in Bangalore.
“About 95% of the products you see here are manufactured in India. We not only supply to the Indian market but also export to Latin America and Asia,” Bhat said.
Minebea Intec conducts significant research and development (R&D) in India. “In India, we handle not only sales and after-sales service but also production and R&D. A lot of global product R&D is done here,” Grimley added.
Bhat expressed confidence in the company’s future investments in India, citing the growing economy and increasing demand for packaged and processed food. The company is also looking to expand exports from India.
“The plan is to increase production in India for export. The quality of talent in India is excellent, the market is there, and the cost of production will attract more companies to India. This is where we see investment opportunities, with products being produced here for larger markets outside India,” Bhat concluded.
