Atlas Converting plans Indian expansion

Automation in converting

109
Atlas
Barrie Homewood, sales and marketing director, Titan slitterrewinder. Photo PSA

For UK-based Atlas Converting Equipment, which manufactures Atlas Titan slitter-rewinders, the response at Plastindia 2015 was good as the company managed to meet its old customers and some potential customers. In India the company has an installation base close to 140 machines. With economic conditions in India improving, things are expected to look up.

“The last 18 months have been challenging for the company in India but the situation has improved in the last few months,” said Barrie Homewood, sales and marketing director, Titan slitter-rewinder. “Some of the customers who we have served in the last few years are moving to the next phase of investment and expansion.”

Although no machine was displayed at Plastindia, the company was promoting products from across the Titan and Atlas portfolio. Talking about the company’s Indian operations, Homewood disclosed, “We are planning to expand the team here. There are currently three engineers and one sales person. India is one of our bigger markets and we expect that the strength of the team here will continue to grow.”

Commenting on the trends in the Indian flexible packaging industry, he said that the most prominent one was that more and more players are moving towards faster and high technology machines. “A large majority is still using slow and low technology machines in India but that trend is changing driven by the demand for quality, consistency and low downtime. The good thing is that there are now lots of Indian machine manufacturers making top quality machines catering to local demand.”

“The demand for automation is also driven by the fact that the size of the web is getting smaller as well as the thickness is going down. Automation helps one in working on smaller and thinner web because manual work may be prone to errors,” concluded Homewood.

The impact, resilience, and growth of responsible packaging in a wide region are daily chronicled by Packaging South Asia.

A multi-channel B2B publication and digital platform such as Packaging South Asia is always aware of the prospect of new beginnings and renewal. Its 16-year-old print monthly, based in New Delhi, India has demonstrated its commitment to progress and growth. The Indian and Asian packaging industries have shown resilience in the face of ongoing challenges over the past three years.

As we present our publishing plan for 2023, India’s real GDP growth for the financial year ending 31 March 2023 will reach 6.3%. Packaging industry growth has exceeded GDP growth even when allowing for inflation in the past three years.

The capacity for flexible film manufacturing in India increased by 33% over the past three years. With orders in place, we expect another 33% capacity addition from 2023 to 2025. Capacities in monocartons, corrugation, aseptic liquid packaging, and labels have grown similarly. The numbers are positive for most of the economies in the region – our platform increasingly reaches and influences these.

Even given the disruptions of supply chains, raw material prices, and the challenge of responsible and sustainable packaging, packaging in all its creative forms and purposes has significant headroom to grow in India and Asia. Our context and coverage engulf the entire packaging supply chain – from concept to shelf and further – to waste collection and recycling. We target brand owners, product managers, raw material suppliers, packaging designers and converters, and recyclers.

In an admittedly fragmented and textured terrain, this is the right time to plan your participation and marketing support communication – in our impactful and highly targeted business platform. Tell us what you need. Speak and write to our editorial and advertising teams! For advertisement ads1@ippgroup.in , for editorial info@ippgroup.in and for subscriptions subscription@ippgroup.in

– Naresh Khanna

Subscribe Now
unnamed 1

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our Newsletter

As 2023 begins and FY 23-24 unfolds, will you support us?

What lies in store for the packaging industry in India and South Asia this coming year? Inflation, disruption of supply chains or environmental regulation? Or the resumption of high rural demand, continued investment and industry consolidation? Whatever happens, Packaging South Asia will be there, providing clarity and independent technical and business information in India and South Asia and around the world. We are a compact Indian organization bringing a window of fair and rigorous technical and business information that the industry can access this year and beyond. Please support us with your advertising and subscriptions, to keep us going and growing.

Thank you.