In the current financial year from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 we expect the flexible packaging industry in India to continue expanding at a rapid rate. A huge amount of capacity will be created in this financial year with an unprecedented number of imports of high speed and highly configured presses from the leading international suppliers namely Bobst, W&H and possibly Soma. Taiwanese and Chinese suppliers are also expected to install around four CI flexo presses in the financial year. On the gravure side one can expect a good number of high speed and automated gravure presses from the Indian manufacturers – Expert, Kohli, Pelican and Uflex.
We are expecting about eight installs of CI flexo wide web presses in the premium category with the largest numbers in Western India (mainly in Maharashtra and Gujarat) and a significant number in the South (mainly in Andhra Pradesh/ Telengana and Tamil Nadu). Among the CI flexo installs this year are an F&K in Maharashtra, a pair of F&K’s at one of the country’s leading flexible packaging companies in South India, and most likely three W&H CI flexo presses in Western India.
We are looking forward to 9 to 12 gravure press installs from the leading global manufact- urers. Here the overwhelming majority are from Bobst including a Rotomec RS4003 MP in Western India. Western India again dominates the growth in gravure-based flexible packaging with an interesting and significant upsurge in South India. Interestingly some smaller cities are also coming on to the map for structured and high quality flexible packaging in the country.
