“Though gravure printing still controls the major market share, the CI flexo market is poised to grow sharply,” says Rakesh Shah, managing director of Windmoller & Holscher, which has 11 CI flexo installations in India. “Despite being the top-of-the-line presses, we
still have the largest number of installations of CI flexo presses nation-wide because we provide better economies of scale. Although we may sell fewer presses than some others this year, we will generate the highest revenues among all players.”
CPP line for barrier films installed
The 600 million Euro global giant W&H has three main verticals comprising film production, film printing and material converting. “Last year W&H installed a state-of-the-art cast film line for producing barrier films, the only one of its type in India,” says Shah. The cast polypropylene (CPP) line installed at Technovaa Industries in Ahmedabad (belonging to the
Darvesh Group based in Dubai) can produce up to 800 kilograms of barrier film an hour – used primarily for packing food and perishables. Barrier films have a neutral inner non-reactive layer created from virgin polymer granules. These are used to pack confectionery, snack foods, ready-to-eat foods, fresh foods, ice creams, oil and ultra high temperature (UHT) milk with longer shelf life.
The W&H Filmex 5-layer CPP extrusion machine at Technovaa has good moisture barrier and optical properties and better yield, tear strength, and seal integrity than other polymers like PE or BOPP films produced through conventional blown film lines or other processes. “The machine intelligence permits us to accept variable amounts of feed stock and additives ranging from 250 grams an hour to 750 kilograms an hour and still produce uniform film thickness with widths from 1.6 to 4 metres finish,” says Shah. This needs a superior quality process and a high level of precision to ensure the consistency of the films. “Apart from CPP lines, W&H is one of the largest suppliers of blown film lines with more than 30 installations in India and several installations by Indian companies in their overseas locations,” says Anuj Sahni, manager – marketing, W&H. It makes the wide range of Varex, Optimex, and Aquarex blown film lines for producing 3-layer to 11-layer blown films.
CI flexo press market looks up
Photo PSA
“The CI flexo market is now looking up,” says Sahni and has several new entrants. However, these are more complex machines to operate and need superior automation and control as well as operating skills than the rugged gravure presses that dominate the Indian market. “We provide better economies for our customers. It is important to calculate the running cost as well as the acquisition cost while evaluating a machine and our presses provide higher productivity as well as lower wastage and improved output quality,” says Shah when asked about the higher price of the W&H presses.
W&H has the biggest CI wide-web flexo footprint in India with customers including Parakh and Kannodia Technoplast. In 2013, it supplied a CI flexo press to the Damanbased Propack Industries, a major supplier of films, paper bags and aluminum foils to the personal hygiene, retail and healthcare sector. The 8-color Miraflex CM at Propack can
print these substrates up to 400 metres a minute. Shah says, “W&H expects to install another new CI flexo press in India in the next quarter of the current financial year. The details will soon be announced.”
Packages Pakistan buys W&H Heliostar SL gravure press
Though the price-sensitive Indian market has not given W&H a chance to showcase its gravure portfolio yet, Rakesh Shah of W&H India is confident of a breakthrough shortly. “We have already installed two Heliostar gravure presses in Pakistan – to Umer and to Packages. We have also bagged a repeat order from Umer. In addition we made a significant breakthrough in the crowded Italian market dominated by local players last year when we installed an 11-color Heliostar S with in-line lamination at Cartotecnica Veneta.
The US$ 140 million Packages Pakistan which is a joint venture between the the Ali Group of Pakistan and the Swedish company Akerland and Rausing installed a Heliostar SL press last year. “The gravure press achieved a top production speed of 450 metres a minute to produce 230,000 metres of printed web in an eight-and-a-half hour shift within three months of installation. It produces around 10 million metres a month even with demanding print jobs with high ink limits and low residual solvent content,” says Asim Shamim, area
manager of Packages Pakistan. The W&H Heliostar S series gravure press has a growing presence globally with over 100 installations in 40 nations since its launch in 2008. “The machine comes with optional automation modules like Easy Set HD, Easy Reg, Easy Check and Easy Col and we need one breakthrough in the Indian market to show its overall economy and effectiveness as compared to lower priced gravure presses,” says Shah.
