Uflex Limited, which started producing Fresnel lens packaging films in India in alliance with WaveFront Technology Inc. (WFT) about two years ago, has extended its existing ties to manufacture Fresnel lens packaging films. The new setup, which is operating within Flex Films Europa’s facility in Wrzesnia, Poland, already has one line in operation and has started producing Fresnel lens packaging films with WaveFront Technology Europe leading the sales and marketing activities. Flex Films Europa is indirectly a wholly owned subsidiary of Uflex Limited. Uflex had expanded its film manufacturing footprints into Poland back in 2012 after venturing out in UAE, Mexico, Egypt and in Kentucky, USA.
“Before this extension of the already existing ties with Uflex for manufacturing Fresnel lens packaging films in India, WaveFront Technology was manufacturing Fresnel lens packaging films in America for selling to the European market. So we tied up with them to set up the manufacturing process in our existing plant in Poland with an investment of US$ 2.5 million,” shares Sundeep Saksena, business head, Flex Films Europa Sp. ZO.O. (Poland).
“Trial production at the Poland plant has already begun and samples have been approved. The commercial production will commence from August 2017. In the initial stage of production, the company plans to produce about 5 million square meter of Fresnel lens packaging film per annum. The films that we are producing at the Poland plant have been approved by Philip Morris for cigarette packs and cartons. Since this is a special product which we are going to make for high-end packaging, products like perfume bottles, wine bottles etc. are the ideal items to be packed,” said Saksena.
packed and sold in the market. Photo PSA
Speaking about the development, Ajay Tandon, president and chief executive officer, Engineering Business at Uflex Limited says, “This is an American technology from an American company WaveFront Technology Inc. We have a very strategic partnership with them and signed an agreement with them about two years ago to get the technologies needed to make Fresnel lenses. In terms of technology transfer, we have access to equipment requirement, processes and raw materials.”
In India, Uflex already has multiple lines for producing Fresnel lens packaging materials out of films or paper. “In our opinion, Fresnel lens packaging materials having Fresnel lenses have a huge potential because it is a very exclusive product. It gives a very safe bet to the packers to pack their products. Before we started in India, we had sent our people to WaveFront’s plant in USA to learn about all the parameters and associated skills; we got the designs of the special purpose machines and built the same at our Engineering Business in Noida for producing these kinds of lens. Their people including the founder came here in Noida a few times to help set up the equipment and processes,” shares Tandon.
Explaining the basic objective of Fresnel lens packaging films, Tandon comments, “These lenses when put on the packages increase the aesthetic and decorative quotient of the packaging, which is largely in demand in the European region and picking up further. Secondly, it helps avoid counterfeiting or bodydoubling of the products being packed and sold in the market. In India, packaging with these kinds of lenses is widely used for both the reasons. However, in Europe and America since counterfeiting is not very prominent, it is largely used for high aesthetic and decorative packaging.”
According to GP Pathak, vice president operations and new product development at Holography Business of Uflex Limited, “The technology for providing high quality Fresnel lens on flexible or rigid packaging materials is quite intricate. We have developed various controlled ways of providing the lenses on packaging, depending on our customers’ needs.”
