At the IndiaCorr Expo 2024 in Mumbai, Gurugram-based Electro Heat Engineers, a key player in the industrial heating sector, talked about its innovations in sustainable heating solutions. Speaking to Packaging South Asia, Ashu Jhingan, the company’s director, explained the heating solutions for the corrugated and paperboard-based packaging industries.
“Packaging is one of our main areas of focus, but we also provide to the automobile industry,” he explained. “We have invented many heating solutions for the corrugated packaging industry, and we collaborate with machine manufacturers to provide optimized heating systems tailored to each new model they introduce.”
A core aspect of the company’s approach is its commitment to environment-friendly and energy-efficient solutions. “Our forte lies in developing environmental-friendly solutions. We work extensively on energy efficiency,” Jhingan said, highlighting that their customers include both corrugated and monocarton packaging manufacturers.
Asked about their work with flexible packaging, Jhingan said the company’s focus is solely on paper and paperboard-based packaging. “As a company, we follow a philosophy of going environmentally friendly, and paper is much more eco-friendly than flexibles.”
The company operates two manufacturing plants in Delhi-NCR’s Manesar, employing a team of around 80 engineers. With over 40 years in the industry, Electro Heat Engineers has built a strong client base of over 5,000 customers in India. “All the top machine manufacturers and OEMs are associated with us,” he said.
The most recent innovation, the electric thermic oil heating solution, is designed to replace traditional boiler-based heating systems, which are known to produce pollution and emissions. “Boilers use solid fuel, which generates ash and smoke, requiring significant space and creating environmental concerns,” Jhingan explained. “Our electric thermic oil heating solution eliminates the need for large pipelines and operators, minimizes space requirements, and drastically reduces emissions.”
The environmental and operational benefits of this solution have been recognized by the industry. The company won highest award for innovation from the Federation of Corrugated Box Manufacturers (FCBM) in 2023.
While the company’s primary market remains India, it has made limited foray into the export market. “Our focus is mainly on India, but we are exploring exports to a limited extent,” Jhingan noted.
Looking ahead, the company sees tremendous growth opportunities for the packaging industry, driven by rising volumes and expanding plant sizes. “In the past decade, the industry has changed a lot, and we are continuously adapting to its evolving needs. We’re focusing on helping companies increase production volumes with lower energy consumption and a strong sustainability footprint,” Jhingan said.
He highlighted the company’s integration of solar power with their electrical heating systems, which aligns with international trends toward cleaner energy solutions. “Coupling solar with electrical heating is the way forward, both in India and globally.”
