On 23 April 2016, The Label Manufacturers Association of India (LMAI) felicitated Anil Sharma, Avery Dennison’s managing director for South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa region, at Courtyard Marriot Hotel, Andheri. Sharma is relocating to the Avery Dennison regional office, based in Singapore where he will be taking on larger responsibilities for the Materials Group which will include Australia, New Zealand, ASEAN, South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa region.
Many industry leaders, including Sandeep Zaveri, president of LMAI; Vivek Kapoor, owner, Creative Labels; RL Deshpande, owner, Renu Prints; Gururaj Ballarward, MD, Wintek Flexo; and Kuldeep Goel, MD, Any Graphics gathered to honour Sharma for the support given to LMAI. Speaking at the event opening, Zaveri said,
“Avery Dennison has been a long-time partner, supporting us in the technical workshops, educational programmes, annual conferences and last but not least the all important LMAI awards. In 2004, Avery Dennison had extended their financial and wholehearted support to us, and has continued to do so even today. We are all here tonight to show our appreciation and give him a warm farewell.”
Addressing converters, Sharma shared his experiences at Avery Dennison. He said, “When I joined, I realized that innovation is happening at a rapid pace, be it for the suppliers or the label converters. Look at the developments in the printing processes – from offset to flexo to now digital and hybrid presses; we started with different types of inks to now looking to manufacture Reach-compliant inks; in the finishing technology we are talking about laser diecutting, automatic rolling, turrets. LMAI members have used these means to gain an edge and innovations are happening very quickly. At Avery Dennison, I came to know that everybody in the room is not just a customer but a partner who walks together with us through the journey of each project. This is what kept me going at Avery Dennison.”
Bharat Mehta, proprietor, Super Labels summed up Sharma’s contribution to the label industry. “When Sharma’s predecessor Raj Srinivasan left for USA, he left behind a large and solid footprint to match. Sharma has proved his skill by not only meeting it but also raising the bar for his successor to scale.” He also advised Pankaj Bhardwaj to follow in the footsteps of Anil Sharma.
Bhardwaj, who was earlier appointe das sales director for South Asia, is being promoted as commercial director and will now be responsible for all commercial activities in South Asia region for the labels and packaging materials business, “Partnering with LMAI, Avery Dennison has reduced the pain of the industry by providing skilled technical resources through training and support ,which has assisted the industry in addressing the concerns of securing competent manpower who will satisfy the goals of the label industry,” concludes Bhardwaj
