Jatinder Shroff, managing director of Nutech Packaging met Packaging South Asia at the company office in Noida and discussed several aspects of the market, the sustainable initiatives at the green plant in Greater Noida, additional investments, and his son’s joining the business.
We reported the opening of the 120,000-square-foot green Greater Noida plant in 2016, along with the installation of a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102-7+LX carbon-neutral combi press. The green plant was certified with a Silver rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and has several sustainability features, such as lighting, power management, design, and structure. The plant’s water uses low-flow fixtures, rainwater harvesting, efficient irrigation, and a sewage treatment plant for recycling wastewater.
Nutech produces printed cartons, corrugated boxes, and other packaging materials for leading multinational and Indian FMCG companies, especially in the personal care segment. Shroff highlighted that premiumization is the biggest trend in packaging – be it the design or the user experience. Customization and short-runs are also growing, enabled by digital production and new embellishment solutions. He added, “Sustainability, however, is non-negotiable. Use of PCR content in packaging is something even consumers are taking note of.”
Recent investments by Nutech include a Heidelberg 6-color plus coater, an automated inspection machine, and a hot foil stamping machine. He said, “We are making sure our processes are consistently productive and streamlined while ensuring process hygiene and minimal manual intervention in the carton conversion process.”
In the past year, it also installed a Blankwiser machine with an automated conveyer from Suba Solutions purchased during drupa 2024. With its touch-free operation, the highly efficient carton blanking machine ensures accuracy and hygiene for product safety. Shroff says, “We had blanking technology before too, but the automation features on this machine make the converting more hygienic and the process seamless.”
The postpress operations include specialized equipment and the company’s sustainable focus is visible in its several quality labs for inputs, in-process materials, and testing equipment for converted end-products. These are complemented by a sheetfed gravure press, Esko software and workflow driving the proofers and the thermal CtP, and a Kongsberg table. It utilizes an ink kitchen from Seigwerk.
On his son joining the packaging business, Jitendar Shroff explained that it happened as recently as October 2024. “He did a printing course in Germany after his graduation in the US. It wasn’t very extensive but provided him with enough hands-on experience. Now that he has joined, he will slowly learn the ropes of the business and take it forward,” Shroff said.
Referring to the recent Printpack India show, he commented, “It is good to see seriousness in the industry. The show had so many running machines this time which was a new thing. Sustainability, automation, information sharing, and networking are driving factors. I see the industry talking and sharing information, so progress is visible.”
