UFlex growth & innovation in H1 2020-21
We recently met with Amit Shah, the new articulation-president of UFlex and its Packaging Division'south chief marketing officer, in his office at the Noida establish. Shah, who has worked for several years with a couple of the other substantial packaging companies in Republic of india, was visibly upbeat virtually UFlex's overall performance over the past half dozen months, following the Covid-nineteen pandemic and nation-wide lockdown. Speaking to us mainly about the packaging sectionalization's operation, he explained that since the company immediately received permission as a supplier to the essential goods sectors, it was upwards and running right from the beginning of the lockdown.
In May itself, the visitor came upwards with a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) solution in collaboration with IIT Delhi that it called 'Flex Protect.' The visitor describes its PPE, saying, "The protective coverall is made from a combination of Non-Woven Polypropylene Material and further impregnated with Anti-Microbial PPCoating through a special process to increase its breathability. As compared to other PPEKits, the Flex-Protect Coverall Standard is made of 70 GSM, which makes information technology very comfortable and flexible, and fit to be worn for long hours."
UFlex responded to the frontline health workers' requirements and the food and pharma industries with equal immediacy and agility. As opportunities arose for new products such equally sanitizers and liquid handwash, it chop-chop adult new flexible packaging solutions – especially for branded suppliers. New pouch laminates and shapes and innovative closures and caps were created and launched to assistance deliver distinct branding for the new and booming category.
Shah explained that many of the innovations were possible considering UFlex has an engineering partition that manufactures a range of equipment from gravure and CI flexo presses to pouch-making and selection, fill up and seal machines. To help come across the sudden demand for the new hygiene products during the lockdown and after, the engineering science division could come up quickly with several modifications and innovations of existing machines. These gave the company an edge – a comprehensive packaging supplier of both components and finished pouches for the new category.
UFlex Technology Division feeds innovation
UFlex is perhaps one of the most intensely vertically integrated packaging companies in the world. From films to packaging and equipment for packaging printing, lamination, pouch-making, pick, make full, and sealing equipment. Purposeful action across divisions that manufacture machines, films, and packaging materials made the company the nigh reliable supplier during the pandemic lockdown.
Whatever component or machine was in curt supply could exist fabricated in ane of the plants in Noida. Innovative pouch shapes could be designed because pouch-making machines could be modified. Caps and closures could be manufactured in-house because at that place was an before plan to produce them. The dies had already been imported.
We took up the word with Ajay Tandon, president, UFlex Engineering and New Product Development, a few days later to better empathise his sectionalisation's essential back up for innovation, especially during the pandemic and the lockdown. Tandon said, "In the past 3 years the Applied science Division has delivered four new and high finish machines to complete the gamut of liquid packaging, lamination, filling and sealing and recycling machines. These are its extrusion coater and laminator, its Aspeto liquid filling and sealing automobile, its highly automated CI flexo printing machine and flexible packaging waste material recycling auto. Also, it has improved its PFS and VFFS machines with higher speeds. All of these projects are fulfilled and launched in the domestic and export markets."
Special pouches, spouts, and caps
At that place was a sudden spurt in the requirement for spout pouches to maintain the supply chain in the lockdown for the new product categories of sanitizers and hand washes. UFlex has been making pouch-making machines for over 25 years, with more than a hundred supplied within group'due south converting division and like number to exterior customers. The upsurge in need for special pouches for sanitizers and liquid soaps meant that make owners wanted a pouch that increased their shelf impact and customer convenience to use as re-fills, with various shapes and spouts.
The engineering partition was able to adapt the punching dies for pouch making machines using the Thomson blade tooling engineering.
UFlex already had multiple injection moulding machines information technology uses for moulding sliders for ziplock type of pouch. And since the company's chairman had planned to enter the spouts and caps segment long before the pandemic, the imported dies and molds from Husky's factory in Austria and special spouts technology from Pöppelmann in Germany were bachelor. Different designs and diameters of spouts and caps could be produced on a brusk notice to fulfil the requirements of spout pouches.
Spout fixing, capping and filling & sealing machines
Tandon explained, "The side by side claiming was to accommodate and increase the capacities for spout-cap assembly, spout fixing/sealing and capping machines with automation. Different types of automation were needed to suit the specific requirements of customers. For certain customers, to let the filling of pouches with the spout on the coroner of the pouch the pick, make full, and seal (PFS) machines required modifications. The loftier need required modifications to make the PFS machines faster and with special conveyors. The pouches' feeding and property mechanisms also had to exist modified to achieve speeds 40% faster than before. New machines had to be designed and made for automatic fixing of separately moulded caps and spouts. All at very brusk notice.
The introduction and mass supply of pouches with special spouts and automation in spout and cap fixing assembly gave the visitor'due south packaging division vital leverage during the lockdown and fifty-fifty later on. As Amit Shah and Ajay Tandon explained to us, not merely all the major brands but also packaging material competitors were supplied by UFlex to meet the need. The UFlex PFS machines were supplied in many numbers not only to brand owners, but to their co-packing units likewise.
Sustainability
Lastly, both Shah and Tandon mentioned the company's many-sided approach to sustainability. Shah reminded the states that its innovative bio-degradable laminate is still nether trial with a brand possessor. In endmost, Tandon explained that Mixed Plastic Laminate (MPL) which are and will likely remain dominant in the flexible packaging industry, need to be recycled. UFlex engineering has built machines to recycle this MPL waste which includes metalized polyester laminates, and has already placed around fifteen of these in the field. Information technology is in keeping with a company that thinks of the entire packaging procedure and is now compelled to take on the industry and social club'southward biggest challenges.
Source: https://packagingsouthasia.com/application/luxury-packaging/uflex-growth/
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