`PET` Issues
Face to face with Vimal Kedia, MD, Manjushree Technopack
Manjushree Technopack Ltd, produces over 120 million PET containers per annum, ranging from 5ml-15 litre capacities in over 240 designs, shapes and sizes. Serving a major clientele base from FMCG and MNC segment including companies like Unilever Group, Nestle, Heinz, Pepsico, P&G, Coca-cola and Cadburys, the company is soon to enter bottled water, juice and carbonated soft drinks industry. Vimal Kedia, Managing Director of the company briefs us more on the company's future plans.
Where would you place Manjushree in the Indian PET bottles packaging industry?
Manjushree is well placed at the helm of the PET bottles packaging industry. We offer one of the industry's broadest product lines for PET, from a wide range of stock bottles and jars in the industry to custom packaging for unique marketing or product requirements. With a daily average production of 2 million PET preforms per day, we are also one of the largest suppliers to the industry today. Our complete range of preforms caters to the entire industry of bottled water, juices and carbonated soft drinks.
How would you comment on the present PET bottle packaging segment of India?
The current scenario in the PET industry is extremely dynamic, clocking a growth of 20 percent every year. Newer products, changing demographics and modern retail stores have completely changed the way the products are sold now. The Indian middle class today consists of around 300 million people who form the economic backbone of the country and this class is growing by 100,000 people every day - the buying power of this segment has grown tremendously over the years. The growth is clearly being reflected in the FMCG sector including food, beverages, personal care, pharma, liquor etc.
What is new at Manjushree?
We have expanded by over 100 percent in last six months. The management is more bullish than ever before and the company's goodwill is at its highest. We have added three brand new lines from Husky Preform Systems, Canada for manufacturing PET preforms and stand at the highest installed capacity of 24,000 MTPA (Metric Tons per Annum). In addition to this we have installed new capacities to produce PET bottles to cater to the growing liquor markets.
What parameters are involved when designing packaging for a new product?
As packaging specialists, for any new product we generally advocate two factors - packaging should be easy to use and its cost should be economically viable. User-friendliness adds a pleasant perception of a product in the consumer's buying behaviour and economical packaging ensures companies to take strategic pricing decisions.
Who are your significant customers? How would you comment on the company's global reach?
Manjushree's clientele includes the entire clan of FMCG and MNC names like Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Nestle, Unilever, Pepsico, Glaxo Smith Kline, Kraft Foods, Pfizer, etc. These companies turn to us for all their rigid packaging needs and R&D exercises. We also export specialised containers to various overseas markets including South Africa, Australia, Middle East, etc.
Tell us about Manjushree's R&D initiatives.
We posses a rich 25 years of plastic packaging experience with a full fledged R&D and design team. We house an R&D center wherein over 5000+ samples are collected from all over the world to showcase different types of packaging. For e.g. – one can see how spice packaging is done in various countries and take cues from it. A customer can initiate an R&D assignment and we handle the rest. Our R&D cycle starts by offering a cost effective 3-D design, where the customers get a first hand feel of how the products would look like. This is followed by a rapid prototype model to present a physical dimensional sample to the client – followed by a single cavity die and on approval the final commercial mold. Recently our innovative skills have helped us win global recognition for our packaging from WPO (World Packaging Organisation) for two of our products - Quaker oats jar from Pepsico, India and fruits in multilayer containers from RHODES, South Africa.
What should we look forward to from the company in coming days?
Our immediate plans are to add further capacities to manufacture PET preforms for the growing bottled water, juice and carbonated soft drinks industry – this will further propel our existing capacity by 50 percent.
