Uflex packaging plant in Gujarat to begin operations soon

Inspired by the government's 'Make in India' initiative, Uflex claims to be the first Indian company in aseptic liquid packaging sector to set up a plant at Gujarat which will soon become operational.

"Our offering will be of a total system supplier from packaging material to filing machines. The brand name of new business is Asepto -- derived fromthe word aseptic which means sterile and the catch phrase is the product promise to its customers 'Freshness Preserved'," Ashwani Kumar Sharma, president and CEO, Uflex Ltd told PTI here.

"Presently, the Indian aseptic liquid packaging market is growing at 17-18 per cent per annum and the market is expected to double in the next 5 years to approximately 20 billion packs per annum as per Warnick Internationalreport," he said.
 

The aseptic packaging plant is coming up on 21 acres of the 72 acre land that Uflex has bought at Sanand, Gujarat. The remaining land may cater to future expansion of the company.

The company has invested Rs 580 crore on the plant.

"Our total investment over the next 2-3 years will be Rs 1,500 crore in a phased manner," said Sharma.

Indian Industries Association says demand for aseptic liquid packaging is on the rise and Indian Medical Association says products in these cartons are more health safe.

Indian Industries Association representative Ashwani Mahendru said that consumers are showing growing preference forAseptic Liquid Packaging. Milk packaging, for instance, has undergone gradual transformation from glass to HDPE (High Density Poluethylene) containers to present carton packaging.

"HDPE poly packs have a shelf life of 5-15 days while carton asepticliquid packaginghas shelf life of up to six months. Poly packs require cold chain and if there is a break in the cold chain, milk in poly pack get spoiled. On the other hand, carton packs are not dependent on cold chain," said Mahendru.

Indian Medical Association (Noida) president Dr A K Aggarwal said, "Multi layer Aseptic cartons are recyclable and more efficient to transport. UHT treatment is a continuous process which takes place in a closed system that prevents the product from being contaminated by airborne micro-organisms.