Lineage explores connection between food infrastructure and economic development
SIG, the leading Switzerland-based aseptic packaging provider, has recently announced the global launch of its new product, the family-size carton pack combivita. Designed to meet the changing needs of the beverage industry, the product will soon be entering the Indian market. To find out more about this, nuFFooDS Spectrum interacted with Vandana Tandan, Country Manager- SIG India.
What is the USP of combivita and when do you plan to launch it in India?
The combivita cartons are filled using SIG’s new generation filling machine that has been completely upgraded to offer enhanced environmental credentials, by bringing down the consumption of energy and all other utilities by 30 per cent. Additionally, the speed of filling for the family packs was earlier 12,000 packs per hour, which has been increased by 50 per cent to bring it to 18,000 packs per hour. This will make them the fastest filling machine in the category. We have also automated several functions in the filling process. For instance, the cleaning process for the filling machines is still manual, needing one shift to be finished before moving to another. However, this entire process will soon become automated to improve efficiency and bring down the net operational time. Furthermore, the entire filling line has been integrated onto one communication platform, which allows one to remote monitor and actually see the performance of the filling line as a complete production setup. Hence, the new generation machines offer improved environmental credentials, higher filling speeds, enhanced energy and resource efficiencies, and reduced overall consumption of all utilities, along with higher automation than ever before! Presently, combivita has been launched globally with the first client. We will now be ramping up this product in Europe and then launching in Asia in the coming year. We are hoping to introduce it in India as a successful product by 2023-24.
Where are your facilities located in the country?
At present, our filling machines are installed with various clients all over the country. Therefore, we are already present everywhere, wherever our clients are present right now, be it the north, the west, the east, or the south. When it comes to the packaging material, SIG sources raw materials from its packaging converting plants in Thailand and China.
What will be your new launches in the F&B packaging sector in 2022 for India?
We are very excited to now be working with a lot of Indian players, including the likes of Amul, Coca Cola, Dabur, ITC, and more. We will be partnering with Haldiram’s and Amul for some new launches this year itself, and are also looking forward to working with Varun Beverages for the very first time.
Which new tech innovations in packaging are on the anvil?
One of the key innovations that SIG offers is the ability to package particulates such as juices with pulp, as well as beverages with nuts or cereals. In the coming year, we plan on bringing these products to the Indian market. Last year, we already launched CombiSmile, which is a smart portion package with a specialised cap. In the coming year, we want to take it to the next level, by offering value-added products in such formats. Apart from this, we are also working on introducing a one litre package, while exploring a variety of new innovative products from a sustainability and convenience perspective.
How much revenue has been generated in FY 2020-21 and what do you expect in this financial year for the Indian business?
Even in the middle of the pandemic last year, the packaging material segment reflected a growth of 120 per cent for us. This year, we are looking at doubling our numbers yet again, and expect to continue growing at a very fast pace in India, in the years to come.
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Sanjiv Das