SRF expands films production in India

Once complete, this new facility will house a 10.4m wide Bruckner make film line complemented by a metallizer.

 

Prashant Mehra, president and CEO, Packaging Films Business, Coated Fabrics Business, Laminated Fabrics Business at SRF, says the BOPP market in India is growing at 10-12 percent per annum, driven by the expansion of FMCG companies.

 

SRF’s Packaging Films Business stands tall with a total capacity of 140,000 metric tons per annum for BOPET and BOPP film capacity in India, 120,000 MTPA in Thailand, 45,000 metric tons per annum in Hungary and 30,000 metric tons per annum in South Africa.

 

The second BOPP film line in Indore, India, will increase capacity by 60,000 metric tons per annum.

 

In addition, the company will build an aluminum foil manufacturing facility at a new site in Jaitapur, Indore, India at a projected cost of approximately 425 crore INR (56.9 million USD). The project will meet the growing global demand for aluminum foil for food packaging. The project is expected to be completed in 20 months.

 

Other initiatives include a foray into the metalized paper segment and the addition of synthetic paper, BOPP and BOPET products with enhanced barrier properties.

 

Recent expansion projects at SRF overcame severe challenges related to the Covid pandemic, including global travel restrictions and unprecedented increases in prices of steel and cement.

 

Mehra says the SRF team demonstrated ‘unwavering grit’ by successfully commissioning two new film lines each in Thailand and Hungary amidst the pandemic. ‘We have full confidence in achieving this feat for the current expansion project as well,’ Mehra adds.

 

Sustainable products

 

Mehra highlights the three-pronged approach SRF takes to the ‘3Rs’ (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), including film with post-consumer recyclates, down-gauged films, recyclable mono-structures and biodegradable films.

 

‘We have already established 90 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR)-based BOPET films, helping the industry contribute towards the attainment of a “circular economy”. Further, we have committed sizeable investment for the usage of green energy at multiple locations to reduce our carbon footprint,’ Mehra explains.

 

As a testament to its efforts, SRF has won the Quality & Sustainability award from the International Academy for Quality, a global forum for promoting quality and sustainability initiatives.

 

‘To be able to contribute towards the larger cause of minimizing the carbon footprint of end products, today, many of our customers are focused on finding environmentally responsible, recyclable, and sustainable packing solutions,’ says Mehra. ‘They are willing to collaborate with like-minded professional

 

packaging organizations with the required infrastructure and resources in place to address sustainability concerns.’

 

Mehra adds that brands are increasingly looking at packaging to differentiate their products. ‘Therefore, in the foreseeable future, aspects such as better pack visibility, greater shelf life and high barrier properties are being sought. As a company, SRF views this as a huge step forward. We will continue to find new solutions every day that are more sustainable and keep us ahead of the curve.’