Kamakshi SÜDPACK opens new plant in India

On 14 October 2022, the state-of-the-art Kamakshi SÜDPACK production plant near Ahmedabad opened with a festive ceremony. The new site is a key component of SÜDPACK’s internationalization strategy – as well as a strategic hub for the intensified development of the rapidly growing market of the Indian subcontinent and for meeting the demand for high-quality flexible films in a broad range of industries with a comprehensive product and service portfolio.

Asia, in addition to Eastern Europe and Africa, is becoming increasingly important for food production as well as in medicine and technology. The joint venture with Kamakshi Flexiprints is thus an important element for SÜDPACK in its internationalization strategy. Located in Ahmedabad in India and founded in 1994, the manufacturer of printed, flexible packaging materials supplies the food and non-food industries with flexible packaging solutions. Now after approximately a year and a half of construction, the opening ceremony was held for the new Kamakshi SÜDPACK Pvt. Ltd. production site. The festivities were attended by SÜDPACK’s Managing Partner Carolin Grimbacher and its Managing Director Tharcisse Carl, the Managing Directors of Kamakshi SÜDPACK, Harish Goel and Narendra Dhupar, in addition to high-ranking local politicians.

The two days of celebration began with a press conference during which Carolin Grimbacher provided a brief overview of the company group’s strategy. This presentation was followed by a presentation about SÜDPACK’s sustainability roadmap – a subject that is also of growing relevance in India. After the press conference, many thanks were expressed to the companies involved in constructing the new site.

On the following day, the official opening ceremony for the site was on the agenda. During the ceremony, Tharcisse Carl presented his vision for Kamakshi SÜDPACK – and explicitly highlighted the outstanding cooperation in recent months among everyone involved.

The new Kamakshi SÜDPACK plant …

is equipped with cutting-edge extrusion, printing, coating and laminating machines for the production and finishing of high-performance films. It complies with the IGBC Standards for green building. The site will also comply with future international regulations and standards, such as GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), BRC, FSMS ISO 22001, QMS ISO 9001 and SMS-ISO 45001.

The complex covers a total area of approximately 47,000 m² and is divided into areas for extrusion, printing, laminating and pouch production. In recent weeks, the individual lines were gradually commissioned and powered up to make it possible to already produce flexible packaging solutions at the site that meet the highest standards of quality. 

“Our well-considered site concept is designed so we can gradually expand its capacities in order to meet the ever-increasing demand for multilayer films that are both innovative and sustainable for flexible packaging on the Indian subcontinent,” explained Tharcisse Carl, who was responsible at SÜDPACK for the new construction of the production site. Additional goals include improved market penetration, more rapid response times to the shifting needs of the packaging industry and the prompt supply of local customers. Harish Goel emphasized: “SÜDPACK’s unparalleled and long-standing expertise in coextrusion and film finishing in combination with our excellent knowledge of the market opens up opportunities for us that we had not been able to exploit in such a way until now.”

Most particularly, the aim is to also consistently meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions. After all, the reduction of plastic waste has become a topic of increasing importance in recent years in India as well. In 2016, the Indian government recognized the problem and passed what are known as the “Plastic Waste Management Rules.” According to the rules, single-use plastic items such as simple plastic carrier bags are to no longer be produced by the end of 2022. Another step is the gradual phasing-out of multilayer laminates that are not recyclable and therefore predominantly undergo thermal recycling. “With our broad portfolio in the area of recyclable and particularly material-efficient high-performance films and packaging concepts, we are in an excellent position – and can therefore optimally support our Indian customers in meeting statutory requirements in terms of sustainability,” emphasized Carolin Grimbacher, whose position also includes overseeing the R&D department at SÜDPACK.