UFlex Limited – India's largest multinational flexible packaging and polymer science company, and the country’s first manufacturer of aseptic liquid packaging – has announced it will double the production capacity at its aseptic plant to reach seven billion packs per annum. The expansion project at Uflex’s Asepto facility in Sanand, Gujarat, is slated for completion within the next 10 months.

The major new expansion comes in response to new contracts and increasing demand for the company's aseptic packaging laminates. Driven by a strong and healthy order-book and consistent market growth, this initiative not only doubles Uflex’s production capacity but the expanded operations will see the additions made to Uflex’s workforce, thus further strengthening the firm’s capabilities.

Growing global need for aseptic packaging

Ashwani Kumar Sharma, President and CEO of Asepto – Uflex Ltd’s aseptic liquid packaging business – said: "The Asepto expansion comes in response to the growing need for aseptic packaging, and I am excited that our team and the state-of-the-art facilities we have are well-positioned to respond to the increasing demand for our services and innovative technology in aseptic packaging. Despite the pandemic, we’ve continued to deliver services without a pause, and have carried on with innovative thoughts to deliver expected results for our customers,” he enthused.

"We have been working on taking Asepto globally, and our expansion takes a leap to enlarge the brand's horizons to different continents. We remain the most innovative packaging company when it comes to aesthetic rejuvenation in the aseptic packaging space,” he continued. “The expansion steps in our operations reflect Asepto's strong position in the marketplace and positive outlook for the future,” Mr Sharma added.

Once the commissioning of the project is complete, the company would take steps for global expansion. “Asepto has grown, and is now entering into its next phase of life-cycle with the first expansion plan announcement,” remarked Mr Ashok Chaturvedi, Chairman and MD of UFlex Ltd. “This expansion of production capacities is a natural progression, addressing our rapid growth in the aseptic liquid packaging space, and stepping with strong footsteps into the global arena,” he told us, adding that, nonetheless, Asepto would continue to take “one step at a time” in order to ensure a sustainable growth approach, “given global economic scenario”.

Next-gen printing and slitting lines

 

The first phase of expansion will focus on adding new machines to the existing line – i.e., the best-in-class, new generation Gallus printing line (M/S Heidelberg Web Carton GmbH) from Germany. The advanced machinery boasts progressive features, and is loaded with sophisticated technologies that make it extremely efficient and sound in operation. The machine prints at a speed of 500MPM (metres per minute) and is deemed the “ideal choice for UFlex’s aseptic liquid packaging business growth strategy”, the firm said in a statement. 

The newly installed slitting Line is a high-performance machine from Italian firm IMS technologies SpA, with a super-fast output speed of 1200MPM. 

The company has also added a new Doctoring Line and over eight new tools/formats as part of its expansion programme. All such installations are slated for completion within approximately 10 months, dramatically boosting Asepto’s capacity to address rising demand for its innovative packaging solutions.