Nagpur-based Luk Plastcon deals in flexible packaging, with its product going into the middle layer of three- and five-layer packaging films. One of its brands, Bajaj Polymin Ehancers, is for enhancing the properties of the film. Their films replace the expensive polymers in the middle layer of flexible packaging films, which the company promoted at the PlastIndia exhibition, held from 1 – 5 February 2023 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
The company offers opaque, milky, and transparent films. “This is a win-win situation, both for our customer and for us. You have a cost reduction of your films plus the enhancement of their properties,” said Mandar Deshmukh, general manager of business development and marketing at Luk Plastcon.
The firm is also making bio-compostable films in collaboration with DRDO. “These resins are completely compostable – once the film is manufactured, you can put it in the open environment, and within 60 days, it will dissolve. Even if pets or animals eat it, there is no issue as the films are completely compostable and are potential food for them,” Deshmukh told Packaging South Asia.
“Sustainability has been the heart of our products. All compostable products currently in the market in India are imported, with none being manufactured here. Our PBAT-based products are made in India. We have kept a very humble price so that re-processors can encash and have a cost advantage over imports.” He said the company is doing in-house innovations for such products and all their recipes are proprietary trademarks.
Luk Plastcon, whose manufacturing facilities are based in two factories in Nagpur, supplies across India along with some amount of exports. The company is coming up with a manufacturing unit in Daman as many customers are based in western India. Work on the facility is likely to be completed by April.
“Our dealership network is spread across India, but currently our focus lies is in the export market. We are predominantly in the Southeast Asian market given the higher logistics cost. We have not explored Europe and US as of now, but it is in the pipeline,” he says.
Polymer prices are a matter of concern for the company. But the cost is something he doesn’t see coming down for a long period, he says. “As far as consumption is concerned, it is increasing for flexible packaging. Consumption is going to be huge because the government has not come up with any ban on flexible packaging. The restrictions that have come are for monolayer, not for multilayer packaging,” he said.
Deshmukh was all praise for PlastIndia, “The exhibition happened after almost five years and everyone was waiting for it. PlastVision did happen last year but it was not that good. As PlastIndia is based in New Delhi, customers from the northern and the western belts came in large numbers. Participation from the south was also good.”