By *Ashwani Kumar Sharma
Here are several aspects that make Asepto a brand of the future. Our focus on innovation, product integrity and business continuum approach ensure that Asepto—packaging solution for liquid food products—emerges as a strong global brand.
In the growing need to have safe and sound packaging, Asepto goes beyond the concept of just packaging a product, be it of any form. The fact that Asepto brings in the protection in the form of physical as well as nutritional attributes, like anti-counterfeit, duplication proof and tamper-proof, makes it a perfect choice. It also boasts of technologically sound approach applicable for all perishable liquid food products.
Creating Differentiation
We have created different types of aseptic packaging, having uniqueness, which create a marked differentiation on retail shelves. The post-Covid-19 scenario has made customers extremely cautious of the products they want to buy and, therefore, Asepto properties address their concerns. Moreover, Asepto creates differentiation through aesthetics on packs. Therefore, our customers rely on Asepto for value-added packaging that creates differentiation edge. It is needless to mention that all Asepto formats are absolutely pertinent for dairy and dairy alternatives.
Asepto’s Growing Acceptance
Within a short span of four years, Asepto has been able to address diverse needs of the global brands. The plant in Sanand is now heading for capacity expansion to address the needs of manufacturing newer formats of packaging that we plan to export and increase our market share, both in domestic and global markets. The global association with our customers is helping us penetrate key global markets for aseptic packaging. In fact, these associations are strengthening our customer base, and are introducing and allowing us to exploit new global markets where we can emerge strongly as a formidable choice in single-supplier markets until now. In no time, we have become a preferred supplier of some of the global brands. Not only this, we have introduced several value-added products for the first time in the history of aseptic packaging—like the new concepts of holography and foil stamping. So, we are just not a packaging supplier for our customers, we are also creating a niche for their products to help them achieve global appeal.
We are experiencing a constant upward curve for demands in domestic as well as international markets, which has made us to expand Asepto by increasing the production capacity to serve demand and potential markets.
Doubling the Production Capacity
Currently, we are running Asepto at full capacity (in the existing running lines) owing to strong global orders booked. Therefore, the capacity expansion (from 3.5 bn packs per annum to 7 bn packs per annum) has become the obvious way forward to cater to our sales growth. Furthermore, this expansion has been pushed majorly led by demands in export businesses; we are growing stronger in the international markets too where we have established our presence successfully by serving global brands.
The expansion of production capacity includes machinery of highest standards. We are 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 new-age machine has progressive features, loaded with sophisticated technologies that make it extremely efficient and sound in operation. The machine prints at a speed of 500MPM (Meters Per Minute)—an ideal choice for UFlex’s aseptic liquid packaging business growth strategy.
The Slitting Line is high-performance machine from IMS technologies S.P.A- Italy, which is super-fast giving output at a speed of 1200MPM. In addition to increasing the capacity, the company has also added Doctoring Lines and over 8 new tools/formats as part of its portfolio expansion. This is targeted to be completed within approximately ten months, adding Asepto’s capacity to address the increasing demands.
Displaying Resilience
While the expansion will make Asepto’s business more resilient, it would also help us prepare for growth aggressively looking forward. It will certainly enable us to offer better customer service as a business with increased capacity to respond to large orders, manage a seasonal business, and make more products to maintain the current level of sales. With the production capacity expansion, we have added new formats that will help us exploit the market share in the global scenario. Simultaneously, this will give customers to try out more propositions for their existing products.
Our Expansion, Customers’ Gain
With the proposition of more order-taking capability by us, our customers can now place bigger orders at a go with the proposition of gaining on cost of packaging. The capacity expansion at our plant, thus, is going to directly impact the price proposition of our customers in a lucrative way.
Sustainably Sound
While our focus on growth has been critical, we are not turning our eyes away from using all measures to ensure we remain sustainable in our approach. We accord very high value to environment sustainability and ensure that all our business operations live up to the ethos of protecting and conserving the environment. Our expansion plans are all aligned to a well-rounded plan and are committed to protecting the environment, people’s health and safety, and sustaining the ecological welfare of where we live and work. Our business operations firmly uphold our aim to Reduce Emissions and Wastage, Conserve Water & Energy and Promote Circular Economy. It is our social responsibility to use fewer natural resources and generate less waste.
We strictly follow responsible manufacturing practices ensuring that all raw materials that go in to produce the final packaging solutions that we offer are sourced from vendors complying with globally acclaimed standards related to:
- Environment, Health & Safety;
- Decent Working Conditions;
- Labour Welfare;
- Human Rights;
- Business Integrity
This, in turn, cascades into our manufacturing realms to ensure congruence with our overarching philosophy of upholding strategies, policies, and procedures of establishing a culture of integrity, and a high sense of responsibility towards our people and planet.
We particularly lay a strong emphasis on maintaining visibility across our value chain to ensure that there are no deviations from the globally acclaimed principles of good governance. FSC certification in our case showcase that we rely on materials that come from responsibly managed forests providing environmental, social, and economic benefits.
We truly understand that the final product will be as good as the raw materials that go into making it; therefore, we source only from reliable suppliers who share the same vision as us in terms of innovation, product integrity, and business continuum.
