Multivac bridges the technology gap for Indian dairy processors

Multivac is repositioning itself in the Indian market as more than a packaging specialist, offering integrated processing solutions designed to move local businesses toward industrial-scale efficiency. At Anuga FoodTec India 2026, the company highlighted its industrial slicer portfolio, emphasizing how European technology can be adapted to meet the specific requirements of Indian food brands.

"We have about 100 people here in India in different hubs for sales and service," says Holger Wörth, an industry expert at Multivac. "We also have a production factory here in India and three daughter companies. So, we are very much present in the Indian market." This local infrastructure supports a diverse range of equipment, from the Professional series, cutting at 250-sph, to high-performance lines reaching 2,000-sph.

A critical challenge for Indian dairy processors is the transition from manual block-cutting to precise retail portioning. Wörth notes that the "wedding" between slicing and packaging is essential for profitability. "What you always need is a grinding machine," Wörth says, highlighting a common operational hurdle. "Nearly no slicer works without a grinding machine. If you give it to some other company normally, it's more expensive. Instead, you should use your own grinding system."

For Indian businesses looking to reduce "give-away"—the overfilling of packs to ensure weight compliance—Multivac integrates weighing and scanning technology. This ensures that even with uneven cheese blocks, every pack reaches the exact target weight, such as a 200-gram retail standard.

The company also addresses the "bridge" between processing and final containment through various loading options. While manual loading remains common, the firm is introducing automated belt and robotic loading to the region. "The most flexible way is the robot," Wörth explains. "It is a stainless steel robot, very hygienic, and it can be used for many things."

Beyond hardware, the company focuses on the total cost of ownership for Indian enterprises. By providing modular systems and local technical support, Multivac enables indigenous brands to adopt technologies like interleaving—placing film or paper between slices—and Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP) to extend shelf life for the growing modern retail and export segments.