Vidur Kanoria: Interpack was an eye-opener

Disha Chakraborty (DC): Back after six years. What was the Interpack highlight for you?
Vidur Kanoria (VK): This was my first experience at InterPack. It was an eye opener. This was a far more cohesive and integrated fair. There were a lot other than companies from our packaging industry on display. Most of the halls were dedicated to filling machine manufacturing and food processing. It was interesting to see the focus on sustainable packaging, either all PE or paper-based. Especially the stalls of companies like Syntegon, Omori, Topack and Focke. 

DC: Which three stalls caught your attention and why?
VK: Sappi and Koehler were exhibiting their durable barrier heat sealable papers and showed various applications which are commercialised already. 
AISA was exhibiting an interesting paper-based tube manufacturing process wherein the structure had a thin layer of plastic film, more than 70% paper content overall. 
Goglio caught my interest because they showed packing of coffee bags on a high barrier allL PE laminate at full speed. 

DC: More than 116 Indian manufacturers at the Interpack show. Good news for the Indian packaging industry or still some way to go?
VK: Yes there was evident visibility of various Indian companies. This was very encouraging to see and numbers will surely grow with the way our country is innovating and expanding.

DC: Things you believe would make a difference if the Indian packaging fraternity learns to adopt from Interpack?
VK:  Understanding the general trends in the global market is always important, as sooner or later they spread to India as well. 

DC: TCPL's business prospects at Interpack 2023.
VK:  We are constantly expanding and innovating and if anything, InterPack has underlined our investment in MDO PE as it is prominent now. We did not have a stall, hence meeting potential customers was not the target. For me, it was more of a knowledge yatra and get-an-idea about different topics.  

DC: TCPL Packaging has a market cap of Rs 1302.62 crore. I was studying your numbers. They look good. What do you attribute this to? 
VK:  TCPL has grown a lot. We are a prominent player in mono cartons of course but also now in flexible packaging. I think our courage to invest in new technologies will always pay off. Utilisation and efficiency levels have also improved and constant capex has resulted in growth. 

DC: You have always said, the growth prospects for paper-based packaging is huge. TCPL Packaging is one of India’s leading producers of sustainable packaging solutions for customers across industries. Has TCPL and the paper-based industry leveraged its advantage?
VK:  TCPL stands to benefit. As you know, we are predominantly a user of paper-based materials. We are focused on developing paper-based structures in our flexible packaging business and in time I am sure this will grow a lot. Besides, our MDO PE investment although not fully utilised right now is one for the future and will grow. We continue to look at new technologies constantly. Recently, we have added a new KBA offset line which is unique in its abilities and a two-colour inline hot foil stamping operation on one of our gravure printing lines.

DC: Today what is the bigger challenge for the Indian packaging sector? Lack of industry status or opaque notifications in regulations?  
VK:  I think the Indian government has quite clearly listed out the rules and requirements. Although I believe achieving the target of PCR content seems unlikely now due to lack of raw material sources (other than PET). Maybe it will come soon. 

DC: How has the packaging industry in Europe resolved this? Any lessons for us?
VK: In Europe of course collection and recycling is much more prominent due to a smaller population and pre-designed systems. However, their rules are not unified and still under discussion. India being a much higher growth market and much more price sensitive. I feel, we cannot always adopt rules based in Europe. 

DC: What is the biggest challenge going forward?
VK: The biggest challenge for our industry is the very competitive pricing which is a result of huge expansion in the industry. Raw material instability was a huge challenge during the pandemic. Now it is a bit more stable.

DC: Are you excited for Interpack 2026?
VK:  Yes but excited for Drupa next year at the moment!