PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2019

PREFORM PRODUCTION PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 10/19 www.petpla.net 26 How market giant Chemco is continually adapting to the market New fields of activity and closer cooperation with suppliers by Kay Barton In 2016, we visited plastics processing company Chemco in their offices in Goregaon, Mumbai (see PETplanet 05/16). As this visit took place three years ago, we decided that it was high time that we took another look at the company, which has seen its market profile and presence grow significantly in the intervening period. Tour Sponsors: Chemco office meeting with (f.r.t.l.) Vaibhav Ram Saraogi and Amitabh Agrawal (Chemco), Rohan Shahane and Yves Rebert (Husky Injection Molding Systems) and Kay Barton March 2019 We met: Mr Vaibhav Ram Saraogi, Managing Director Chemco Group Mr Amitabh Agrawal, Executive Director We wanted to find out how Chemco has positioned itself in the fast-growing Indian market since then and how it is meeting the changing needs of its customers. The India Road Show offered the ideal opportu- nity to do so. Once again, we met with Managing Director Vaibhav Saraogi but, this time, it took place in his new office in Nariman Point in the south of the city, where we also met Execu- tive Director Amitabh Agrawal, who has only recently joined the company. Also at the meeting were Husky Injec- tion Molding Systems representatives Yves Rebert, General Manager for the regions SAARC and Central Asia, and his colleague Rohan Shahane, PET Account Manager SAARC. Chemco’s office in Nariman Point is located not far from the Ocean itself; the coastline and the sea are clearly visible from the manag- ing director’s corner office. Vaibhav Saraogi cut a relaxed figure as he sat at his desk. To his left was recent appointee as Executive Director, Amitabh Agrawal. The Chemco group has enjoyed an average growth of 35% in the injection moulding sector over the past few years, manufactur- ing preforms, bottles, PET containers and closures. “Nowadays, we have to respond to customer wishes in a more individual manner than ever before,” Mr Saraogi explained. “In doing so, even closer cooperation with our machine suppli- ers was and continues to be extremely important. This is something that makes a considerable contribution towards our success. Alongside our fleet of over 200 machines from ASB, Milacron, Krauss Maffei, Reifenhauser and many others, we currently use 15 machines from Husky; we’re plan- ning to increase this to 30 in the near future.” Chemco claims to be a market leader, in terms of preform diversity. “Our many years of experience in the beverage segment help us when it comes to new applications,” Mr Saraogi continued. “Since our last meeting, our activities have continued to grow in the beverage sector as well as straying more and more into non- food areas and into hygiene article packaging. In those areas, Husky’s strategic step to adapt itself to the needs of the Indian market in a more targeted manner has undoubtedly played into our hands and helped to strengthen our cooperation. Each cus- tomer is different and quick, custom solutions are more in demand than ever.” Product development processes have been improved in collabora- tion with machine suppliers, helping to raise levels of customer expecta- tions and satisfaction that have come about as a result. Keeping products lightweight and high-performing while keeping costs low continues to be a topic of huge importance. Sixty-five per cent of Chemco’s products are in the food and beverage segments which, in figures, amounts to 50,000 t. PET makes up around 85% of this. The company also processes around 25,000 t of plastics for non-food and non-beverage applications annually, with PET accounting for 50%. This means that, across all segments, the PET share of Chemco’s Indian market remains one of the largest. “Indian business is actually highly emotionally driven. This undoubtedly