PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2019

CAPS & CLOSURES 35 PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 11/19 www.petpla.net The Bericap India plant is located in the Umbare Navalakh industrial estate, just over an hour’s drive from Pune. This is where the company produces closures for the beverage and edible oil segments, along with the automotive and agrochemical indus- tries and other industrial markets. The installed capacity of its several dozen injection moulding machines stands at more than 4.0 billion closures per year. Its 120-strong workforce currently produces over 30 different types of clo- sure, with further new developments in the process of being added. “Bericap Essel”, the joint venture from which this production site emerged, was between Bericap and tube manufacturer Essel Propack, one of the world’s largest manufacturers in this packaging sector between 2005 and 2010. “Bericap sup- plied the appropriate tube closure solu- tions until it became independent in 2007 and launched its own production site near Pune”, as Bericap India Pvt. Ltd. General Manager Rajesh Pant- sachiv remembered what it was like in the early days. “We had a small team of 25 people, 12 injection moulding machines and an annual capacity of 900 million closures. We have grown considerably over the past 12 years!” he said. “We now have a total produc- tion area of around 5,000m², and a state-of-the-art injection moulding machines park, printing machines and laser marking machines, as well as several lines for finishing individual components.” The Bericap QMS (quality man- agement system) was awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2012; food safety system certification (FSSC) 22000 followed in 2015. The company produces 28mm and 22mm closures for CSDs; a range of closures for water in PET and HOD (home and office delivery) bottles; 28mm, 33mm and 38mm closures for juice and milk bottles; and other closures, includ- ing two-piece closures, for edible oils. For industrial market customers it manufactures closures for engine oil canisters, agrochemicals and for metal packaging, including complex models with integrated filling nozzles. Bericap identifies its principal competi- tors in the domestic, Indian market as compression moulding manufacturers Oriental Containers Ltd. (OCL) and Secure Industries. At the time of our visit, Bericap India had around 100 million clo- sures in stock. There is space for 210 million but it was peak season for drinks bottling firms and stock levels had been reduced in order to meet demand. Further products for the liquor market have just been added to the beverages sector port- folio and, in 2018, it acquired many, many new customers. Mr Pantsachiv told us that, alongside the bever- ages industry, the engine oil busi- ness is also extremely important and similarly offers strong growth potential. The company is currently implementing tracking marks to be lasered into the lids as QR codes for the engine oil sector, as offered already from various other Bericap sites. The tour of the production facil- ity illustrated the company’s contin- ued growth. A second, new, 6,500m² production hall and warehouse is now connected to the existing production site. It is still largely empty but that will soon change. Further injection moulding machines and finishing lines are planned to be installed; Bericap is aiming to then break the 8 billion closure capacity mark. “We want to expand product and project development in all areas at the new plant”, said Mr Pantsachiv. “For over two years now, we have considerably stepped up our market scanning and penetration in various segments in order to introduce the established and advanced products from Europe and US product ranges to the Indian market. This will help us grow the business with a wider foot print & bring new technologies to India. If certain trends and demands prove lucrative, we may be able to launch local production of those clo- sures.” In addition to the new capacity, the additionally equipped quality labo- ratory, mould workshop and mainte- nance section are to be expanded and given more space. www.bericap.com Closure moulding in action with Rajesh Pantsachiv (right) and Kay Barton Rajesh Pantsachiv showing a product display in the quality lab.