PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2019

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 12/19 www.petpla.net 10 PET processor in India focuses on recycling awareness A step towards enlightenment by Kay Barton April 2019, We met: Mr Vimal Kedia, Managing Director Mr Ankit Kedia, Director; Mr Sanjay Balakrishna, GM Operations Following its takeover by US based PE investor Advent International in October 2018, the Bangalore (Southern India), based preform, bottle and container giant Manjushree Technopack has achieved strong growth, with no slackening of it in sight. As a leading supplier of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Bisleri, as well as numerous other national, multi- and international major brands, the business expects to achieve revenues of more than US$180 million in 2019, rising to $250 million in 2020; with a well thought out organic growth strategy and partly as a result of further acquisitions. of 14 Husky machines are mainly used to make over 100 variety of preforms in different weight categories, rang- ing from 9.6-675g. This includes the 22mm preform for the new 250ml bottle from Coca-Cola, which is a first in the world. A Sacmi CCM24 closure line was brought here from the northern plant in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh to comple- ment the (relatively small) amount of bottle production at the location. It is important to mention that the company decided to start large scale preform manufacturing in its North unit and hence shifted two 96-cavity systems from this Bangalore plant to Pantnagar. The Bidadi plant currently handles around 70,000 of the 110,000 tonnes of material that Manjushree processes each year, across the seven plants it operates in India (see PETplanet Insider No. 3/2017, pp. 40 et seq). About 90% is PET processing and 10% PE. Advent International, which has invested in a total of seven companies in the Indian market alone, secured all of Kedaara’s 40% shares in Manjush- ree as well as 40% of all the shares held by the Kedia family, making it the majority shareholder of the company. “The shares were being traded at a reasonable price on the market at the time. When Advent became interested, we saw an opportunity to strengthen Manjushree over the long term and grow further. The transaction value was approximately US$375 million,” Vimal Kedia explained. “After this huge step forward, we now want to focus on new topics in the company – the topic of sustainability, above all else. In this project, we are working with Coca- Cola, PepsiCo, Reliance, Indorama, ASB and Husky, among other visionary front runners of the industry.” The Reuseum project This is an idea which was concep- tualised three years ago, together with Coca-Cola. The “Reuseum” is currently being built on a site adjacent to the plant in Bidadi, at a cost of approximately US$700,000. When it is completed at the end of 2019, it will serve as a plastics reuse & recycling information centre. The building is a 1,800m 2 circular complex, which will be home to an auditorium; exhibition space; digital and analogue information areas; a souvenir shop; and an atrium with a café and green spaces. Tour Sponsors: Construction site of the Reuseum The Kedia family is now engaged on a new project that is intended to communicate the benefits of recycling, reuse within the value chain and sus- tainability to the local population, on a wide scale in a practical way. We met Managing Director, Vimal Kedia and his team and got to find out about the “Reuseum”. A brief outline of what has happened since our last visit: We last visited their Bangalore preform plant, in Bidadi Industrial area, almost three years ago (see PETplanet Insider No. 11/2016, pp. 40 et seq.) On its opening in 2013, this plant com- pletely took over the Injection Moulding division from its headquarters in Bom- masandra - about an hour, as a new division. The business has expanded since, with four new Husky machines: two 400T – 4.0s, a 300T HyPET and a 180AE all-electric unit. The current total Vimal Kedia (left) welcomes Kay Barton at the Bidadi premises.