Flexible rigid and diversified at Vishakha Polyfab

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We went to Vishaka Polyfab in Ahmedabad to do a story — instead we got three, writes Fayez Ali. Vishaka Polyfab is a part of the Vishakha Group which consists of Vishakha Polyfab which manufactures high strength, high barrier and multilayer packaging films, Vishakha Industries which makes big injection moulded products and Vishakha Irrigation which which makes micro drip irrigation systems.

Jigish Doshi the founder of Vishakha Group has had 30 years experience in manufacturing and trading before he set up Vishakha Polyfab a private limited company, in 2001. It is the only 9-layer EVOH/Nylon based high-barrier film manufacturer in India with a production capacity of over 7,200 tonnes every year. Vishakha can make a variety of barrier films: 9,7,5 and 3-layer films from materials like Nylon, EVOH, PET, Metallocene, PP, and PE among others. The 9-layer blown film line is from Brampton Engineering in Canada. In 2010 another 7-layer blown film line from Brampton Engineering will be installed at Vishakha Polyfab increasing the present capacity of 7,200 tonnes to 11,700 tonnes a year. Vishakha Polyfab’s flexible packaging printing and converting facilities include an 8-colour and a 9-colour gravure printing presses. Engraved cylinders are bought out from Shilp among other suppliers.

Vishaka’s 7 and 9-layer film lines can provide the full range of barrier properties, strength and aesthetic options to customers. These multilayer films provide low OTR (Oxygen Transmission Rate) barrier properties against moisture and microbes that may not be as much as aluminium but are quite comparable. The barrier properties these multilayer films provide are useful for many flexible packaging applications and since the absence of an aluminium layer makes these films easier to recycle. Converters and polymer engineers acknowledge that any multilayer plastic  laminate without a metal layer can be easily recycled into second grade plastics. The laminates with metallized film layers need to go through an additionally tedious process to remove the metal in the recylcing process.

Jigish Doshi pointed out that multilayer films were being used in edible oils, meat and cheese packaging. The multilayer films are being used in bulk packaging of cheese slabs of 25 kilograms and also to package engineering components because of their non corrosive barrier properties. Vishakha Polyfab’s clientele includes both packaging converters and end users such Adani Wilmar, Essel Propack, Hindustan Unilever, Marico, Mother Dairy, and Paper Products among others.

The Vishakha Group started Vishakha Industries in 2006 with its manufacturing facility in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. Vishakha Industries makes pallets and Big Bins, Vishakha’s brand for extra large bins, by injection moulding. The extra large bins are of 666 litres capacity made by one of the largest injection moulding machines in India which has a capacity of 3,800 tonnes per year. The bins and pallets are made from HDPE/PP plus additives. These are being used in controlled atmosphere warehouses.

Three companies that have controlled atmosphere warehouses in the country are — Concor belonging the Railway Ministry which is a carrier, terminal and warehouse operator; Adani Agri Fresh of the Adani Group and Unifrutti. Controlled atmosphere warehouses are different from cold storage warehouses because in controlled atmosphere warehouses the temperature is maintained at room temperature and the preservation is done with the help of controlling the moisture, light and gasses that make up the atmosphere in the warehouses. The benefit of these controlled atmosphere  warehouses is that the food is not frozen and hence retains its taste and aroma. Not freezing food  also means lower energy cost, and avoids the tedious thawing process which if not done correctly spoils the food material.

Vishakha Industries has sold 100,000 pallets to the Punjab government for grain storage last year, and is looking at selling pallets to the Haryana Government this year. The pallets have obvious benefits over the wooden ones, being lighter and stronger. The plastic pallets have smooth surfaces versus the rough surfaces, jagged edges and nails of the wooden pallets. Smooth pallets prevent losses due to tearing of grain sacks. The plastic pallets do not absorb moisture, and hence can be cleaned with water. Wooden pallets also need pesticides to prevent termite infestations for prolonging their life at the cost of their food grade suitability.

Vishakha Industries are also interested in expanding their range of plastic products by manufacturing blow moulded personal care packaging and automobile components. The Vishakha Group also started Vishakha Irrigation in 2008, which provides injection moulded components and drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. In the short period from 2001 to 2009, the Vishakha Group has diversified from flexible packaging to rigid packaging and allied industries.

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