SCHOTT KAISHA to expand its operations in Gujarat & North India

Mumbai: In a first-ever industry initiative, leading pharmaceutical packaging company SCHOTT KAISHA successfully concluded its 5-city roadshow, bringing together industry experts, R&D specialists, business and sales leaders for discussions on the latest technological advancements and best practices that lead to drug safety.

Held over 2 weeks, the events gave participants a clear understanding on the importance of conversion process in tubular glass manufacturing, and showcased SCHOTT KAISHA’s upcoming product portfolio, tailor-made design and development capabilities.

Rishad Dadachanji, Director, SCHOTT KAISHA shared, “the Indian packaging industry is undergoing rapid growth and we have always been committed to address the demands and challenges of our customers. Hence, we always work together with our partners to deliver better integrated lines of solutions and services. We are extremely happy with the response at the roadshow. This has helped us further strengthen our position in the industry as a catalyst of innovation and technology. As a key takeaway, we have decided to work even closer with our stakeholders and meet their demands by investing in yet another manufacturing unit in Umarsadi, Gujarat as well as plan to set up an entirely new plant in northern India.”

With fresh investments in new sites in Gujarat and North India, expansion and upgradation of existing plants in Daman and Jambusar, SCHOTT KAISHA’s financial commitment will further increase by up to INR 500 crores between 2018 and 2020. The increased capacity will cater to the growing demand of ampoules, vials, syringes, cartridges and sterile portfolio. Through this increased production capacity, the company is focussing on catering to the domestic market first, with a current supply to export ratio of 75:25.

Major Customers of SCHOTT KAISHA played an active role during the roadshow, in giving a feedback from an end-user perspective. Mr Ajay Bapat from Emcure shared his impression, “This is a great initiative by SCHOTT KAISHA. Companies like ours, who are closest to the end-users, look forward to such events which gives us valuable insights on solutions and innovations available for the final consumer. In any industry, and more particularly, for pharmaceuticals where customer’s health is at stake, it is important to have a feedback mechanism in place. Being an informal gathering of professionals from all spheres, the event gave participants an opportunity to share challenges and demands of their customers. Now, it becomes even more important for us to work closely to overcome challenges.”

Similarly, the roadshow provided a platform for partners of SCHOTT KAISHA to showcase their unique offerings to potential clients. Severine Duband, Global Category Manager, Nemera said, “Most events in the industry generally cover a wide spectrum of offerings and cater to a mix audience. However, such a roadshow is much more targeted and caters to our specific audience. Hence, this is a much more effective platform for us resulting in quality over quantity in terms of prospective business opportunities.”

Other partners included global industry leaders such as ACE Technologies, Aptar Pharma, Datwyler, Kaisha Lifesciences, Nemera, Packwell Industries, Shakai Packaging Pvt. Ltd., Smart Skin Technologies, Snowbell Machines Pvt. Ltd., Sovereign Pharma Pvt. Ltd. and Vanrx Pharmasystems Inc.

Jayant Joshi, Managing Partner of Shreedhar Group, distributors for VANRX in India shared, “We appreciate this association as it is the first time that so many players – representing foreign brands and local players have come together on a common platform. We use SCHOTT KAISHA products and in fact, design our machines accordingly. Such events through the company are instrumental for us to get closer to our customers, gather new learnings and, in turn evolve our solutions.”

Today, India is undoubtedly a huge pharmaceutical market for the world, exerting unmatched strength in manufacturing of generic drugs for US and other global markets. With the Indian pharmaceutical packaging market estimated at INR 147.8 billion in 2017 and expected to reach INR 245.5 billion by the end of 2023, there is huge demand for an increased supply of high quality primary packaging material.