Petainer Innopac JV opens PET container plant in India

Photo by Petainer PetainerCooler is blow moulded at the Petainer Innopac Packaging plant near Mumbai.

A joint venture in India between Petainer UK Holdings and Innopac Containers has opened a blow moulded PET container plant.

The JV company Petainer Innopac Packaging officially opened the new manufacturing facility close to the Mumbai region in India on 7 December.

At the new plant, Petainer’s 20-litre bulk water cooler jar, called PetainerCooler, is blow moulded. Preforms for the plant’s output are supplied from Petainer’s manufacturing sites in Europe.

The facility also has an on-site design studio, laboratory services and warehousing.

Officially opening the plant, Atit Bhatia, managing director of Petainer Innopac Packaging, said: “This is an exciting day and we are delighted that we have delivered on our timely promise to the market by bringing a world-class facility and a world-class product to the Indian market. The plant and its strategic location supports our ambitious growth plans for the region which is based on providing customers with an exciting portfolio of innovative and gamechanging solutions.”

Nigel Pritchard, group CEO of Petainer UK Holdings, said: “India presents an exciting and dynamic market opportunity for our innovative packaging solutions. There is huge interest and demand from brand owners in India who genuinely recognise that Petainer’s advanced polymer engineering brings significant benefits in terms of reduced cost of ownership and improved sustainability.”

The joint venture business was formed in early 2015 to target Petainer’s PET products at brand owners in India. Petainer and Innopac said they have agreed to a phased approach, “with our joint goals for the region at its core the introduction of proprietary high performance packaging solutions made from specialist materials with integrated barrier technology and a focus on sustainability and the building of commercial advantage”.

Petainer Innopac Packaging has also introduced the PetainerKeg into India. This is a one-way 20 or 30-litre plastic keg made for the beer, wine and other beverage markets. It said more equipment and products will be brought online in the coming months.