The upgraded operations means that the Associate Capsule Group (ACG) Films & Foil business, based in Pune, India, becomes the first in the country to be able to produce the packaging of oral solid dosage formulation medication in one facility from the raw materials involved – from the resin used to produce films to the raw aluminium used to create the laminate.
CEO of the company, S. R. Shivshankar, answered our question on what the opening of the new facility brings to the company: “The new facility houses a high precision machine with excellent process controls, ensuring the control of specification within the allowed global standards of the final product. By manufacturing the aluminium packaging laminates on this machine, ACG will be ensuring high productivity on the packing line at our customers' end and minimal wastage and appropriate protection of end medicines as per the requirements of the end customers.”
The latter point, in regards to minimal wastage, is one that Shivshankar noted is a growing trend in the industry: “Companies are aligning more and more towards sustainability in the ecosystem – be it a reduction in carbon footprint or more recyclable initiatives or even biodegradability of packaging material.”
Under the one roof
Shivshankar highlighted how being able to produce everything in the same facility will allow his company to achieve “identical performance as produced by our competitors in Europe.”
He revealed why this is attractive to potential customers: “We are able to offer comprehensive solutions to customers with all high-performance barrier packaging needs being catered to under one roof. It also helps them mitigate risks in their supply chain and look for newer and more affordable alternatives.”
The Asia-Pacific region is now beginning to accrue a larger share of global pharmaceutical market, through the development of low-cost generics; such growth means that global companies are now looking to make in-roads in the local market and so the evolution of services, such as ACG’s work to match European standards, will be of increasing importance into the future.