Chakan, which houses an aseptic packaging material manufacturing factory, straw factory, product development and innovation center, filling machine renovation center, processing systems manufacturing workshop and operator training academies, is the largest site for Tetra Pak globally.
Milk, paneer, skimmed milk
The plant started operations in 2013 to meet growing demand in India, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Kandarp Singh, MD, Tetra Pak South Asia, told this publication that the seminar focused on the future of processing technology in the dairy industry, including optimizing customer plant performance and productivity for milk, paneer (curd cheese) and skimmed milk.
It also looked at ways to reduce operational costs and product losses while improving product quality and yields.
“Aseptic technology takes away the need for refrigerated storage and transport or for preservatives, that’s why it is so relevant for India where our food processing sector continues to face endemic and perennial wastage of perishables,” he said.
“Aseptic technology enables penetration of safe foods into the remotest parts of the country, in a range of packaging sizes and formats and across price points from INR 5 to INR 105 ($0.08 to $1.58). This is well-aligned with our company’s vision ‘to make food safe and available, everywhere’.”
Nutritious and healthy products
Singh added the company has been present in India working with the dairy industry for more than 30 years.
“Our commitment to our customers is to ensure they consistently deliver safe and hygienic products to the market. We pioneered aseptic technology, and with our experience, and strong partnerships with local customers, we believe we have the right products and services to ensure our customers' continued success."
He said today’s young urban consumer and the growing middle class are shaping and transforming the Indian food and beverage industry, looking for nutritious and healthy products in a convenient packaging format.
Chakan has Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) status by the Indian Green Building Council and doubles the production capacity of Tetra Pak packaging material to 8.5bn packages per year, with the potential of scaling it up to 16bn packages.
It was recognized as the firm’s 2015 ‘Factory of the Year’, the best performing manufacturing factory among 37 Tetra Pak factories worldwide.
This recognizes the facilities ‘World Class Manufacturing (WCM)’ principles, which encompass quality standards, waste management and asset utilization, to team spirit and employee safety.