SRPL and BOBST celebrate two-decade partnership of flexible packaging excellence

A leader in the plastic packaging industry, the company has built a strong reputation for innovation, efficiency, and customer focus. With an impressive fleet of six BOBST rotogravure presses, three BOBST CI flexo presses, and a BOBST laminator, SRPL consistently delivers exceptional value by ensuring superior print quality, reducing waste, and maximizing operational performance.

Shree Group has established a robust, integrated presence across the flexible packaging industry. With businesses spanning masterbatches, aluminium foil, stretch and shrink films, printing inks, paper cores, polymer trading, and recycling, the group ensures supply reliability, consistent quality, operational stability and long-term competitiveness in demanding packaging markets. SRPL has consistently invested in advanced manufacturing technologies, including a wide range of BOBST machines, in a partnership that has now spanned 20 years and has enabled the company to stay at the forefront of the flexible packaging sector.

The three manufacturing facilities are ISO and BRCGS certified, offering a combined total production capacity of 72,000 metric tons per annum. The company’s three plants house comprehensive capabilities such as blown film extrusion, flexo platemaking, cylinder engraving, gravure and flexo printing, adhesive and extrusion lamination, slitting and rewinding, pouching, and bag making. These operations are further strengthened by a state-of-the-art quality control laboratory, a highly skilled R&D team, and extensive warehousing facilities.

Director at SRPL, Mr. Manish Rathi, commented: “Our close collaboration with BOBST has been instrumental in enhancing our production capabilities and achieving operational excellence. Over the past two decades, this partnership has played a pivotal role in our growth.”

Boosting efficiency with BOBST
SRPL produces a wide range of flexible packaging products, catering to diverse sectors such as fresh, dried, and frozen food, soft drinks, tea and coffee, snacks, biscuits and confectionery, agricultural, chemical, pharmaceutical, healthcare, home and personal care, and automotive industries. The company has a dedicated manufacturing facility for pre-made pouches with a focus on solutions that offer strong shelf appeal and convenience, such as Stand up, Box Pouch, easy-open, easy-tear with laser perforation, easy-lock, easy-peel, and spout pouches.

More recently, SRPL has focused further on sustainable packaging solutions to support consumers and companies recycle packaging materials more easily.

“BOBST gravure printing machines are renowned for advanced technology and operational efficiency, delivering high-quality printing with minimal waste and maintenance. The integration of six gravure printing machines from BOBST has enabled us to achieve consistent print quality, reduce waste, and lower operational costs, contributing to overall production efficiency,” Mr. Rathi explained.

Addressing CI Flexo challenges in India with smart solutions
In addition to gravure, SRPL has embraced BOBST’s CI Flexo technology to overcome critical challenges commonly faced in the Indian flexible packaging market, such as precise job registration, minimizing waste, and reducing changeover times.

Mr. Rathi highlighted these benefits: “The smartGPS system on our CI Flexo presses has greatly improved registration accuracy, reduced setup time, and minimized waste; key challenges faced in adopting CI Flexo technology in India. Separately, our laminator equipped with BOBST’s advanced flexo trolley enables high-quality adhesive coating with lower solvent use and drying temperatures, helping us reduce adhesive consumption and achieve superior lamination quality.”

Supporting sustainable growth
Incorporating more than 80 years of BOBST expertise, the gravure presses offer SRPL numerous benefits supporting its sustainability mission. Shaftless technology reduces mechanical complexity and enhances print quality, while Twin Flow dryers with semi-flotation technology provide efficient, low-temperature drying, ideal for sustainability-focused substrates.

SRPL has also developed fully recyclable, mono-material polyethylene (PE) packaging solutions in collaboration with ExxonMobil. These replace multi-layer mixed plastics that are typically difficult to separate and recycle, addressing circularity concerns without compromising performance. The precision and efficiency of BOBST equipment ensure these recyclable packages meet stringent quality standards.

Future outlook
Looking ahead to future growth, SRPL plans to deepen its collaboration with BOBST by investing further in automation and digitalization to enhance productivity and sustainability. The company aims to leverage BOBST’s continuous innovations to maintain its competitive edge and meet evolving customer demands.

Mr. Rathi concluded: “We truly appreciate the BOBST sales and service teams in India for their timely and effective support. Robust after-sales service ensures minimal downtime and reliable operations, providing peace of mind for our customers. Together, we look forward to driving innovation and sustainable growth in the flexible packaging industry.”
 

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