Coatings for food produce, labels and inks for metal cans

The UFlex Chemicals Business in the final quarter of the 2021-2022 financial year released several important coatings and inks that are particularly useful for various types of food packaging. From coatings for corrugated boxes for fresh produce used in both domestic logistics and exports, to decorative labels and metal packaging.

The Flexcoat Aquaban coating for corrugated trays and boxes provides a water repellent coating for kraft paper is used as an inner liner on corrugation boxes. The Aquaban coating helps maintain the structural integrity of corrugated shipping boxes in transit movement and is claimed to withstand extreme weather conditions to preserve perishable goods.

A versatile water-based coating, Flexcoat Aquaban complies with FDA guidelines. With a large number of fresh fruit with extended shelf life hitting the retail shelves, the need for strong and sturdy corrugated packaging boxes, which can hold the packed contents safe, has gained impetus.

The Flexcure HFS over printable coating for labeling applications is also a development released in Q4 of FY 21-22 by the UFlex Chemicals Division. The new HFS coating complements both wet and dry UV inks – a perennial concern of brands and converters. Its free radical chemistry-based UV gloss varnish enables both in-line and offline application and offers the possibility of hot foil stamping over the printed label with good scuff resistance properties on the glossy areas of texture patterns.

The premium over-printable coating has been specifically formulated to be applied in-line over wet or dry UV inks and is suitable for fast curing for full or flat overprint coating of all types of printed papers, board mono-cartons, other packaging materials, and for various types of labels used by the consumer product industry.

The Flexcure Sheetfed MT Series UV inks for offset presses used for metal decoration are meant for high-end aluminum and tin plate sheets. Representing a new gen

eration of UV ink for decoration of metal packaging, the series has been specially developed for printing on aluminum and tin plate sheets, used for both two and three-piece cans, and also for high-end packaging for industrial, body care products, and other non-food packaging applications.

FMCG and CPG brands focus on the metal packaging structures that require impeccable finesse for their products to stand out on the retail shelves. The new Flexcure MT UV inks enable brand owners to maximize the shelf impact of their products in the ambiance of modern retail formats.

The Covid-19 pandemic led to the country-wide lockdown on 25 March 2020. It will be two years tomorrow as I write this. What have we learned in this time? Maybe the meaning of resilience since small companies like us have had to rely on our resources and the forbearance of our employees as we have struggled to produce our trade platforms.

The print and packaging industries have been fortunate, although the commercial printing industry is still to recover. We have learned more about the digital transformation that affects commercial printing and packaging. Ultimately digital will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future.

Web analytics show that we now have readership in North America and Europe amongst the 90 countries where our five platforms reach. Our traffic which more than doubled in 2020, has at times gone up by another 50% in 2021. And advertising which had fallen to pieces in 2020 and 2021, has started its return since January 2022.

As the economy approaches real growth with unevenness and shortages a given, we are looking forward to the PrintPack India exhibition in Greater Noida. We are again appointed to produce the Show Daily on all five days of the show from 26 to 30 May 2022.

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