Sai Packaging aims to be biggest packaging plant in South India

Sai Packaging hosted a unique seminar on colour reproduction in Bengaluru for a group of 130 brand managers, designers and key customers from all over India. This event also saw their key supplier partners present.

On the occasion, Vijay Raghavan, the chairman and managing director of the group said, "Sai is building a leader in packaging, with a strong organisation, work culture and work systems, that is sought out by customers and all other stakeholders. In size, it means growing to Rs 3 billion by FY15, by growing inorganically as well."

The plan is: to be multi-locational and multi-product. Sai has a 1,25,000sq/ft plant in Faridabad which has doubled its capacity by adding two new lines for carton printing in May of 2013. There is an addition of 100% label inspections systems, special finishing systems, three label lines which will enhance the capacity by 50%.

Plus there is a blue-print for a new plant on a six acre plant in the outskirts of Bengaluru. This means, Sai will shift operations from its current plant in Peenya Industrial Estate to the new location. 

Raghavan said, "This will perhaps be the biggest packaging plant in South India when it comes up in 2014."

In addition, Sai is readying for the mid April launch of a pharmaceutical label facility at an undisclosed SEZ.

Two decades ago, Sai started operations as a security printing business. Since then, Sai has metamorphosed into a packaging firm, manufacturing labels and mono-cartons for food and beverage, pharmaceutical and the (FMCG) food and beverage, pharmaceutical and the Alcobev industries. Today, the company which has a staff strength of more than 600; is expected to notch Rs 1.1 billion worth of annual sales for the financial year 2013.

Recently, the company divested significant part of its holdings. The Aureos South Asia Fund (ASAF) completed a $7 million investment in Sai Security Printers. ASAF is managed by Aureos South Asia Managers Ltd, a subsidiary of Aureos Capital Limited, a private equity fund management company specialising in investing in small and medium sized businesses in emerging markets.

Raghavan said the group was divesting because Sai needed a strategic partner to quickly scale up as per the demands of the market with the ability to invest in the business. He said, "We have grown Sai as an institution and these investments are a deep commitment to the institution."

While speaking exclusively to PrintWeek India, he stated, "Sai will use the funds to build on its already strong production and technology capabilities and will work towards moving into new markets, adding new customers and providing end-to-end packaging and printing solutions to its customers."

Sai is planning to invest in people and offices all over India. Besides a raft of new presses, the group has set up support locations in Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and is planning "a few more".

"I see a lot of scope. We are investing in order to grow, which is what Sai needs. We are servicing our customers around the country, where they want our services," Raghavan concluded.