For Sundeep Murada, founder of Phi Pac, the journey of building a packaging business has never been about shortcuts. It has been a story of persistence, calculated risks, hard-earned learning, and continuous backward integration.
Murada’s entrepreneurial journey began in the late 1990s from a modest setup in Karol Bagh, Delhi. Coming from a first-generation business background, Murada entered the industry after completing his post-graduation, initially continuing a small stationery printing business started by his father, Ramesh Murada. What started as a supplementary source of income gradually evolved into a full-fledged printing business.
“In the initial years, I was getting jobs done from outside printers as a freelancer,” said Murada. “The entire focus was on learning the industry, understanding offset printing, and building relationships with customers.”
Over the years, Phi Pac has steadily expanded through strategic equipment investments. From single-colour offset presses to multicolour machines, the company continuously added capabilities based on customer demand. Telecom and banking sectors became major growth drivers during the early 2000s, helping the company scale rapidly. However, like many print businesses, Phi Pac also witnessed market fluctuations, business slowdowns, and the impact of industry disruptions.
A major turning point came around 2017–18 when Phi Pac entered the corrugated packaging segment. Initially catering to Domino’s Pizza packaging requirements through a partnership-led corrugation setup, the company gained valuable operational exposure to packaging manufacturing, quality systems, and production management.
“That experience was expensive, but the learning was invaluable,” Murada recalls. “It helped us understand corrugation, packaging dynamics, and where the future opportunities lie.”
Today, Phi Pac operates from its facility in Gurugram with a diversified portfolio that includes commercial printing, offset jobs, and packaging production. However, Murada believes packaging will gradually become the company’s core growth engine.
“The equipment we install today will decide our future,” he says. “Packaging offers scalability, product innovation opportunities, and long-term sustainability compared to pure commercial printing.”
This vision ultimately led Phi Pac to invest in the DGM Smartfold Classic 1100 SL folder gluer.
Murada says the decision was driven by the need for greater automation, consistency, and production efficiency. Having previously worked extensively with pre-owned equipment, he wanted the next phase of expansion to be based on modern, reliable, and automation-driven technology.
“A new machine offers a completely different level of stability, automation, and confidence,” he explained. “Over the last two decades, the transition in electronics, metallurgy, and automation has been massive. A modern folder gluer significantly reduces downtime and improves production consistency.”
The DGM Smartfold Classic 1100 SL is currently being used for a wide range of carton applications including four-corner cartons, six-corner cartons, lock-bottom cartons and three-ply cover jobs.
Murada added that automation will become increasingly important as converters look to scale operations and improve profitability.
“One thing I realised over time is that scaling is impossible without automation,” he says. “Manual systems can only take you to a certain level.”
The relationship with Puneet also played a crucial role in the investment decision. Murada shares that technical understanding, transparency, and after-sales confidence were key evaluation factors while selecting the equipment partner.
“I knew Puneet from his earlier industry days, and what stood out was his technical clarity,” said Murada. “A lot of people sell machines without understanding the actual production realities. But here, the discussions were solution-driven and technically sound.”
Before finalising the investment, Murada visited China, evaluated the DGM manufacturing facility, conducted third-party market checks, and interacted with existing users.
“I wanted to understand whether DGM was a real manufacturer or simply an aggregator,” he said. “I also wanted confidence in the Indian support structure and service capability. Once I was satisfied on all fronts, the decision became easier.”
Murada believes the packaging industry is currently divided into two distinct segments — service-based printing and product-centric manufacturing.
“In service printing, competition is extremely high, and margins are constantly under pressure,” he said. “But product-based packaging, especially where you solve a real market problem, offers far better scalability and stronger business opportunities.”
He sees sustainability-driven packaging innovations and differentiated product manufacturing as key growth areas for the future.
“If you can create a product that solves a real problem — whether in sustainability, structure, or manufacturing efficiency — you automatically gain stronger pricing power and wider market reach,” he explained.
While the company continues to grow steadily, Murada remains cautious and disciplined about expansion.
“Being a first-generation entrepreneur, I have always been mindful about debt exposure and business stability,” he says. “Every investment has come after a lot of thought, learning, and practical experience.”
Today, Phi Pac’s Gurugram facility reflects not just operational growth but also Murada’s belief in creating a positive work environment. Interestingly, the aesthetics and interior design of the factory have been conceptualised by his sister, Rangeeta, whose passion for design adds a distinct visual character to the workspace.
As Phi Pac continues its gradual evolution into a stronger packaging-focused organisation, the installation of the DGM Smartfold Classic 1100 SL represents more than just a machinery investment. It marks another chapter in a journey defined by resilience, learning, and the ambition to build a future-ready packaging business.