ITC’s Nadiad plant – a packaging powerhouse

In 2022, ITC’s Packaging & Printing Business (ITC-PPB) launched a new facility in Nadiad, Gujarat, to strengthen its foothold in India’s western market, complementing existing plants in Chennai, Haridwar and Munger. This strategically located unit aims to address regional market demands more closely, as highlighted by Marut Shukla, the general manager and factory head, who emphasises the area’s significant packaging demands.

Shukla explains, “We have been serving the West through our units in Haridwar and Chennai for quite some time now. Our Nadiad factory enhances service levels through faster turnaround times and improved customer proximity, while also offering easier access to western export markets due to its proximity to ports.”

Shukla mentions that any greenfield expansion is treated as an unprecedented opportunity at ITC. Under the guidance of M Muralidharan, head of manufacturing, past experiences of establishing a greenfield factory in Haridwar and expansions at the Chennai factory were distilled into a factory configuration designed for efficiency. The facility design was fine-tuned by embedding sustainability, building flexibility for future expansions, and enabling cohesive material and workflows—resulting in a future-ready, optimised factory. From site selection to the final touches, every phase was executed with planning and precision, ensuring better quality and service capabilities to meet the demands of a fast-paced market.

Market segments and growth
ITC’s business leadership prides itself on working towards the mission of providing customer-centric solutions to brand owners in a reliable, efficient, and sustainable manner on a consistent basis. This strategic approach is taken a notch further with the setting up of the Nadiad facility.

SN Venkatraman, CEO at ITC’s Packaging and Printing Business, says, “We are not just committed to meeting but anticipating the customer needs. The aim should be to drive deeper entrenchment levels with our customers,” Shukla mentioned.

This proactive alignment has allowed ITC’s packaging and printing business to pivot from its presence in traditional strength segments of F&B, homecare, personal care, and alcobev in FMCG categories to diverse segments with high growth and premiumisation potential — especially for the exports market in sectors like quick service restaurants (QSR), electricals, footwear, and apparels.

Machinery and production capabilities
When discussing the plant’s manufacturing capabilities, Shukla notes that the facility currently focuses on two main technology platforms: offset printing and gravure printing. He points out, “While the primary processes across the industry may be standardised, it’s the extra enhancements we can offer that set us apart.”
 

The team at Nadiad believes in dynamic job sequencing, shift planning and real-time production monitoring. Workload is optimised to ensure efficient capacity utilisation.

This facility excels in value addition solutions like sustainable packaging, different surface finishes, and graphic effects. He mentions the versatility of their machines, which allows them to produce complex cartons and structural designs—showcasing the unique strengths of the Nadiad operations.

Within a brief period, the Nadiad facility has seen sustained investments. It currently houses two Heidelberg offset printing lines designed for high-speed, high-precision carton production with both UV and conventional printing capabilities. The print lines are complemented by an assortment of value addition and finishing machinery from Bobst and other suppliers, allowing for a wide gamut of surface finishes, value additions, and designs.

Supported by dynamic job sequencing, shift planning, and real-time production monitoring, workload is optimised to ensure efficient capacity utilisation.

Besides the offset line, the plant leverages ITC’s institutional strength of being a tobacco packaging powerhouse and houses a gravure printing line from Bobst for all tobacco packaging needs in India and abroad.

“The machine, equipped with ITC’s operational expertise, ensures high-quality print consistency and high-speed packing line runnability matching global benchmarks, required for the tobacco packaging market,” says Shukla.

The Nadiad plant team is proud of the fact that it is a resilient partner to its customers. One way it achieves this is by housing a large warehouse to support customers through various operational models.

Operational efficiency and quality
Shukla highlights that “modern day customer house demands are changing dynamically and the operational agility to cater to those is increasingly becoming critical.” He highlights how the plant handles extremely short runs—as low as a few hundred sheets in some cases to support customer requirements.

In this realm, maintaining production efficiency, assuring quality, and optimising wastages is a must to remain competitive in the market.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) as a philosophy offers well-established frameworks to deliver such results reliably. Shukla points out Muralidharan’s experience of setting up best practices at ITC-PPB—including at a legacy plant in Chennai—to prevent unplanned breakdowns.

He alludes to Venkatraman’s stints at ITC’s Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division (ITC-PSPD), which witnessed productivity results through TPM. This gave an impetus to institutionalising TPM culture consistently at Nadiad from day one.

Today, the plant deploys various aspects of TPM to optimise its operations. By meticulously monitoring and analysing waste on a job-by-job basis under focused improvement projects, Shukla instils a sense of ownership among employees, reminding them that “even a small amount of waste translates to a loss of money.”

Furthermore, the in-house ink kitchen and robust quality assurance systems serve to minimise waste and expedite turnaround times, ultimately enhancing the plant’s efficiency.

Shukla elaborates on the business leadership’s strategic approach, including Venkatraman’s focus on building systems and enabling them with technology and capital investment, stating, “Whenever there’s a clear need, we invest proactively to ensure we can serve our customers effectively.”

Quality assurance and OTIF (on-time in full) deliveries are an integral aspect of ITC’s service delivery. The Nadiad plant has leveraged technologies to amplify benefits from TPM and sustain the same.

Leveraging technology
The Nadiad plant has established inline and offline computer vision inspection systems to detect defects in real-time, reducing wastage and ensuring quality.

These initiatives are reflected in excellence customer ratings received by the plant from marquee customer brands like Colgate, GSK, etc., that testify to the systems, infrastructure, and work culture.

Further, the team is at the vanguard in leveraging smart digital technologies, using them to plan jobs, continuously monitor near real-time production metrics, and take corrective actions to ensure high efficiency.

Also, the plant utilities are monitored through a Building Management System (BMS) which provides visibility on equipment performance and enables energy consumption optimisation.

“It is a balance between machine efficiency and human intervention,” says Shukla.

New product development
ITC is committed to co-creating and functional innovation, as emphasised by Shukla while elaborating the vision of Venkatraman. This commitment to R&D empowers the business to deliver innovative packaging solutions that add real value to clients’ brands highlighting the significance of collaboration in product development.

Central to this effort is an in-house design team based in Chennai, equipped with a design studio that collaborates with a substantial R&D facility called the Life Sciences and Technology Centre (LSTC) in Bengaluru. The focus is on sustainable packaging solutions for the entire ITC group.

Shukla outlines a dual approach to R&D targeting sustainable packaging and enhancing packaging designs.

The LSTC team is dedicated to developing solutions for sustainable packaging like proprietary coatings (bioseal), prioritising mono-materials and paper-based solutions.

This commitment to sustainability is complemented by creative structural designs and graphic enhancements, enabling ITC to respond quickly to customer needs while staying competitive.

A key product because of their innovation efforts is Eco Byte, ITC’s brand of sustainable tubs, oil and grease resistant (OGR) wrappers, honey-comb paper, and cups for various food applications—tailored for the eCommerce sector and consumer applications, from household events to children’s parties.

Collaboration with A-List brands
ITC’s Nadiad factory serves as a hub for successful collaborations with leading domestic and international brands. Shukla emphasises the leadership’s vision in driving the importance of understanding client needs, stating, “When brands choose us, they aren’t just selecting a packaging provider; they’re choosing a partner invested in their success, and the deeper engagement happens offline over time.”

Shukla mentions that there is a noticeable trend in the industry in favour of sustainable packaging lately.

Today, the business has a wide portfolio of such products as light-weighting materials, alternatives to MetPET packaging improving recyclability, PE coating replacement in QSR tubs and lids, or even better plastics—monofilms and compostable films.

ITC’s factory in Nadiad has benefitted from the group’s experiences of establishing a greenfield factory in Haridwar and expansions at the Chennai factory.

 

Manpower and collaboration in automation
Shukla emphasises the benefits of a young workforce, noting their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. Many employees are new to the job market, bringing a growth mindset that enhances operational effectiveness. Their innovative ideas contribute to a dynamic workplace where motivation often arises from the shop floor.

While talking about automation, he highlights that successful automation in manufacturing requires continuous collaboration between technology and operators. He stresses the importance of ensuring that automation addresses real user challenges, stating that if it introduces new issues, they must be promptly resolved.

Training, according to him, involves more than just familiarising employees with these systems. “We need to maintain open communication and gather feedback about what works and what doesn’t,” he explains—reiterating that automation systems must also adapt to user needs.

Notably, he shares his positive experience of deploying collaborative robots in Nadiad for end-of-line palletisation, emphasising their flexibility over traditional robots. This approach has proven successful in optimising operations while minimising costs and maximising efficiency.

Future expansion and sustainability
Sustainability is integral to ITC’s ethos, and the Nadiad plant exemplifies this commitment through its eco-friendly practices.

The facility, besides being a Platinum certified IGBC building, is also equipped with an onsite solar rooftop in alignment with ITC’s goals of achieving 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

Furthermore, the plant continues to work on reducing its energy consumption. These initiatives are supported through an advanced digital BMS, which provides a control tower approach to all its utilities.

The facility also has waste treatment systems ensuring no impact on the environment due to its operations.

Shukla emphasises the ITC leadership team’s vision for the Nadiad facility, identifying it as the focus factory for ITC-PPB. He reveals, “We have a lot of spare space available beyond the currently occupied plot area,” highlighting the plant’s potential for future growth while embedding sustainability into every aspect of its core operations.