“We have also been able to produce aluminium foils up to 5.35 microns in the shortest amount of time which is the thinnest foil produced in this segment till now in India. This will become a new trend-setting fact in the aluminium foil packing arena.” Anil Vitankar Business Head at LSKB Aluminium Foils Pvt Ltd

AlCircle: Founded in 2018, than Covid pandemic impacted global business. What is your secret to remaining confident of becoming the leading aluminium foil/foil-based comprehensive packaging solutions provider?

LSKB: Aluminium foil being admitted as the gold standard for packaging, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, for its excellent barrier properties offered the most logical solution to some of the needs in the post Covid era.

When the Pandemic hit in March 2020, the food & beverages segment nosedived and simultaneously, the pharmaceutical industry bailed out the aluminium foil industry. Given its excellent barrier properties and being admitted as the gold standard for packaging, the Pharmaceutical Industry lapped up aluminium foils giving it exponential growth. This demand for drugs and medicines and the public's general focus on hygiene continue to push the consumption of aluminium foils.

Under this situation, the global production of aluminium foils showed a promising spike estimated to grow at a rate of 5.5 per cent CAGR, majorly driven by the consumer packaging segment and pharmaceuticals.

LSKB spotted this global trend and started a world-class manufacturing facility with technology support from M/S ACHENBACH of Germany with a foil rolling mill of 2150 mm width capable of producing the thinnest 5.35 microns of aluminium foil. The brand procures high-quality raw materials from leading manufacturers in India and abroad, offering the best quality aluminium foils. Besides, the top class and highly motivated human resources in management & shop floor drive the manufacturing unit with deep knowledge in aluminium foil rolling. We have unique insights into customer expectations owing to our sister company Jupiter laminators, which is a big consumer of converter foil and has strength in getting access to customers worldwide.

AlCircle: What is LSKB Aluminium Foil’s speciality in the aluminium foil packaging business? Do you think you are ahead of your competitors in planning?

LSKB: We offer the widest foil widths at 2150 mm wide capability offering alloy, deckle and thickness choices in the foil industry at our state-of-the-art facility located in Sonipat, Haryana, India.

We produce aluminium foil in a compact and positively pressurised plant with dust free environment. We produce foil hygienically using food-grade certified rolling oil as the foil requires in food grade-quality surface. We have DMF acknowledgement and are certified with BRCGS, SQF, KOSHER, BIS, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 4500: 2018. This gives a glimpse of the quality standard of our product. We produce material as per customers' requirements with zero tolerance for quality, timely delivery and prompt service, which makes us miles ahead of our competitors.

We are also integrated to produce food grade kitchen foil and food containers under our registered brands' names like Alu-Alu and Home Foil, using state-of-the-art machines without human touch across the process.

AlCircle: Could you share your innovation and trendsetting story in the aluminium foil packing arena?

LSKB: We at LSKB are the first and only supplier to have BRC certification. This is a synonym for delivering confidence across the entire supply chain by guaranteeing the standardization of quality, safety and operational principles. By setting the benchmark for excellent manufacturing practice, they assure customers that products are safe, legal and of high quality for our customers. We have state of the art oil fume recovery system which helps protect the environment since the fumes being discharged are free from harmful oil residue but also make a lot of economic sense in terms of oil recovery. We have also developed inert gas annealing practices that help avoid oxidation and achieve the grade dryness test necessary for our customers. We have also been able to produce aluminium foils up to 5.35 microns in the shortest amount of time which is the thinnest foil produced in this segment till now in India. This will become a new trend-setting fact in the aluminium foil packing arena. In addition, we have numerous Kaizen-driven improvements on the shop floor, driving the innovation culture and participation from our highly skilled and motivated team members. Micro embossing on kitchen foil is a significant innovation in the industry, with custom-made designs possible for each occasion.

AlCircle: What are your plans for the rest of the months of FY23 concerning investment in technology advancement for more efficient production?

LSKB: We have several firsts to our credit in our industry. We are commissioning an online surface lubrication system for a semi-rigid container using food-grade oil. This will help our customers punch the foil directly in their punching machine without adding lubricant and achieve higher productivity. We are developing nitrogen purging in an annealing furnace to get a better quality foil surface and longer shelf life of the product without surface oxidation and get consistent A-grade dryness on the foil surface. In addition to the latest features, our new separator will offer an integrated surface inspection system and dust and burr-free slitting solutions, which will cater to the upcoming battery segment.

On the Kitchen foil and container segment, we plan to launch specially coated products for ready to cook/reheat segment with food-grade quality. We also plan to launch wrinkle-free containers in the coming weeks.

AlCircle: Why do you think your aluminium foil packing quality is superior to others? Can you share any case studies with us?

LSKB: We produce material in a completely dust-free and hygienic environment with specially built ventilation and flooring system. The plant access is through an air tunnel which washes off the dust at the entry to the plant for all employees and visitors, and wearing headgear, safety shoes and an apron/ Uniform is compulsory for all. We strictly maintain the quality parameters as per the requirement of our customers. We have started annealing aluminium foil in an inert atmosphere by purging nitrogen gas in the annealing furnace. This will result in better surface quality after annealing and a longer product shelf life.

Our Packing mode includes standard practices like silica gel, vapour and moisture barrier films, corrugated papers etc. We also employ innovative wooden box packing, ensuring the material is safe during transit.

We organize various training and awareness programmes for our staff and consider customers’ feedback for continual improvement in our procedures. All quality parameters related to packing material are being monitored strictly. These give us confidence in the quality of our product packing over any other foil manufacturer.

AlCircle: What are your contributions towards a sustainable future?  

LSKB: We have arranged continuous technological support from leading experts in Industry leader’s aluminium foil rolling technology towards resource conservation through product yield improvement. We have engaged experienced professionals from the aluminium foil industry in our operations and quality control team to produce the highest level of foil quality with a keen focus on resource utilization like power, air and water with regular energy audits, air and water consumption monitoring and reduction programmes. We also focus on hiring local talent, training them for better retention, and using local vendors for supply and service, which helps sustainability in the long term. We have implemented Rainwater harvesting and now working towards solar power to cater to our daily load requirements. The entire campus is lush green with local flora and fauna using the recycled treated water from the STP plant. The in-house food preparation, as well as converting food waste into organic fertilizers for gardening, is one of the areas giving good sustainable results. The focus on paperless offices with the state-of-the-art ERP system, mobile app-based attendance, and leave and wage administration system are just a few examples. We are also continually working on packing innovations to reduce our wood and plastic consumption for foil packaging.