Plastic packaging products manufacturer Alpla India has set up its first technology centre in the country at its facility in Pashmylaram near here with Rs 20 crore.

“With this, we now have seven technology centres across the world. This will focus on providing entire range of offerings, including ideation, customised designing in packaging and testing,’’ Guenther Lehner, Chief Executive Officer, Alpla, told newspersons here on Friday.

Though the Austria-based company’s main market base was still in Europe, business growth was being driven by Asian markets, including India, China and Thailand, he added.

New investments

Vagish Dixit, Managing Director, Alpla India, said the company’s business in India was growing by about 20 per cent every year.

“This year (January-December), we hope to achieve Rs 400 crore turnover. The tube products, recently launched by the company with bi-injection method and other PET bottles and caps would drive this growth,’’ he added.

Alpla has invested Rs 150 crore in its Hyderabad facility over the last two years.

“Out of this, Rs 100 crore was invested this year even as there were concerns about new investments particularly in Hyderabad,’’ he said.

Client base

The company’s client base in India includes Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, Castrol, Veedol, Emami and global majors such as Coca-Cola, GlaxoSmithKline, P&G, Johnson & Johnson. About seven per cent of turnover comes from exports to China and the US.

In India, it has five plants – three in Baddi (Himachal Pradesh), one each in Sitarganj (Uttarakhand) and Hyderabad.

Global turnover of privately held Alpla is €3 billion. Alpla has 74 per cent stake in Indian subsidiary, while the remaining stake belongs to Dixit’s family.

>naga.gunturi@thehindu.co.in

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