A Glass Apart!
Vinay
Saran, VP – Marketing, HNGIL, takes us through the successful
journey of the company.
Hindustan National
Glass & Industries Ltd. (HNGIL), the most prolific producer
of glass containers, is the undisputed market leader catering
to around 70 percent of the domestic market in the beverage, processed
food, cosmetic and liquor sectors. It covers industry majors like,
CocaCola, Dabur, GlaxoWellcome, Nestle, Pepsi, Reckitt Benckiser,
Smithkline Beecham and UB Group. Sharing with us the advantages
and applications of glass packaging, Vinay Saran, Vice President
– Marketing, HNGIL, takes us through the successful journey
of the company.
What are the
benefits of glass packaging?
Glass is 100 percent recyclable endlessly without any quality
loss. It is cost-efficient and can be reused and refilled 30 to
50 times before being recycled. It preserves content’s purity
and flavour as it is chemically inert. Glass is impermeable, air-tight
and transparent. It can be customised to absorb damaging ultraviolet
light, ensuring product purity and taste, and has an inherently
longer shelf life than any packaging material.
Glass packaging
can handle vacuum or high pressure sealing, safeguarding against
moisture and oxygen invasion and protect from spoilage and bacteria.
Is tin and
plastic giving a tough competition to glass packaging?
Glass has a unique position as a packaging medium and for a host
of products it is the best if not the only mode of packaging.
Yes, the competition from tin and plastic has increased over the
years, but it is not affecting the growth of the glass sector.
What are the latest innovations in the product line of HNGIL?
What are the R&D initiatives taken by the company?
We at HNG have always been in the forefront of technology with
regular investments in R&D and plant up-gradation. New additions
like NNPB process have enabled us to drastically reduce the weight
of glass bottles without compromising on the strength, resulting
in huge cost savings for our customers.
What are the
quality standards followed by HNGIL? How essential is it to have
the glass containers recyclable?
At HNG, quality is defined as an attribute that enables the bottles
to resist breakage during their journey from the manufacture to
the consumer, and back to the furnace as a raw material.
Quality control
is ensured across two stages. One at the raw material stage handled
by glass technologists and the other at the production stage handled
by engineers and the quality control department. And yes, glass
is the best candidate for recycling, as it is as good as new with
a good wash.
Tell us about
HNGIL\'s national and international reach.
We have a nationwide reach with manufacturing facilities in East,
North, West and South India, facilitating quicker and logistically
most economical deliveries to our customers. We have marketing
offices in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. Moreover
our dealers and sales agents are in all the corners of the country
augmenting our reach and ensuring our customers are well serviced.
Our products are exported to over 23 countries worldwide.
Glass bottles
come in different shapes, sizes and with attractive prints these
days. How would you compare today\'s trendy requirement with the
past?
At present the trendy packaging is limited to niche products and
the traditional packaging is consuming the bulk of requirements.
However product differentiation is assuming larger than life proportions
with the Indian consumer coming of age and demanding better value
like never before. We are in tune with the trends and are flexible
in embracing all new opportunities with confidence.
Glass industry
has turned versatile with its growing demand in the automotive
and construction industry. Is HNGIL planning to enter these sectors
in nearby future?
Our group company \'HNG Float Glass Ltd.\' is setting up a state-
of- the- art float glass manufacturing facility at Halol in Gujarat
with a view of tapping the emerging opportunities in construction
and automotive sectors.
<vsaran@hngil.com>
28.01.2009
