As the application of artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise in several industries in India, some providers in the country are drumming up the use of intelligent automation solutions for the plastics industry which is emphasizing energy conservation during production.

This was also evident at the PLASTIVISION INDIA 2023, a specialized plastics industry trade fair which was organized by the All India Plastic Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA) in December 2023 in Mumbai.

The event was attended by leading manufacturers engaged in plastics production, machines, molds, etc., from countries such as Germany, Malaysia, South Korea and China whose products and services were juxtaposed with those of leading Indian companies such as Reliance, HPCL, IOCL, JSW Group, etc. 

Because of sustainability issues that are extensively discussed in India, the focus of the PLASTIVISION INDIA 2023 was on the circular economy, which underscored the importance of sustainable practices, materials and technologies.

Prabh Das, the CEO of HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd., emphasized the industry’s potential, complementing the efforts of the government and major corporations such as Reliance Indusdtries, IOCL, HPCL-Mittal Energy.

Delta Electronics, a pioneer in power and thermal management solutions, showcased its cutting-edge range of intelligent automation solutions for the plastics industry at the trade fair, which the company used as a platform to unveil its comprehensive range of hybrid energy solutions aimed at enhancing energy efficiency. 

Delta displayed several innovative products and solutions, including a dedicated controller for plastic molding machines, single pump and double pump Hybrid Energy Storage (HES) packages with multiple features and solutions customized for diverse applications in the plastics industry.

Niranjan Nayak, Managing Director, Delta Electronics India, said that the company aims to connect with the plastics industry, pointing to his company’s HES package solutions.

India a future global hub for plastics production?

Although India has a large and sophisticated plastics production base, supported by over 2,000 exporting companies and 30,000 processing units – roughly 90% of these companies are SMEs, Indian experts are confident that the country could evolve to become a global hub for plastics production.

Indeed, the Indian Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, said he was confident in the country becoming the world’s leading supply hub for the plastics industry, and urged the industry to increase its export and domestic sales through import substitution.  There is talk of achieving an export target of US$25 billion in 2025, up from the export level of US$13 billion during the 2021/22 period.

India is set to become one of the global hubs for n plastics production. 

India’s strength also lies in the domestic availability of raw materials, ensuring that domestic plastics manufacturers and processors can rely on local supply of plastic raw materials, instead of imports; this is, particularly, true in the case of polypropylene, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene and PVC. Self-sufficiency has become the industry’s mantra.

Since its inception and, particularly, from 1960 onwards, the plastics sector has grown over the years from its infancy as a cottage industry; plastics consumption has grown in industries such as electronics, computers, white appliances, etc.

The Indian market is currently also seeing a rise in engineering plastics whose popularity is enhanced by its potential benefits and better mechanical and thermal properties, including its better strength and durability than the conventional plastics.

Sustainable plastics the answer to India’s environmental problem?

Environmental issues, which have been gathering attention in India’s plastics industry given the pressures of pollution and other hazards, are also forcing many to find new ways and means to minimize or manage plastics waste disposal.

Accelerating the development of recycling is important to India’s plastics industry. (Source: NGOBOX)

Prof. Rajagopalan Vasudevan of Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Chennai has been saying that he has developed the technology to build Indian roads with the aid of plastics.  Roads made of plastics composites, according to him, have better weathering resistance than standard asphalt concrete roads.  Such roads, so the argument goes, do not absorb water and have greater flexibility resulting in less rutting and also needing less repairs.

India generates, on an average, some 25,940 tonnes of plastics waste every day. It is considered to be the world’s fifth-highest generator of plastics waste. To tackle the issue of waste, the government imposed a ban on import of solid plastics waste/scrap; however, some experts point out that the properties that make plastics so dangerous – its durability and lifespan – can also be an asset. 

Plastics can be constantly recycled, helping the ecology as well as the economy. Experts also say that the solution would not lie in a ban on plastics but to use it responsibly and recycle it properly.

Plastics recycling is indeed gaining ground in the plastics industry as it contributes to the ecology and can also be a cost-saving factor in the industry’s calculations.

Arvind Mehta, chairman of NAB & GC Plastivision India, underscored the importance of recycling for India’s plastics industry. “Today, one of the prime movers of the plastics industry are recycling units. Therefore, it is certainly a key issue for all of us,” he said.