In March 2017, our new label manufacturing plant in India became fully operational in the northeastern state of Sikkim. Amar Chhajed, currently leading our labelling business, was responsible for setting up the unit, from conception to planning and final completion.
“I had, of course, the highly committed and capable team from our Parwanoo and Mahape plants to support me in executing the project tasks. Rahul Bhardwaj, who is now the operations head for Parwanoo and Sikkim, has been instrumental in establishing the new facility,” Amar points out.
Originally, Amar began his career as an entrepreneur, founding Webtech Labels PVt. Ltd. in Mumbai in 1998 together with his cousins Rahul and Jitesh. The company became a subsidiary of Huhtamaki PPL in India in 2012, and subsequently merged with our operations this spring.
“Over the years, we have managed to build Webtech into India’s largest manufacturer of pressure sensitive labels, and have constructed new factories in five different locations all over India. Each project came with a different set of challenges, and many lessons to be learnt. The most valuable lesson for the latest project was to keep reviewing timelines every week, and re-strategizing the work plans based on these reviews,” Amar says.
Complete commitment
In Amar’s view, the Huhtamaki label units are well placed to answer to the competition, as the focus has always been on quality and customer satisfaction.
“Very early on, we have aimed to achieve a zero-defect level in our labels, since this was crucial for our pharmaceutical customers. Initially, we inspected every single label manually. We then realized the need for automation to ensure 100% defect detection, and purchased India´s first completely automatic label defect detection system,” Amar recalls.
The target was set on achieving complete customer satisfaction, with a team geared up and ready to meet any service requests, including delivering labels within few hours of receiving orders.
“I have personally driven to customers’ factories even at odd hours of the day to deliver labels, ensuring that their production lines kept running uninterrupted. We were also extremely fast and responsive in developing new solutions for unique requirements.”
Amar maintains that this commitment has helped to achieve a distinct advantage, setting a benchmark much higher than industry standards.
“Our innovation capabilities are second to none worldwide, with focus on low cost and simplicity in process. We continue to strive to maintain our lead on these fronts,” he concludes.