Essel Propack, a tube packaging company is developing intelligent packaging but it is the cloud that is enabling major transformation for the organisation
PRAKASH DHARMANI
ESSEL PROPACK
Essel Propack is one of the early adopters of ERP in the packaging industry. The company has invested heavily in various IT systems including HRMS and we are now reaping benefits out of it. However, we do not upgrade our technology just for the sake of it unless until it either brings down the cost or business value to the table. There needs be a rational or commercial call.
Around a decade back, colourful print and aesthetic packaging designs could have been the key feature that consumer companies used to focus on to attract customers. However, due to rising global concerns over product safety and the sustainability, the focus of new innovations today is on offering features like recyclable / reusable packaging, convenient easy-to-use packaging, new and improved decorative printing, increased product shelf-life and anti-counterfeit packaging which provide benefits to all stakeholders like brand owners, retailers and consumers in the value chain.
When it comes to innovation in packaging, global leader in tube manufacturing Essel Propack is one company that not only is transforming its business by introducing smart and intelligent packaging trends but carrying out initiatives to bring in efficiency in the company's day-to-day operations by adopting technology and moving on to Cloud technology.
Prakash Dharmani, Global CIO, Essel Propack says the company has taken up multiple projects when it comes to digital transformation. For example, earlier there was a Capex (capital expenditure) process, a physical paper moving from country to country. The company has now developed a complete workflow system and turned it into paperless thus reducing the time-cycle from weeks to a couple of days. Besides, the company had completely digitised one of the most important processes in tube manufacturing chain ie capturing customers' requirements electronically in terms of the graphics which get printed on the tubes. The company has not only converted the process of capturing the requirements electronically, the complete process of artwork gathering, development of artwork and resending it to the customer for approval was converted into workflow too. This has reduced valuable time in approvals and manual errors. Implementation of such systems has resulted in a paradigm shift in the way artwork development and processing will happen in future.
“I think what has helped in this journey is the mindset of the chairman of Essel Propack, Ashok Goel and other CXOs at Essel that if you need to have a competitive edge, you need to adopt technology. And you need to be the first mover,” says Dharmani.
“As and when the lifecycle of existing infrastructure gets completed and the cost to maintain that legacy goes high is where we need to take a call to refresh technology.”
Dharmani further adds that the company is on a constant lookout on how to improve on the technological front. Essel Propack is also conducting a lot of research on Open Source to maintain the right balance of cost of systems and technology and the impact it would have on business.
“We prepare a three-year roadmap and as per business requirements, we adopt new technologies, either in terms of improving our bottom line or top line,” adds Dharmani.
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