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Interview of the M.D in Times:

There are excellent openings for design professionals

Times of India, India's number 1 news paper carried interview of Mr.K.Ravi, Managing Director, Hassia Packaging Pvt Ltd.Pune.

1) The global economy is facing a downturn, what is the exact scenario of the packaging industry at this point?

Yes, the global economy has slowed down considerably. This has led to two major developments - Lack of liquidity and job losses in some sectors of the economy.

Indian packaging industry will be least affected thanks to high domestic demand and high savings rate. Most of our customers offer FMCG products in the food and personal hygiene category. Consumption of food cannot come down. However, what is likely to happen is migration from premium to local or stores brands which offer a better value (price) equation. Demand for packaging can therefore see a shift.

The biggest impact we are seeing is holding back of capital equipments purchase with a ‘wait and watch’ attitude towards big-ticket investments. However, many FMCG companies are still investing. Hopefully, one would start seeing correction by the second half.

2) How do you see the packaging industry shaping up in the next two to three years? Any predictions for 2009?

Per capita packaging in India is still very low. I expect the industry to notch up impressive growth rates. More and more products would get branded. Newer packaging concepts would be introduced. Portion packs or single serve packs in many categories would be introduced.

We at Hassia Packaging are working on creating equipments that could deliver such products to the end consumer. Jobs in the industry are highly satisfying for those who enjoy creating new value propositions.

3) Can you elaborate on the job profiles that continue to be sought after in this sector and the skills required to excel in them?

There are excellent openings for design professionals. Original engineers who can create value are badly needed. There are many products say like pickles where high speed packaging lines don’t exist simply because such products are not used in the developed world. In addition, supply chain with focus on lead time and cost reduction is another important area. A majority of the companies in this industry fall under the SME category. Attracting good talent is therefore a challenge.

4) What are the challenges that the industry is facing? How do you think the industry will cope with these?

I think the first major challenge is quality manpower. The industry to the average job seeker is not visible as much as IT and other large FMCG companies. However, very satisfying careers can be pursued.
Moreover, paper work pertaining to Import and export creates major problems in realising a seamless cross border supply chain.

Individual companies will deal and overcome these hurdles. If you visit any international packaging show, you would find an increase in the number of Indian companies actively participating and competing with world class players.
In the next ten years India will emerge as a very important landmark for high value packaging solutions.

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