Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

INDUSTRY REPORT FOR NIRMAL TUBES AND CONTAINERS

PVT LTD
TOPIC: SETTING UP CORRUGATED BOX MANUFACTURING
UNIT IN INDIA
BY: BHARGAV SHAH

Table of Content

1.0 The corrugated packaging industry in India

2.0 Current trends in Indian corrugated packaging industry
3.0 Future Developments
4.0 Export Packaging
5.0 Measuring Corrugated boxes
6.0 Types of Flutes used in Corrugated Box Manufacturing
7.0 Manufacturing process
8.0 Imperative contacts in India
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

1.0 The corrugated packaging industry in India

While the first unit for corrugated packaging in the world was set up as early as 1905, the
manufacturing process of corrugated box in India started only in the early fifties. It
started in a small way with box making units located only in Calcutta and Bombay and
supplying boxes to users all over the country. It was not unusual for boxes to be shipped
from Bombay to Delhi. Infect even in those days corrugated boxes were mainly made
using imported sheets from countries like Sweden, with only the scoring, cutting and
stitching being done here. Later a few manufacturers imported corrugating machines and
started manufacturing corrugated sheets, which were then converted to boxes by
themselves and other smaller box makers who bought sheets from them.

The growth of the industry was rapid from the late fifties through the early sixties,
because of the thrust given to industrialization by the government after independence.
However the acceptance of corrugated boxes as a substitute for wooden boxes or other
conventional packaging was neither easy nor immediate. This was mainly due to a wrong
perception of high cost and poor strength properties. However with consistent efforts this
impression was rectified and advantages of this highly economical very flexible and high
strength product were soon recognized in the market place. It was then only a matter of
time that the consumer goods like toothpastes, soaps, detergents, oilcans, and hundreds of
other items came to be dispatched in corrugated boxes.

This acceptance led to the boom in the corrugated packaging sector. With surging
demand, new box makers came in to set up box making capacity. With high growth
rates, the industry soon spread geographically and took roots at manufacturing centers
across the country and newer units came up in the vicinity of consuming centers and
remote industrial towns.

Today there are a few thousand corrugated packaging units spread all over the country.
The Indian Industry continues to grow at a healthy pace with a strong involvement of the
Federation, armed for the future with both technology and perspective.
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

2. Current trends in Indian corrugated packaging industry

Today the corrugated industry is attracting more and more technocrat’s engineers and
packaging specialists who are transforming it into a progressive and dynamic industry.
The industry is converting over 10 lakh tones of paper per year into boxes and boards.
Over 1 lakh people are directly employed in this industry belonging to the small-scale
sector. The corrugated packaging industry has been effectively and completely meeting
the packaging requirements of the industry both for domestic needs and for exports.

Keeping in view the need for ecological balance, the corrugated packaging industry has
supported the development of non-conventional raw materials as well as the use of waste
paper in the manufacture of its major raw material - Kraft paper. Indian paper industry
has successfully made paper from sugarcane residue and recycling of local paper, besides
making it from imported OCC as anywhere else in the world.

Recent advances

With its progressive and dynamic outlook, the corrugated packaging industry has been
endeavoring to meet the challenging requirements of the future. New products and
innovations in distribution and marketing systems have placed a demand on the
corrugated packaging industry. These demands have been successfully met by the
corrugation industry through hard work and ingenuity.

Among the recent developments in the corrugated packaging are:

 Surface coatings to give additional functional properties to paper; film

laminations for gloss and rub resistance; innovatively designed point of purchase
displays which also serve as transport cum consumer packs; the O-Pack for bulk
packaging: bag-in-a-box; boxes for horticultural produce like apples, oranges,
pineapples, watermelons and vegetables; packages for electrodes, explosives etc.
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

 Another vital area where corrugated packaging has made a significant

contribution is the packaging for defense. Corrugated boxes are being used for
packing items like lanterns, enamelled mugs, processed foods, shoes and other
ordnance stores.
 Among other products that will be increasingly packed in corrugated boxes are
coffee beans, tea, tobacco, textiles and fabrics. Non-packaging applications is a
new trend. Corrugated packaging has been innovatively used for making storage
cabinets, furniture partitions and other items.
 Multi colour printed white top boxes are the current trend in corrugated
packaging. Die-cut boxes are being made in increasing numbers. Corrugated
packaging is also being ingeniously developed into point-of-purchase stands that
find their place in super markets facilitating product displays and offering
consumer convenience.
 One new application is the use of weather resistant corrugated boxes for long-
term storage of records and files. Another recent advance is the development of
standard dimension corrugated boxes for the use by courier companies in India.
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

3. Future Developments

The future looks promising for the corrugated packaging industry. A number of
exciting developments are in the offering. Research and development efforts are
pursued relentlessly to place India on the world map of corrugated industry. The
industry is keeping pace with India's march towards modernization automation and
computerization. This will help the industry to develop capability of international
standards and thus opens the doors for export of corrugated boxes.

In the years to come the industry structure is expected to undergo a sea change as the
country moves towards globalization and liberalization. The current trend towards
making of die cut boxes will accelerate and new designs will evolve.

 There will be increasing emphasis on recyclability and corrugated boxes will

be required to conform to regulations on solid waste disposal. Composite
materials will become obsolete and environment-friendly corrugated boxes
will find greater use.
 Treated papers will be increasingly used to make the paper do more in terms
of offering effective resistance to water, grease, oil, static, electricity etc.
 Brown boxes will give way to more attractive white top and other colour top
corrugated boxes for in-built product segregation, inventory coding and
enhanced aesthetics.
 Use of F (micro) flute boxes for packaging of food products will be seen more
The future trend will be towards 3 ply boxes.
 As automation will become the norm, productivity per person will increase.
Users of corrugated boxes will install automatic packaging lines, demanding
closer tolerances and higher sophistication in corrugated packaging. The
handling of corrugated boxes will also be automated and computerized in
India. The industry will develop precise printing of bar codes for automated
identification, storage and retrieval of corrugated boxes. The future will thus
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

witness corrugated packaging in India effectively competing in international

markets.
 More use of printed corrugated shipping container and similar products with
increase in use of colors and graphics will continue to find new applications
especially in consumer-related products.
 The future will also bring newer design concept such as display box-F flute
boxes, bar coding-treated paper for different applications, etc.
 Corrugated boxes are the most widely accepted mode of packaging for export.
But some developed countries have very strict laws regarding the disposal of
used paper.
 Computers are making their appearance felt all over the shop floor.
Production, material handling, quality assurance shall all soon involve a lot
more of computer applications.
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

4. Export Packaging

The recent trend in export is towards commodity packaging. It has been estimated that a
significant increase in value realization can be achieved through the use of international
quality packaging. The growth in exports of non-traditional items and the expansion of
the corrugated packaging industry are both developments that are taking place almost
simultaneously. There has been a lot of similarity in the pattern of development in both
the fields.

One of the constraints faced by Indian exporters is the mode of packaging acceptable to
international markets and it is here that the corrugated packaging plays a predominant
role. Corrugated packaging, designed to conform to international standards of strength
and performance, has contributed significantly to the exports especially in the fields of
fruits, vegetables, textiles, processed foods, pharmaceuticals, and certain non-traditional
items. In the years to come corrugated packaging will be a vital factor in ensuring India's
increasing share in the world market.

Industry-wise consumption profile of corrugated packaging:(India)

INDUSTRY PERCENTAGE
Pharmaceutical 6%
Processed foods 19 %
Fresh fruits/Vegetables 2%
Soaps/Cosmetics 9%
Beverages 2%
Distillery 9%
Tobacco/Cigarettes 3%
Textiles/Yarns 20 %
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

Electrical/Lamps 2%
Electronics 6%
Glass 2%
Engineering goods 7%
Consumer Durables 8%
Defense 1%
Miscellaneous 4%
TOTAL 100 %

Types of papers used by the corrugated packaging Industry:

GSM Percentage Grade (BF) Percentage

80 5 14 BF or less 15
90 2 16 BF 14
100 27 18 BF 15
120 22 20 BF 21
140 14 22 BF 14
150 15 24 BF 8
170 1 25 BF or more 5
180 9 Duplex 4
200 2 Imported 3
Others 3 Other 1

The Indian Industry produces 10 lack tones of corrugated boxes annually. The break-up
of this box production figure in terms of several important parameters can be presented
below.

Flute Wise Break up

 85% is narrow flute

 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

 5% is broad Flute
 10% is micro flute

Ply-wise break up

 3% is 2 ply
 28% is 3 ply
 43% is 5 ply
 21% is 3 ply
 5% is 9 ply

Type wise break up

 80% boxes are of RSC type

 15% boxes are Die-cut
 5% boxes are other type

Joint wise break up

 95% boxes are stitch joint

 5% boxes are glue joint
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

Printing wise break up

 70% boxes are printed by letterpress

 20% boxes are printed by offset
 5% boxes are printed by screen-printing
 5% boxes are printed by flexo printing
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

5. Measuring Corrugated boxes

Without exception three dimensions always express the size of a

corrugated cardboard box: Length, then width then height (also
called depth).
These measurements refer to the inside dimensions of the box.

The Length is the larger dimension of the box's opening.

The Width is the smaller dimension. The Height is
perpendicular to the opening.

6. Types of Flutes used in Corrugated Box Manufacturing

Flute Profile Flutes/foot Thickness Comments

C 41 11/64” Good stacking strength

B 49
E 95
Good crushing resistance
Very common material
Uses: glass, furniture, dairy
1/8” Good puncture resistance
Less space consumed in warehouse
Uses: canned goods, displays
1/16” Light weight
Strong alternative to paper board
Superior printing surface
Excellent for custom die cut boxes
Uses: displays, point of purchase boxes
Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

Single Wall Corrugated Cardboard

Available in a wide range of board

strengths, from 125 lb. test through 275 lb.
test.
Double Wall Corrugated Cardboard

Composed of a combination of B and C

flutes.
Available in 200 lb. test through 500 lb.test
Double wall-corrugated board should be
used when stronger boxes and extra
padding are needed.

Excellent for stacking heavy items!

Triple Wall Corrugated Cardboard

Composed of two layers of C flute and one

layer of B flute.
This board is ideal for making a strong box,
resistant to crush in storage and transit.
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

7. Manufacturing process

Corrugating is defined as the imparting of wave-like shape to a paper. Kraft Paper or

fluting media paper is passed through heated corrugated rolls to
obtain continuous rolling, wave-like shape. These are called
flutes.

Vertically, the paper now forms a row of columns- a basic structural form capable of
supporting great weight. Horizontally, flutes are arches-another basic structural form
capable of providing cushioning properties. The combination of columns and arches
produces a material far stronger than the paper.

Depending on the strength properties required, different types

of flutes are used. There are four types of flutes. These flutes are
known as A, B, C and E. Recently, a new flute called as F flute
has been developed.

Fluted paper, stuck with another flat sheet of paper gets

converted into 2-ply corrugated board. 3-ply corrugated
board has one fluted paper and two flat papers. In a similar
manner, 5-ply, 7-ply and 9-ply sheets are developed. These
sheets are developed by converting multiples of flat papers and fluting media papers.

Corrugated Boards lend themselves to be cut to any shape and can be creased to fold in
any direction. Thus, corrugated boards can be further converted to produce cartons,
boxes, cases, containers, and accessories such as interlockers,
partitions, dividers, pads, plates, supports, fillers etc. which
provide internal cushioning and restrict movements.

The entire gamut of shapes and forms are all collectively termed as 'corrugated boxes'.
Because the corrugated board is very versatile packaging material, various styles of
packaging are available, to suit the specific requirements.
 Report on Corrugated Box Manufacturing Unit – 2002

In order to standardize the nomenclature throughout the world, an international box code
is assigned to each style. The choice of proper box style depends on the product, its
configuration and other packaging, transport and storage requirements.

The most popular style is the universal folding type because it is the
most economical to manufacture and is adaptable to the packing of
most end products. Some of the other popular styles are lock bottom,
auto slot, carry home, and self-locking tray.

In addition to functioning as transport containers, corrugated boards are also used as inner
fitments and accessories, known in industry as inherent fitments. They anchor the
contents within the outer box to arrest transit movement. They provide cushion and
protect fragile articles during transit.

Lastly to conclude the corrugated box manufacturing has its own technicalities but at the
same time if proper technical personals are assigned along with efficient marketing and
financial expertise it can be a profitable venture for Nirmal group.

8. Imperative contacts in India

The Federation of Corrugated Box Manufacturers of India

138, Mittal Industrial Estate No. 3
M. Vasanji Road, Andheri (East)
Mumbai 400 059
India

Telephone: +91-22-850 0687, 8504523

Facsimile: +91-22-850 4523
E-mail: admin@fcbm.org