Perhaps not surprisingly, Harveer Sahni needs no introduction to the label industry. Founder of Weldon Celloplast Limited, he has been the ambassador of the Indian label industry with global recognition. In a freewheel chat with Labels Flexibles & More, he recalls his early days and looks into what the future holds for the label industry in India.
Labels Flexibles & More: Briefly share your experiences as a second generation in the business.
Harveer Sahni:: Well, my father Harbans Singh Sahni started Weldon Sales Corporation in 1939 as an enterprise to produce stationary items. His ultimate aim was to produce quality products such as Weldon Ink for fountain pens that wouldn’t necessarily be the best, but within every common man’s affordability. I joined my father’s business in 1971. Helping him to expand his stationery product range, I invented a 20-inch coater to manufacture self-adhesive BOPP tapes in 1978, a first-of-its-kind initiative in India. Having been inherited from father in manufacturing packaged consumer products, I launched Weldon Celloplast Limited in 1982 to mark the beginning of my journey into the world of label industry. Then the rest is history and a continuing journey!
(LFM): Tell us about the R. Stanton Avery Global Achievement Award and others you have achieved.
(HS): For me, R. Stanton Avery Global Achievement Award is precious. It’s precious, not only it accords a global recognition for me, but also makes my industry fellows get inspired and aspired to reach out their presence and recognition globally. I feel proud to know that the decision to confer the award on me was made by a panel of judges comprising big names from the global label industry, viz. Lori Campbell, Chairman, TLMI; Linnea Keen, President, TLMI; Philippe Voet, President, FINAT, among others. Moreover, I am quite pleased to be recognised with many other awards and accolades in domestic arenas.
(LFAM): What’s the latest development at Weldon Celloplast?
(HS): As we represent 20 international companies, dealing with more than 200 products comprising machines and tools for label conversion, we never stop upgrading our product portfolio. We always encourage our customers and associates to go for future sustainability and productivity with ideal machineries and materials we constantly introduce.
(LFM): How are Weldon Celloplast products different from others?
(HS): In addition to producing world-class products, we partner with the world’s best labelling machine and tool manufacturers. We offer best-in-class technologies to the Indian label market. We represent Italian label press manufacturer Omet, now its subsidiary Omet India Pvt Ltd, which is headed by my son Pawandeep Sahni. Others in the list include Spilker (Germany), Lartec (Spain), etc. These days, label players must need sophisticated embellishing capabilities to stay apart. We always keep this in mind to help label convertors find the right machines and materials.
(LFM): What can we expect new from Weldon Celloplast in near future?
(HS): In 1984, I paid a surprise visit to the label guru Mike Fairley in London who guided me with some insights into label converting trends. As a result, in the late 1990s we installed one-meter coater to carry out both silicone coating and produce release liners. Then we started manufacturing self-adhesive label stock, adding another coater soon to focus on liner manufacture. In the early 2000s, we moved from coating tin catalyst-based silicone chemistry to solvent-based platinum catalyst system and then on to solvent-less silicone coating. Then we set up the first Nordson Hotmelt adhesive coating line in India. Technological developments have never been stagnant all these years at our end with a significant impact on the future course of the industry. We endeavour to do so in the days to come.
(LFM): Name a few clients who have been associated with Weldon Celloplast for years.
(HS): I’d like to say everyone in the label industry in India is our client (jested). We have been partnered with every single label printer and converter across the country in one way or another. If you insist me to name a few of them, I’d like mention Reynolds Paper, Zircon, Manipal Technologies Limited (MTL), among many others are some of our key clients who have been closely associated with us for years or decades.
(LFM): Where do you foresee the Indian label industry in the next one decade or so?
(HS): Over the years, the Indian label market has been gaining double-digit growth. I am pretty sure that the growth of all pressure sensitive adhesive labels in India has exceeded 15 percent. On this growth trajectory, digitally printed labels occupy 5 percent. This digital segment is vibrant as it will be escalating at a CAGR of around 17-20 percent. A disruptive change that I expect is the labelling technology for printing or embellishing direct-to-objects. In the scenario, new entrants like traditional offset players and flexible packaging firms are switching to labels. It signifies the fact that the label printing market will be grown to another level in the next one decade. These players need to own hybrid presses to fit into the new business model as label printing has revolutionised into technology hybridisation to bring out standout foiling, varnishing and embossing applications.
(LFM): What’s the main agenda of LMAI Conference 2023 at Jaipur in July this year?
(HS): LMAI (Label Manufacturers Association of India) conference is the country’s biggest label industry event, which brings the entire industry together for networking and exchanging ideas, trends and others. Label printers, converters and suppliers, not only from India but also from the overseas, will gather at the conference. As always, main agenda of the conference this year will be ‘driving value’ of label printers through Creativity, Innovation & Sustainability.
(LFM): What’s your ‘goodwill message’ to the industry fellows?
(HS): The future label printers and converters must undergo continuous transformations. Only those who are quick to embrace changes will excel last. In this, as I said ‘Creativity, Innovation & Sustainability are the three keys to move ahead. Be ‘Creative’ as simple labels don’t stand out amid the crowds. Similarly, being ‘Innovative’ is the key to adding uniqueness to end-products. In addition, it’s quite important to be ‘Sustainable’ with eco-friendly machines and materials to take part in the race to save the Mother Earth.
