Shekhar Barua, Director, Toyo Ink India, has witnessed the company’s growth journey in India from close quarters. Having joined Toyo Ink in 2014 as Senior Manager to look after the Gujarat business, Barua has progressively taken on broader responsibilities and is now part of the company’s board, overseeing flexible packaging inks, lamination adhesives, plastic colours and exports from India to neighbouring countries.
In an interaction with Labels Flexibles & More, Barua shared his perspective on the growth of India’s flexible packaging and labels market, the company’s expanding product portfolio, sustainability initiatives and its approach to customer relationships.
A Journey of Growth in India
Reflecting on his journey with Toyo Ink, Barua said he joined the company in 2014 with responsibility for the Gujarat market. Over the years, supported by the company’s growth, industry expansion and strong customer relationships, his responsibilities have grown significantly.
Today, he is involved in the overall India business as well as exports from India to neighbouring markets.
According to Barua, the Indian packaging market continues to offer significant opportunities. The flexible packaging segment, in particular, has been witnessing strong growth, with demand increasing at double-digit rates in recent years.
“As flexible packaging continues to grow, the demand for inks is also growing alongside the market,” he explained. “The same applies to labels, where we are also seeing good demand.”
One Ink System for Multiple Applications
Toyo Ink has been focusing on developing ink solutions that address the changing requirements of flexible packaging and labels.
One of the key solutions highlighted by Barua is the LIOVALUE E2 ink system, a non-toluene, non-ketone polyurethane-based ink system designed for flexible packaging applications.
An important advantage of the system is its versatility. According to Barua, it can be used across different laminated structures in flexible packaging and can also be applied to label applications such as wraparound labels and PVC shrink-sleeve labels.
“This is a proven ink system that can be used across both flexible packaging and label applications,” he said.
Toyo Ink is already supplying such solutions to customers across the industry, demonstrating the growing demand for multipurpose and application-specific ink systems.
Solutions Based on Customer Requirements
Barua emphasised that Toyo Ink’s approach is not simply about selling a particular product. Instead, the company works closely with customers to understand their application, production conditions, technical challenges and sustainability requirements before recommending an appropriate solution.
“We understand the customer’s requirement, focus area, need and situation. Accordingly, we propose our products,” he explained.
The company has solutions for a range of specialised requirements, including NC-PVC-free and NTNK polyurethane inks, as well as non-toluene solutions for applications such as CPP extrusion lamination, particularly for export-oriented requirements.
This solution-oriented approach, according to Barua, is one of Toyo Ink’s key differentiators in the market.
Sustainability at the Core
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration for packaging converters and brand owners, and Toyo Ink is expanding its portfolio accordingly.
The company is offering barrier coating technologies, including oxygen barrier coatings aimed at enabling the conversion of certain multilayer structures towards monomaterial solutions.
Toyo Ink is also showcasing water-based solutions, including 100% water-based polyurethane systems for gravure applications.
These technologies are part of the company’s broader effort to support converters and brand owners in meeting sustainability objectives while maintaining the required performance and print quality.
India Emerging as a Key Growth Market
Barua remains highly positive about the future of the Indian market.
He believes India is performing strongly compared with several other Asian markets, supported by economic growth, expanding packaging consumption and increasing investment by multinational brand owners.
“Many multinationals are investing in India to expand their businesses,” he said. “As brand owners continue to take interest in growing their businesses in India, the packaging industry will also continue to grow.”
This growth is creating opportunities not only for converters but also for suppliers of inks, coatings, adhesives and other packaging technologies.
Expanding Manufacturing Capacity
Toyo Ink India has also been expanding its manufacturing capabilities to support the growing market.
Barua said the company has already crossed a turnover of approximately ₹900 crore, with the business continuing to grow in both value and volume.
The company currently manufactures more than 2,300 tonnes of liquid inks in India and is planning a significant capacity expansion at its Gujarat facility.
The planned expansion will take the company’s liquid ink production capacity in Gujarat to approximately 5,000 tonnes, strengthening its ability to serve the growing domestic and export markets.
Customer Relationships Built on Technical Support
A strong customer relationship has been another important factor in Toyo Ink’s growth.
Speaking about his experience with Toyo Ink, a customer representative highlighted how the relationship developed from an initial trial into a long-term partnership. While the company initially explored Toyo Ink solutions for specific reasons, consistent product performance and strong technical support resulted in Toyo Ink becoming a major supplier.
The customer particularly appreciated the accessibility of Toyo Ink’s technical team and its ability to respond quickly when production challenges arise.
According to the customer, proximity to Toyo Ink’s technical team enables faster troubleshooting, sampling and ink matching—even when support is required outside conventional working hours.
The relationship has consequently evolved beyond a conventional supplier-customer arrangement.
“We treat each other like a family,” the customer said, highlighting the trust and cooperation developed over the years
From Supplier to Trusted Partner
The strength of Toyo Ink’s customer relationships is perhaps best reflected in the experience of Chetan Jain, Taurus Packaging, a long-standing customer of Toyo Ink India.
According to Jain, Taurus Packaging initially began using Toyo Ink inks for specific applications, with the company’s local manufacturing presence being one of the factors that encouraged them to try the products. However, what started as an evaluation gradually developed into a long-term business relationship.
“We have been consistently using Toyo Ink inks, and today they are one of our major suppliers. We are very happy with the products as well as the service,” said Jain.
For Jain, one of the biggest differentiators has been the accessibility and responsiveness of Toyo Ink’s technical team. He particularly highlighted the support received from Sanjeev Tickoo, Assistant General Manager – Sales, Toyo Ink India, and the wider technical team.
“What is unique about Toyo Ink is the kind of technical support they provide. Being close to us and technically accessible means that whenever we have a requirement, we can get samples quickly, work on ink matching and resolve issues without unnecessary delays,” Jain explained.
He added that the support sometimes extends beyond regular working hours, particularly when an urgent production challenge needs to be addressed.
This responsiveness, Jain believes, has helped build a relationship based on trust rather than simply a conventional supplier-customer arrangement.
“It is like a family. Whenever there is a challenge, there is always someone from Toyo Ink willing to help. They are very supportive and very approachable,” he said.
A Relationship Built on Trust
Sanjeev Tickoo also spoke warmly about his association with Taurus Packaging and Chetan Jain.
“I have been associated with them for a long time, and they have supported us right from the beginning. Since I joined Toyo Ink, the relationship has been fantastic—not only from a business perspective but also on a personal level,” said Tickoo.
According to him, the relationship has evolved through mutual trust, cooperation and a shared willingness to resolve challenges.
“We treat each other like a family. Whenever there is any challenge from either side, we know that we are there to help each other. That is what makes the relationship special,” he added.
Tickoo also acknowledged the long-standing association and expressed his appreciation for the Taurus Packaging team, describing them as valued customers and people with whom Toyo Ink has developed a strong personal and professional bond.
For Toyo Ink India, such relationships underline the company’s customer-centric philosophy—where technical expertise, quick response and genuine partnership are considered as important as the performance of the ink itself.
Technical Support That Makes a Difference
The experience shared by Taurus Packaging highlights an increasingly important factor in the packaging inks business. In a highly demanding production environment, converters require more than just a consistent ink product. They need technical partners who can understand their machines, substrates, application requirements and production challenges—and provide solutions quickly.
Toyo Ink’s close technical support network, local manufacturing capabilities and application-focused approach have helped it build such partnerships.
For customers like Taurus Packaging, this combination of product quality, technical expertise, responsiveness and personal trust has transformed the relationship from that of a supplier and customer into a long-term partnership.
