At Snack & BakeTec 2025 Mumbai, UFlex’s engineering business division garnered attention with its latest high-speed packaging solutions, aimed at addressing the demand for flexible, sustainable and performance-driven machinery across the FMCG and food industries.
In an interaction with Packaging South Asia, Sumeet Arora, senior vice president, sales and marketing (engineering business), UFlex, outlined the company’s long-standing contribution to India’s flexible packaging ecosystem as well as its latest technological highlights.
“UFlex started with packaging machinery — and it continues to be an important part of the business,” Arora said. “Over the past four decades, we have expanded across the entire packaging value chain—films, laminates, printing, inks, dyes, cylinders and machinery—creating a vertically integrated presence.”
UFlex showcased two key products — a high-speed vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine capable of delivering up to 160 pouches per minute, and a pick-fill-seal machine for pre-made bags, including stand-up, zipper and centre-seal pouches.
“These are among the fastest machines at this trade fair. To achieve two-and-a-half pouches per second is a remarkable feat—it requires creating, filling and sealing within a blink,” Arora noted. “We constantly challenge ourselves to raise the bar.”
According to Arora, the rising demand for unit packs is shaping the market, driven by increased purchasing power and aspirational consumption, especially in lower-tier cities and rural areas. “Consumers increasingly prefer small, single-serve packs—something you consume and finish on the go,” he said. “This shift is particularly visible in snacks, dry fruits, masalas and ready-to-eat products.”
He highlighted the growing segment of healthy snacks, which has gained traction after Covid. “From ragi chips and seed mixes to protein bars and non-fried snacks—this is a whole new category that didn’t exist even 10 years ago,” Arora said. “Health-conscious consumption is changing packaging requirements.”
UFlex’s pick-fill-seal machine has also found application in packaging high-volume liquid products such as hand wash refills, which saw a surge in demand during the pandemic and continue to perform strongly.
Beyond machinery, UFlex places significant emphasis on sustainability. “We are working towards strengthening our recycling infrastructure across the globe,” Arora said.
He acknowledged the wider challenges the industry faces in moving towards fully recyclable packaging. “India is still in the early stages of this transition. The mindset shift—among consumers and regulators—will take time, but it’s inevitable,” he added. “Ultimately, both awareness and policy will drive the change.”
“Exhibitions such as Snack & BakeTec help us create localized awareness and showcase the evolution of our machinery to new and existing customers,” he said.
UFlex, being one of the largest flexible packaging and solutions companies, continues to scale its capabilities in line with industry demand, both in India and globally. “Whether it’s solids, powders, or liquids, our machines are designed to handle it all — faster, smarter, and more sustainably,” Arora concluded.
