Established in February 2024 in Gurugram’s Udyog Vihar, Synergia Pac is an innovation lab started by co-founders Saqib Jamshed, Raman Anand Chahal and Deepak Nargis. The lab aims to combine printing and packaging with in-house designing, providing customers with a platform to design end-products according to their specific needs and requirements.
Jamshed had earlier worked with IFFCO Group UAE and Technova, which markets HP’s printing presses across India, and found a gap in the market for an innovation lab, which is not the stereotypical label and packaging convertor. Just six months old, the company provides one-stop designing, printing and packaging services for coffee table books, luxury packaging, code cards, labels, pouches and monocartons. The innovations are in terms of small, incremental additions as well as concept building.
Samples by Synergia Pac. Photo PSASynergia Pac installed an HP Indigo 6K press for its printing requirements and has printed 4 million impressions till now with an average of 7 lakh impressions per month. The HP Indigo 6K provides the flexibility to print on multiple substrates such as PET, polyester and paper for a wide area of products and more diversified avenues, Jamshed said, adding that though offset and gravure are considered the pinnacle of printing quality, HP has aced that with their range of digital printing presses.
The co-founders measured digital technologies for digital toner and liquid electrography (LEP) and found that the HP Indigo 6k suited their requirements as an innovation lab. Jamshed told Packaging South Asia, “HP is a market leader in the digital printing technology and I had experienced their services while working with Technova. HP presses are CO2 neutral and the inks are in compliance with sustainability guidelines, which helps in catering to customers who are looking for sustainable end products.”
Though sustainable printing is the buzzword in the industry, we are lacking on many counts, he said, adding a lot of work needs to be done to deliver sustainable end products. The raw materials in the Indian market are lacking in sustainability requirements. The substrates and print media such as paper, PET and PVC are not up to the mark in the sustainability agenda, he said, adding this creates a bottleneck for brands that want to take the sustainability route.
According to the co-founders, innovation labs are still a relatively new concept in India and it is taking time for the market to accept a one-stop solution where designing and printing takes place at a single place. As most companies in the packaging space are converters or solution providers, starting an innovation lab in itself was a challenge, as it does not provide the standardized skill sets to suppliers but something more enhanced. “We are always thinking how we can improve on the final product,” Jamshed explained.
Jamshed with a VIS 370 semi-rotary flexo and die-cutting station from Vinsak. Photo PSAApart from the HP Indigo 6K, Synergia Pac has a single VIS 370 semi-rotary flexo and die-cutting station from Vinsak, and a Vinsak flatbed die-cutter LFD350. Jamshed said digital printing is all about short runs and they have invested in a VIS 370 semi-rotary flexo and die-cutting station from Vinsak for its enhanced quality and to save cost in post-press operations.
In the coming few years, the Indian packaging industry will develop in three broad areas – sustainable packaging; integrating design and packaging with a design-heavy model; and the short-run pouches space, Jamshed said, adding there was an innate need for an innovation lab that provides to all these segments.
Apart from these three areas, the packaging industry will evolve in standardized conventional running, which is long runs; space for tier-3 and tier-4 cities startups, which require short runs for bare minimum quantities; and innovations for sustainability and anti-counterfeiting, he explained. “We are looking at the second and third categories with our innovation lab for the next level of consumer engagement.”
About the strategic location and the 4,500 square feet space in Gurugram, he said the city is a hub for brands and the location gives Synergia Pac the strategic advantage of having 500-1,000 brands in a three-km radius. The brand owners can drop by anytime for approvals on samplings and reprography.
Jamshed said the brand patterns are gradually changing in India, with more focus on convenience. There are two major factors that brands take into consideration while designing their packaging – consumer behavior and compliance. Earlier, brands used to focus more on compliance, but now consumer behavior is also a big factor when it comes to packaging.
Taking the example of cold drinks, he said earlier there were three to four standard companies for this space, but with the boom in start-ups, there are many sub-brands, seasonal brands and startups for individual and regional preferences of customers. These are the kinds of brands and startups that the company is eyeing to provide more variety in packaging design to consumers.
Synergia Pac has quick commerce houses, production houses, ad agencies, institutions and FMCG companies as its clients and serves the Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad markets. Apart from the metros, it is covering evolving cities such as Jaipur, Shimla and Chandigarh, and central Indian cities such as Bhopal and Indore, which will be the futuristic hub for packaging, he said.
