Increasing energy efficiency and helping to reduce operational and maintenance costs for Manjushree Technopack through enhanced equipment performance

Indian Plastics Industry – not just thriving but growing rapidly
India has a thriving and extremely competitive plastics industry. It is set to buck the global trend of sluggish growth by emerging as one of the fastest growing markets with 2020, the plastics consumption of the country expected to increase from about 12 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) as in 2016 to 20 MMTPA by 2020. By that time India is expected to deploy about 180,000 machines as compared to 113,000 in 2016. In the past, the use of plastics in India was largely limited to household consumer durables and packaging. Now, plastics are also widely used in infrastructure, health care as well as in agriculture. The consumer market for automobiles and electronic goods – both major users of plastics – is also growing rapidly which would add to the growth of the industry.

Productivity is a crucial determinant in performance which in turn defines the progress or growth of any company. This naturally puts focus on maximising productivity while reducing unscheduled downtime and costs. Within the majority of plastic injection moulding applications, hydraulic oils play a fundamental role in the actual production of plastic components as well as helping to reduce unscheduled downtime and extend oil drain intervals. Hence while accounting for a relatively small percentage of total maintenance spends, the latest hydraulic oils have the potential to inject additional productivity and performance into plastic manufacturing operations. Advancements in hydraulic oil technology now offer plastics manufacturers a selection of fluids that can help produce high quality components and provide outstanding levels of protection, as well as other benefits such as increased energy efficiency and decreased cycle times.

Background/ Situation at hand
Established in 1983, Manjushree Technopack Ltd. is a leading rigid plastics packaging convertor in India and South Asia. It has its largest capacity in the segments of blow moulding containers and PET preforms. Manjushree Technopack Ltd, operates a plastic injection moulding plant with HUSKY PIM. Since reducing operation and maintenance costs were the focus areas for Manjushree, it was seeking a more cost effective and innovative solution with the aim of maximising productivity through enhanced equipment performance. This case study exemplifies how the right hydraulic oil can improve plastic injection moulding operators to increase productivity, reduce unscheduled downtime and improve the energy and cycle efficiency of their machinery.