Modern Solutions for Retail Sugar Packaging

As per the Govt. of India’s Department of Food & Public Distribution, in 2016, the Indian sugar industry’s annual output is worth Rs 80,000 crores. Unlike the Salt industry which saw many successful branded players, branded sugars saw few. Sugar branding was initiated by players like Mawana sugars and Dhampur sugars. BCML, Modi Sugar, Ravalgaon, Simbholi Sugar also forayed in to Branded sugars. The domestic packaged sugar market is estimated at 40,000 ton. The first movers got the advantage and these players now have a 30 percent market share. Although the market size of sugar industry is large, 75% of the sugar is consumed by large buyers like bakeries, soft drink manufacturers and confectionery players. Hence most of the marketing is B2B. Sugar is viewed by consumers as a commodity and there has not been any initiative from several companies to create a differentiation. Parrys has launched its branded sugar with focus on its quality and purity.

Sugar technology has come a long way and most sugar is now free from chemical and other residues. But bulk open sugar attracts dust as it is hygroscopic. Sugar also attracts bacteria. Branded, packaged sugar is dust-free and hygienic as it packed untouched by hand.

Sugar produced in India is mainly of the granulated type. However today, we see a growing urban market of speciality sugars which can be broadly classified into retail, food & beverage, pharma and candy bulk. From refined sugar, 21 types of speciality sugars can be made. Various types of speciality sugars in different sizes, shapes, colours and packing are available in urban departmental stores and retail chains.

Urban consumers nowadays seem to choose different types of sugar for different usage. For example, brown sugar or Demerra sugar is preferred for coffee; powdered sugar is used by confectioners and households for icings & confections; fruit flavoured sugar is considered healthy and is used in drinks; sugar cubes and stickpacks are preferred for mobility and single-serve convenience. Retailers cater to this demand by offering a variety of products and packaging options such as pouches, sachets, cubes, etc. providing value to consumers in terms of taste, form and packaging.

All this means that sugar manufacturers need a retail sugar packaging partner who understands the needs and requirements of the industry. Nichrome is a trusted Sugar PackingMachine Manufacturer in India with 4 decades of experience and industry knowledge to its name.

Nichrome’s VFFS Excel Plus Series deliver a bagger speed of up to 80 packs per minute in versatile pouch formats that are hygienic, leak-proof and convenient for storage & transportation. The maximum quantity that can be handled by these automatic sugar filling machines is 10 kgs. The maximum pouch size can be either 400 millimetres x 490 millimetres length or 400 millimetres x 600 millimetres. A Touch Screen Human Machine Interface ensures smooth control of the sugar packaging machine.

Technology in the automatic sugar filling machine enables the crucial facility of detecting foreign substances and impurities. Excel Plus Series VFFS machines offer technological applications such as detection of metal and a dust extraction system.

The efficiency of the sugar packaging machine equipment enables operations of all sizes to achieve stipulated standards with their product quality and appearance. Sealing is carried out to exact pressures making the product safe and secure for consumers. With a wide choice of batch coding devices available as allied equipment, Nichrome’s automatic packaging machines cater to all operational requirements of its customers.

Nichrome also offers a sugar sachet packing machine for the Food and Hospitality industries. Its Multilane Stickpack with Volumetric Multiple Cavity Filler is equipped with a CE certified PLC controller that makes it easy to operate and provides the necessary flexibility for product and format changes while maintaining the efficiency of the process. It has the capacity to pack small stick packs for sugar and other free flow solids in weight ranges of 1-3 g, 3-7 g, 5-10 g, and the number of lanes goes up to 10 with a speed of packaging 450-500 packs per minute.

As the universal acceptance of packaged sugar and stick packaging continues to grow, Nichrome innovates technology and upgrades its machines to keep pace.