Pioneering Protective Packaging, Globally
rose plastic with a legacy of excellence in protective packaging spanning over seven decades, is the brainchild of Ernst Rösler, the first generation German entrepreneur. With headquarters in Germany, production locations in the USA, Brazil, China and India as well as subsidiaries and sales partners in Europe, America and Asia, rose plastic owns a strong and efficient production and distribution network. It has an Indian arm with full-fledged manufacturing facilities in Pune from where it serves the entire Indian market. The company began the journey in India with a focus on the core business of cutting tools. However since 2021 it has refocused its energies into the engineering and medical segments in India. “We see a huge market in the consumer and engineering space which will evolve over the next 15 years in India, and we are gearing up for that change today,” reveals
Preetham Arayanveetil, Managing Director & General Manager, rose plastic India in an interview with Cutting Tools World. Excerpts:
Q. rose plastic India was established in 2011 and has grown significantly over the years. Can you share how the company’s journey has evolved in the Indian market and its vision for the future?
rose plastic is a 71-year-old German family run business. Its history started with Ernst Rösler. He did not like the lumps of flour in the gravy his mother cooked. He invented a whisk back then. Several household items were produced in the years that followed. In 1953, he founded the company rose plastic in Berlin, and in the mid-1970s the company moved into packaging. Since then, the company has specialized in the production of packaging. There have also been two generational changes: In 1983, his son Peter Rösler took over the business, and since 2014, Thiemo Rösler has been running the company, now in the third generation. We began the journey in India with a focus on the core business of cutting tools . However since 2021 we have refocused our energies into the engineering and medical segments in India. We see a huge market in the consumer and engineering space which will evolve over the next 15 years in India, We are gearing up for that change today.
Q. What sets your packaging solutions apart from others in the market, particularly for cutting tools and industrial components?
Our products for the cutting tool and industrial components industry are designed with a focus of the users along the value chain, from transportation, to storage, to usage in automation systems and the final user who needs to get a damage free cutting tool or industrial part. We pack precision cutting tools and parts and are ahead from others in the market with our products being offered in various recyclate options since 2018.
Q. Your emphasis on trust-worthy cooperation and long-term partnerships is commendable. Could you elaborate on how this philosophy translates into your relationships with clients?
The trustworthy cooperation and long-term partnerships have been a pillar to our success over the years. We have always been by the side of our customers to support them in their packaging needs and have always been a preferred choice. The versatility of our product offering is related to the versatility of our customers’ applications and their customers, in turn, also supply to many different industries. When it comes to our products, we set ourselves the standard of supplying as little packaging as possible. That means our packaging is designed to be close to the contents, so to speak. In this way, we minimize volume and reduce packaging waste. It is important to us that our customers are satisfied, so we offer them a full service. This means that if one of our standard products is not enough, we see if it can be adapted to the customer’s requirement. If it is necessary, we also offer custom packaging solutions tailored to the customer’s product.
Q. With a standard range of around 4,000 products and customized packaging options, how do you strike a balance between standardized & bespoke solutions for cutting tools?
One of our fundamental philosophies is to constantly improve . We have our own product development, i.e. we have developed and produced our own tools almost 100% ourselves. The central product development happens at the location in Germany, the tool-making in India, China, Germany and the USA. There we are powerful; we have built up our know-how in product development over the past decades. Whether it is machines or process flows, we always try to optimize. So when we find an application that needs to be tailor-made to the client’s need, we use the know-how of plastic processing to find an optimal solution for the client. As a one-stop store, we have the know-how. the decisive factor for the “wing beat” around the world was to always follow the customers to the countries where they have built up their product capacities. Today we have production sites in Germany, USA, Brazil, China and in India as the latest plant. Our subsidiaries are in France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and South Korea. We have sales partners in Japan, Poland and Turkey. The advantages of such a network in brief: same language, same time zone, same currency. And of course, the culture of a country also plays a role. Who better to know than someone who comes from that country and knows the culture, people and language. Another advantage is the proximity to the customer and also the saving of CO2, since the freight does not have to be transported around the globe. And of course, we also create jobs at the production sites, such as in India.
Q. The packaging industry is moving towards sustainable practices. How does rose plastic India address environmental concerns and implement eco-friendly initiatives in its operations?
When it comes to the material for our packaging solutions, we investigate which materials come into question in terms of recycling and recyclability and test whether they would be suitable for individual product groups. Switching from virgin material to recyclate brings a saving of 70 to 80 % CO2. The use of recyclate for plastic packaging has become important; as a manufacturer, we are aware of our responsibility and are very happy to go down this path with our customers. In addition, our materials are basically recyclable. rose plastic India has its entire offering in recycled materials available since 2022. rose plastic India’s production facility is 100% operational on solar energy.
Q. How are you leveraging technology to innovate your packaging solutions?
In our thirst to be the best at what we do, we constantly are in the search for alternate materials, new technology, faster and efficient processing methods, and to look at new designs constantly with new processing techniques to remain at the forefront of innovation
Q. With production locations and subsidiaries worldwide, how does the Pune facility contribute to rose plastic’s global operations and align with its international strategy?
rose plastic India is the fastest growing production site in the group commanding a major portion of the investment. rose plastic India is today less than 3% of the group but is poised to become a growth driver for the group. Our growth has predominantly come from the domestic cutting tool market, and we see it growing organically over the next 10 years.
Q. What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the cutting tools packaging segment, and how do you overcome them?
Ever-changing plastic laws (EPR) – keep our customers challenged and looking for sustainable solutions, which keeps us in a challenged state to provide the right alternative. The other challenge is coping with the automation needs and as every customer has a unique need, we need to tailor our products to meet the customer’s automation systems.
Q. What trends do you see shaping the packaging needs of the cutting tools industry, & how is rose plastic India adapting to these trends?
Lighter, stronger, automation ready packaging and more sustainable are the four biggest demands of the cutting tool industry, I have already elaborated above on how we cater to these demands.
Q. Your new facility in Satara offers space for future growth. Could you shed light on any upcoming plans for expansion, product development, or new market ventures?
Our new facility in Satara has a huge space for future growth. We would be adding product lines to the cutting tool segment, focus on the growing and emerging demand in engineering and medical and have a constant focus on being sustainable.
