In a major development of moving away from glass bottles to PET packs, TTK Pharma which is known for its gripe water has now adopted PET Jar. Manjushree Technopack Ltd, one of the pioneers in PET packaging for all sectors including pharma, has put forth a design using PET to TTK as an alternate packaging material.
TTK gripe water PET jar is now made in this non – reactive material where its contents remain unaffected when in contact with package material. The container is odourless and unbreakable. There are also considerable cost efficiencies in raw material consumption, transport and logistics. As the consumers are concerned this is much more convenient since weight of the package is much lesser and convenient for mothers and infants.
Before TTK moved to PET, gripe water was packed in glass bottles, as glass was considered the most suitable and moreover the product was made for infants. So a lot of deliberations took place to check if moving to PET would be considered ideal and safe for consumption. The new package design also should be similar to the glass bottle in appearance, according to Manjushree Technopack.
Like glass, the new packaging material had to necessarily possess certain properties. These included strength of the material to withstand load and transparency of the bottle for the visibility of contents. The package design has to remain similar to glass pack because it was an over-the counter sales product and the the consumer would subconsciously pick it up off the shelves. Since the product is for children, it was of prime importance to the company that the perception about gripe water in the minds of customers remains unchanged, according to the company.
The Shift to PET came about after much deliberations and a year long research with lab trials, Manjushree put forth a design using PET, which was arrived at as the alternate packaging material for a number of reasons.
Not only did Manjushree help TTK in shifting to PET. The packaging major also extended technical assistance at the TTK plant filling line. The gripe water major has now PET bottle for both its 200ml and 130ml bottles.
The history of pharma packaging in PET bottles dates back to mid 1990s when glass packaging in the pharma sector was becoming difficult due to complexities involved. There were a lot of problems with respect to packages, logistics and distribution, with glass packaging. This is when PET bottles started getting used in pharma packaging. In contrast, PET bottles had none of the hassles involved with glass packaging and ranked high on customer acceptance in the pharma sector.
Manjushree specializes in offering PET bottles for pharma packaging right from 5ml upto 450ml in natural and amber colours. “We house the latest technology from NISSEI ASB, Japan, world leader in pharma bottles production . Manjushree also holds a record for developing righteous 5ml PET bottles which weigh only 2 gms (lightest bottle) and are of the size of a Rs 2 coin. We have customers across different segments like ayurveda, gripe water, expectorant eye drops and many others. Our client list includes pharma biggies like Pfizer, TTK, Dr. Reddy’s, Himalaya Group, Arya Vaidya Sala, Vaidyaratnam and many more”, said Vimal Kedia, Managing Director, Manjushree Technopack Ltd.
“We plan to invest in moulds and machinery this financial year. We will be investing in additional moulds for pharma packaging and will be expanding our presence in the preform business. As far as our growth plans are concerned, we are targeting a growth rate of 25 per cent this financial year,” he added.