Since its pioneering debut in 1977 with India’s first indigenous milk packaging machine, Nichrome India Ltd. has been synonymous with innovation, quality, and customer-centric solutions in the packaging industry. Today, with a presence in over 50 countries and more than 11,000 successful installations, the company continues to lead from the front—developing smart, integrated, and sustainable packaging solutions for diverse industries including food, pharma, and non-food sectors. In this exclusive interview, Mrunal Joshi, CEO & Vice-Chairperson of Nichrome India Ltd., shares how the brand’s legacy has shaped its vision, the strategies driving global consistency and domestic growth, its end-to-end partnership model, and the company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge technology in the rapidly evolving packaging landscape.
Q1. Nichrome India has been a pioneer in packaging innovation since 1977 with the launch of India’s first indigenous milk packaging machine. How has this legacy shaped the company's journey and vision over the decades?
This act of innovation forged our company’s DNA: a spirit of relentless R&D, a deep commitment to customer-centric solutions, and an uncompromising standard for quality. This foundation is what allowed us to grow from serving a single sector to providing over 40 distinct solutions for the food, pharma, and other industries worldwide.
Our vision today is a direct extension of that legacy. Just as we pioneered solutions for the dairy revolution then, we now lead in developing the smart, integrated, and sustainable packaging technologies required for the future of the global Food, Pharma & Non-Food industries. The pioneering spirit remains our guide.
Q2. With your extensive global footprint across 50+ countries and over 11,000 successful installations, how does Nichrome maintain consistency in quality, service, and customer satisfaction worldwide?
Maintaining consistency across a global scale is built on a clear philosophy: Centralised Excellence, Localised Support.
First, quality is non-negotiable and centralised. Every single one of our 11,000+ installations follow strong machine design discipline, stringent quality checks & undergo thorough trials at our factory. This ensures that every component and every system meets the same world-class standards, regardless of its final destination.
Second, service and satisfaction are localised. We have built a team of robust service engineers in several regional offices in key markets. These teams provide timely, on-the-ground support in the local language and context, but are continuously trained and backed by our central technical team.
Q3. The Indian packaging industry is growing rapidly. How do you view this growth, and how is Nichrome positioning itself to capitalize on emerging opportunities within the Indian market?
We view the Indian market’s growth as a major qualitative shift. The demand has moved beyond basic packaging to solutions that deliver superior convenience, hygiene, and is more mindful of sustainability.
Continuous Innovation: Our R&D team is always working for what’s new and what’s next in packaging innovation. Be it new technologies, higher speeds, new formats or sustainable films.
Providing Integrated Solutions: We offer beyond standalone machines, we offer complete, end-to-end automated packaging lines. Indian businesses now require partners for holistic solutions, and we are ready to fill that role.
Deeper Domestic Penetration: We are expanding our sales and service network to support the rise of regional brands and SMEs, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, empowering them with access to world-class automation.
Q4. Nichrome offers integrated, automated packaging solutions across a wide spectrum of applications. How do you ensure customization and innovation for such a diverse range—from milk and liquids to ready-to-eat foods and powders?
Our ability to master such a diverse range stems directly from the vast knowledge we’ve accumulated over nearly five decades in the packaging industry.
We channel this expert knowledge through dedicated engineering teams for each specific application. While these teams operate with a creative engineering outlook to innovate and customise solutions, they build upon a robust platform of standardisation in our core components and quality processes.
This blend of deep field experience, dedicated expertise, and creative problem-solving—all built on a reliable, standardised base—is how we consistently deliver excellence across the entire spectrum.
Q5. Can you elaborate on your end-to-end lifecycle approach with customers? How does this partnership model enhance value creation for both small enterprises and large corporations?
For us, the relationship doesn’t end with a sale; it truly begins there. Our end-to-end lifecycle approach is a commitment to our customer’s long-term success, viewing them as partners.
This journey starts with a deep consultative phase where we design the perfect solution. It’s followed by seamless project execution and installation, and extends into long-term support through operator training, proactive service & spares, and future-ready upgrades to enhance machine life and performance.
For small enterprises, we act as their expert packaging department. We de-risk their first steps into automation and provide a scalable platform that can grow with their business.
For large corporations, we are a strategic partner who helps optimise their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), ensures maximum uptime across their plants, and supports their innovation goals.
Q6. Sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity. How is Nichrome aligning its packaging systems and manufacturing practices with global sustainability standards, and what role does this play in your value proposition?
First, we enable our customers to be sustainable. Our primary focus is engineering packaging systems that are ready for the circular economy. A significant part of our current R&D is dedicated to ensuring our machines can expertly handle a wide range of eco-friendly materials, from recyclable mono-polymers to paper-based films, we work with Film manufacturers and customers alike to achieve machinability of sustainable materials. Beyond materials, our machines are designed for efficiency, minimizing both waste and energy consumption to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the packaging line.
Second, we practice what we preach. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Pune is a testament to this, operating on lean principles and powered by our extensive solar plant.
Q7. With rapid technological shifts in the packaging domain, how is Nichrome leveraging automation, smart systems, or digital advancements to stay ahead of the curve?
For us, technology isn’t just an add-on; it’s fundamental to the value we deliver. We are actively moving beyond creating simply automated machines to engineering intelligent, interconnected packaging ecosystems.
Every new Nichrome machine today is essentially an IoT device, built for Industry 4.0, powered by Nichrome’s Data Over Internet (NDOIT). This digital integration allows for real-time data collection, analysis, and communication—right at the customers fingertips with remote monitoring. This embedded intelligence also alerts for predictive maintenance ensuring drives higher productivity and reduced waste.
Our goal is simple: to use technology to make our customers’ operations more efficient, transparent, and completely future-ready. We’re not just building machines; we’re delivering data-driven performance.
Q8. As you continue to expand globally and locally, what’s next for Nichrome? Are there new markets, product lines, or innovations on the horizon that you’re excited about?
Our future focus is on delivering powerful, customised integrated solutions that address industry-specific challenges from start to finish. We are moving decisively to provide complete automated lines that cover primary, secondary, and end-of-line packaging, offering our customers a seamless, single-source advantage.
Some of the recent developments to look out for that reflect this strategy include our new launched technologies like MAP and thermoforming machines. Based on our vast knowledge from our time in the field, we are also innovating for specific applications with our new High-Speed – Salt machine, Twin Pouch machine, HFFS machines & PFS machine.
There are many new, exciting things coming up soon. I would encourage everyone to keep an eye out on our website and social channels for updates!
