A wide range of possibilities and challenges that entrepreneurs may encounter while planning a small scale industrial (SSI) unit in the food processing sector, were discussed during a national seminar on ‘Food processing industry: motivation, technology, finance and marketing,’ here on Wednesday.
Presenting a paper on ‘Packaging Techniques,’ C.S. Purushothaman, director of Packaging Professionals Group, said that so much thought and science went into selecting the right container for a product, because for manufacturers, packaging is a strategic decision. “Consumers today are greeted with innovative options that run the gamut from eco-friendly packaging to designs that assist in the food preparation process,” he said.
Prof. Purushothaman said that packaging should sell what it protected and protect what it sold. Food processing and packaging companies according to him were frequently developing new products to be ahead of the competition. “Presently, industry is moving from traditional materials such as metals and glasses to plastics and composites besides inventive eco-friendly packages,” he said.
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Dinesh Nambiar, managing director of Repute Engineering Co, Pune, who spoke on the ‘Business Opportunities in Dairy industries’ emphasized on the role of correct planning, consultations and communication in the success of a business. “Even a wrongly worded contract can destroy an entire business,” he said.
Different papers including those on ‘business opportunities in long-life processing of milk and juice, opportunities in Agro-based industries’ were presented during the seminar. The seminar was organised jointly by the Kerala State Small Industries Association (KSSIA), Confederation of Indian Footwear Industry (CIFI) and the Footwear Design and Development Centre (FDDC), in a run-up to the upcoming ‘Kerala Rising,’ SSI meet , in the city.