What is Pharmaceutical Packaging? How to start Pharma Packaging and Promotional material Manufacturing?

Pharmaceutical sector is vast sector. Many non pharma businesses also depend at pharmaceutical sector and companies. Pharmaceutical Packaging Material suppliers are one of the important non pharma businesses that are reliable at pharmaceutical companies. Most of pharmaceutical companies outsource its packaging material. Even MNC companies also outsource when it come to packaging material.

Packaging material manufacturing business is more profitable than pharma business. Not only for pharmaceutical sector, same material could be supplied to ayurvedic, herbal, cosmetic, nutraceutical and food-feed supplements companies.

Packaging material manufacturing is a costly project and requires latest machinery and equipment to start. In this article we will discuss about machinery required, technical skills, procedure for printing etc.

Along with packaging material, promotional material is also essential part for pharmaceutical sector. Packaging material supplier also deals in promotional material inputs like visual aids, reminder cards, product cards etc. But few manufacturers manufacture only packaging material and few only manufacturer promotional material/inputs.

What is Packaging material in Pharmaceutical Sector?

Pharmaceutical preparations are used to cover in paper or any other material which contains complete detail about product along with attractive out look like outer box, label, foil etc. Packaging material fulfills two purposes. One it prevents preparation from damage and second it gives attractive look to preparation.

What is promotional inputs in Pharmaceutical Sector?

Promotional inputs are used to promote medicines and generate sale for company. Promotional material also create company brand value. Most commonly used promotional inputs are visual aids, reminder cards, order book , product list etc.

Two type of printing machines are commonly used. One is Digital Printing Machine and Second is Offset Printing Machine. Digital Printing machine is mostly used for preparation of promotional inputs who require in small quantities. This is not generally used for printing of packaging material like box, labels etc.

For printing of pharmaceutical packaging material, offset printing is better way. Mostly printing presses uses offset printing procedure for printing pharma packaging material.

Machinery and Equipment:

• Offset Printing Machine
• Digital Printing Machine (Not Compulsory)
• Printing Down Frame
• Computer Sets with Printer and Software
• Software i.e. Coral, Photoshop, MS office, Page Maker etc.
• Paper cutting machine
• Binding and Measurement equipment
• Lamination Machine .i.e. gloss and met lamination
• Drip off Machine
• Embossing Machine
• Paper Creasing
• Paper Stapler

Raw Material Required:

• Paper Sheet
• Card Sheet
• Aluminium Plate
• Ink
• Developer
• Gum
• Colors
• Staple Pins

Technical Skills Required:

Either you or your employee require few technical skills to easily set-up and run a printing press for pharmaceutical packaging material.

1. Designer: Designers should have good knowledge of Coral Draw, Photoshop, MS Office, Page Maker etc. He should have good innovative, imaginative, creative sense of humor to create new and attractive designs.
2. Machine Men: Different type of machines require different type of technical skill to run efficiently. Until you will have persons who make sure to print design as it was designed, you can satisfy your clients.

Printing Process:

Printing procedure is a semi automatic process. You need to prepare aluminium plates to print paper in offset printing. In digital printing, no aluminium plate preparation required. We can directly give command of print from computer to print any paper as in case of simple printers.

Process of offset printing is something complex compare to digital printing but offset printed packaging material cost less as compare to digital printed. Below we are discussing process of offset printing.

Make a Design using software we have discussed above. A design may be small or large as per need. But we need to print a sheet of fixed size (19*23′ generally) to prevent process cost and other factors. Suppose we have box design whose size is 5.2*2.3′. Then we have to adjust it at complete sheet by placing number of times to fill complete sheet. We also can use different designs to complete a sheet. This sheet is known as plate.

Now this plate is sent to produce a film using a camera. This film is called negative. Thereafter this negative film and a aluminium plate is put into printing down frame for preset time for printing image of negative film onto aluminium plate which is called positive. After that developer is spread at plate followed by washing with fresh water. By this process matter get printed at aluminium plate automatically.

After that this plate is fitted into printing press. Paper after cutting in proper size is also fed into offset printing press.  The paper is printed as per required design and color.

Investment Required:

Now companies started to ask for latest packaging material like drip off, emboss, die cut packaging. Conventional lamination packaging is going out of market. So there is need of latest machinery to fulfill demand of market. That’s the reason investment for packaging material manufacturer has been increased.

Investment depend at many factors. There are two type of investments required.

• Fixed Capital Investment
• Working Capitals

Fixed Capital Investment:

Fixed Capital Investment is calculated by addition of following aspects:

• Premises and building Cost (if owned)
• Machinery and Equipment Cost
• Computer, software and other accessories
• Plant Set-up etc

Working Capital Investment:

Working capital includes

• Raw Material
• Rent (if rented premises)
• Salary and wages of workers and employees
• Electricity and water bill
• Other miscellaneous expenses

Business Plan:

• Search for premises and plant if you don’t have own
• Search for investment source if you don’t have own arrangement of money
• Search for machinery and equipment suppliers
• Set-up Plant and install machinery and equipment
• Search for trained employees and workers
• Search for raw material supplier
• Take order from pharma companies
• Start printing packaging material and promotional inputs.

Hope this information is useful to you…

For any query and suggestion, mail us at pharmafranchiseehelp@gmail.com