Outlook 2023: Optimistic prospects in emerging markets

Rajkot-headquartered Rajoo Engineers is set to focus on plastic processing machines for food packaging and infrastructure in 2023. Regarded as the market leader in blown film lines, sheet lines and thermoformers in the Indian sub-continent, Rajoo believes that the market for both segments is growing. “We are extremely bullish about the market in India for both the sectors. We have recently introduced a sheet extrusion line for producing various sheet for solar cells. The upcoming trends will boost our overall operation and we anticipate a healthy growth potential,”explains Khushboo Chandrakant Doshi, Managing Director of Rajoo Engineers.

 Ms. Khushboo Chandrakant Doshi, Managing Director, Rajoo Engineers

But the uncertainty in the global market due to ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and evolving energy crises in Europe may create supply-chain issues of various critical automation parts. Despite all the challenges, the international market offers growth opportunities. “While the market offers tremendous potential, our operations are likely to be effected by supply-chain issues and volatility in prices and availability of polymers. There is a good flow of orders but execution suffers due to delay in receipt of various inputs especially drives and other electronic components,” Ms. Doshi explains.  Rajoo is planning to focus on the global markets under sanctions from the west. The Russia-Ukraine conflict puts both Russia and Belarus under sanctions leading to North American companies to severe their trade and supplies to both countries, opening up opportunities for the Indian companies to fill the supply gap. “Markets under world sanctions like Russia and Belarus will be our focused markets in 2023 as European and North American machinery manufacturers are now not able to cater to these markets. Our focus on markets in South America will remain in place as we continue to offer contemporary technology with value for money,” Ms. Doshi admitted.

On the product side, Rajoo Engineers plans to concentrate on extrusion coating and laminating lines for food packaging and raffia, high output blown film lines, high input extrusion lines & multi-station thermoformers in 2023. On expansion, Ms. Doshi adds: “Expansion and innovation is a continuous process at Rajoo. We continue to source upcoming technologies for the markets we cater too. Renewable energy has become an important sector and keeping this mind, we have introduced sheet extrusion lines to produce various kinds of sheet for solar modules.” The sheet extrusion line will manufacture ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) film for solar panels. In September, Rajoo held an open house where it showed the 5-layer co-extruder POD blown film line Pentafoil packed with automation and all Industry 4.0 standards to remotely support the customer. Model aims to meet specific needs, for both barrier and non-barrier POD films for various application segments such as collation shrink films, lamination grade films, milk and water pouches, edible oils with outputs ranging from 250 kg/hr to 1500 kg/hr and lay-flat width ranging from 1200mm to 5000mm.