Flexible packaging company Uflex Ltd. is planning a major new plant in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

“Initially, the plant capacity would be pegged at 80,000 [metric] tons, and we would double the capacity in the second phase to 160,000 tonnes yearly to make it the largest flexible packaging plant in India at one location under one roof,” said Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director, in an interview with Plastics News at the Speciality Films & Flexible Packaging Global Conference in Mumbai.

The project is part of a three-year investment plan by the Noida, India-based company.

 “We are planning to invest around $325 million in the Ahmadabad plant alone,” Chaturvedi said. Currently Uflex has 11 facilities in India.

“We have no presence in the western part of the country, and the Ahmadabad plant would cater to the western and southern Indian market,” Chaturvedi said.

The new plant will start production in early 2016.

Chaturvedi said he is very positive about India’s new government, led by Narenda Modi, which is considered business friendly.

Started in 1983, Uflex is India’s largest flexible packaging company. Its products include polyester and biaxially oriented polypropylene films. The company has customers in more than 140 countries, Chaturvedi said.

Chaturvedi is bullish about growth in India’s packaging sector, thanks to increasing purchasing power by local consumers.

“The future is bright in the multilayer and laminate film sector,” he said. “Moreover, they are eco-friendly and more economical than any other material.”

Meanwhile, Uflex also is planning to expand globally by building a new facility overseas. Chaturvedi said the company will decide on a location for a new plant by March or April.

“We are working on three or four locations, but the decision will depend on market size and proximity to the customer,” he said.

Currently, Uflex has plants in the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Egypt, Poland and the United States.