Indian canmaker Can Ends Group is planning to start up a new plant in January that will ‘revolutionise’ the domestic metal packaging business.

With yearly sales of between USD75-80 million, the canmaker already exports a wide range of products and components including tinplate, easy-open ends, two-piece and three-piece cans, all for food and beverage applications from its Delhi headquarters and an office in the United Arab Emirates.

The new plant Ahmedabad will augment this with yearly capacity to produce 2 billion easy-open ends, 200 million penny-lever ends and 700m cans.

Chief executive Rishab Gupta says the plant, currently undergoing trials, represents “a significant leap forward in both technological sophistication and production capacity, cementing India’s place on the global map of modern manufacturing”.

Covering an area of 60,000sqm, the integrated plant is equipped with canmaking machinery mostly sourced from Europe, such as Italy’s Cevolani and Germany’s Karges-Hammer.

The choice of Gujarat state as the plant’s location was strategic, Gupta said. “Gujarat’s western coast offers significant logistical advantages, while India itself represents a burgeoning market with its growing population and increasing demand for modern, high-quality packaging solutions.

“Can Ends saw this as an opportunity to revolutionise the industry by introducing cutting-edge technology and modern manufacturing practices.”

The new plant “eliminates the need for imported parts, consolidating the entire production process – from coil cutting to finished products – under one roof,” he added.

A key feature of the plant is its commitment to sustainability and regulatory compliance. Gupta says that it will be India’s first facility to use BPA-NI coatings, meeting European regulations and anticipating global trends. “From 2027 onwards, products entering the European market must comply with BPA-NI and PFAS-free standards and the Ahmedabad plant is already ahead of the curve.”

As well as catering to global markets, the new plant will also serve the growing domestic market, he said. “This dual focus is expected to significantly enhance India’s can manufacturing landscape, providing local consumers with superior, easy-open cans while bolstering the country’s exports.”