#India #Pharma Industry #ACG Packaging #Lighthouse Network #Shirwal

ACG Packaging Materials Joins the Global Lighthouse Network

In a significant milestone for the pharmaceutical packaging industry, ACG Packaging Materials has announced that its manufacturing facility in Shirwal has been designated as a Global Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum (WEF). This honor marks ACG as the first pharmaceutical packaging company to receive such recognition, following the earlier award to its capsule production facility in Pithampur in 2023. This achievement highlights ACG's commitment to leveraging intelligent manufacturing processes to ensure that medications are produced more safely, sustainably, and affordably around the globe.

Karan Singh, the CEO of ACG, expressed, "At ACG, we believe true leadership in the packaging sector comes from building smarter, not just competing harder. Our Shirwal facility is now the second site from our company to be recognized by the Global Lighthouse Network. This makes ACG the world's first pharmaceutical packaging entity to achieve this accolade."

He further elaborated, "This success reflects the frameworks we have established across our organization. All ACG business units work together to optimize packaging, making medicines safer, more sustainable, and affordable. Repetition is proof – in line with our commitment to 'Make it Better', we are translating this Lighthouse excellence to our locations and advancing Sustainability Lighthouses for responsible, resilient manufacturing from India."

The transformational program at the Shirwal facility encompasses the entire manufacturing operation and is empowered by technologies such as generative AI, machine learning, deep learning, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and digital twin technologies. In a highly competitive and increasingly standardized pharmaceutical packaging market, the plant has implemented comprehensive digital transformation measures designed to enhance productivity, agility, and quality while reducing energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions, as well as promoting a safer and more enabling work environment.

These initiatives have resulted in measurable improvements, including:

• - 40% reduction in lead times
• - 71% decrease in defects
• - 31% lower energy consumption
• - 34% enhancement in on-time, complete delivery

For customers, these improvements translate to shorter lead times, fewer defects, and more reliable delivery performance at scale. S R Shivshankar, Managing Director of ACG Packaging Materials, stated, "This recognition reflects our teams' dedication in Shirwal and their ability to integrate advanced digital technologies into everyday manufacturing. It reinforces our focus on delivering consistent quality, productivity, and sustainability for customers worldwide."

Balajikasiram Sundararajan, head of digitalization at ACG Group, stated, "With our 'Build the Future' initiative, ACG is driving a technology-enabled transformation across the entire manufacturing value chain, enabling smart manufacturing, connected products and services, as well as new business models. This prestigious Global Lighthouse recognition motivates us to scale innovations further across our business areas."

The WEF's Global Lighthouse Network serves to showcase leading factory operations and value chains that have achieved exceptional performance in productivity, supply chain resilience, customer focus, sustainability, and talent development. This initiative was established in collaboration with McKinsey & Company and is guided by a board of prominent industry leaders who work together on shaping the future of global manufacturing.

For over six decades, ACG has been at the forefront of developing innovative production solutions tailored for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies. As the world’s most integrated supplier of products and services for oral dosage forms, ACG offers everything from capsules to barrier packaging materials, manufacturing plants, and visual inspection and traceability solutions that meet international standards. ACG maintains long-term, partnership-based collaborations with clients in 138 countries across six continents, working together to tackle the most significant challenges in healthcare and improve conditions for all those they serve.