Page 10 - Plastics News February 2018

Advances & Future Opportunities in Polymers & Plastics

hese are interesting times. Turbulence of the past is affordable wind / solar energy technologies, light-
Tprogressively giving way to a growing optimism for weighting among others, will converge to disrupt the
the future. India’s key macro- past 200 years of some of the largest industries known
economic factors are under to man. Advances in the realms of water purification
control. GST regime is stabilizing technologies, healthcare and biotechnology, agriculture
and government spending is rising. and e-commerce are developing and disrupting conventional
With trends taking shape, Indian business platforms at an ever-accelerated pace.
economy is set to grow @ 7~8 Opportunity Polymers & Plastics
% in the coming years.Globally,
on a clouded economic growth Yet, as far as one can envision, whatever be the
backdrop, India happens to be nature of human advancement, the need for polymers
a bright spot. It is already the and plastics is ever assured. There may be a need
world’s fifth largest economy, for differentiated products over current traditional
having overtaken Britain recently. ones, but the need is certain. For we are truly the
Nikhil Meswani With over half of its 1.3 billion ‘Industry of Things’ Success of plastics as a material-
Executive Director population below the age of 25 of-choice is a given because it is so highly versatile.
Reliance Industries years, India is about to enter a Be it for reasons of light-weighting, non-conductivity,
‘sweet spot’ – Its working age durability, economics and now most importantly,
population continues to grow faster recyclability and demand of plastics is increasing
than the addition of non-working age population. India across the world. Lower unit cost and improvements
is poised to grow from a 2.7 trillion dollar nation to a 7 in performance specifications will help it substitute
trillion dollar nation by 2030. We shall add approximately competing materials like paper, metals, wood and glass etc.
250 million aspirants to our middle class – a highly In India, even though the plastics industry has witnessed
demanding and lucrative consumer segment. significant growth over the past five decades, per-
Accelerated need for food, clothing, education and capita consumption remains much lower than the world
infrastructure in India will drive economic growth and average.Future growth is expected to accelerate through
consumption for the next 15 to 20 years. Polymers and Application development and through Market development.
plastics shall contribute across all these important sectors. 1. Application Development could have both a near
Already, it is difficult to imagine life without polymers. term as well as a long term angle to it:
This truly miraculous material has enabled modern life,
through applications across diverse industries such as Near term could inculcate optimum utilization of
healthcare, agriculture, packaging and automotive existing plastic products. This can significantly
among others. And yet, this industry continues to evolve. contribute to India’s development index and ensure
success for many of the current societal initiatives,
I believe 2018 and beyond could usher-in accelerated such as those by the Indian Government. Polymers
transformation for our industry – driven by a multitude can help build affordable houses at a faster rate, so
of advances that will fundamentally impact how we do there is a roof above every head. Plastics can make
business and how global economies are managed. The the dream of Swachh Bharat come true.
new connected world with ‘Internet of Things’ brings
with it many fundamental changes to society and to There are many places where clean potable water is
consumers. Exponential technologies like advanced still not available. Proper sanitation is still a distant
Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum computing would dream in many parts of India. The ever-growing
change the world faster than one can imagine. Adaptive population entails an ever-increasing demand of food
Manufacturing / 3D digital printing will revolutionize products. Plasticulture can help enhance agricultural
manufacturing – moving from mass customization produce per hectare, empowering the optimum use
to bespoke manufacturing. Innovations in business of available resources. In short, a healthy and hearty
models will disrupt vulnerable traditional businesses. India can become a reality through increased usage of
polymers and plastics products.One such example is
Take the case of Transportation or Energy storage: Electric of Oriented PVC Pipes that are used for high-pressure
vehicles, self-driving vehicles, battery technology, water distribution systems. These pipes are practically

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