Glass Awards

Under the banner of the International Youth Day an Industry meet was organised at AIGMF’s Annual General Meeting at Hotel Lemon Tree, Aerocity, DELHI.

The prestigious annual CK Somany Award for Innovation and Technology was given to Er. Pulkit Gaur, Chief Technology Officer, Gridbots Technologies.

The Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports was bestowed to Schott Glass India Ltd. Both awards are supported by Glass Worldwide, preferred international journal of the AIGMF in association with Kanch.

Er. Pulkit Gaur currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Gridbots Technologies and drives the companies Innovation and Technological advancements. An Engineer by education and the founder of Gridbots Technologies - Robotics is his passion. He has been building robots since his childhood.

Er. Gaur is primarily responsible for having designed and developed non-contact pattern glass thickness measurement sensors which can sample glass for thickness 100 times a second and measure it with an accuracy of 50 Microns. The device can be installed on the Semi-Hot End of the production line to detect the thickness and has been validated to be working with 100% accuracy for the last 1 year. The system can detect any change in thickness in real-time and provide an alert to the rolling operator to adjust the system accordingly. The system provides digital output which can be interfaced with multiple devices like IPC, LED Display Panels, and Display Monitors etc.

Er. Gaur and Gridbots Technologies have won a number of awards and accolades from many Indian and International agencies. Gridbots was awarded India’s hottest start-ups award. Er. Gaur has received TED Fellowship – MIT Young Innovator Award and Rajiv Motwani Circle Fellowship for his technological innovations. Gridbots is a winner of NASSCOM Innovation Awards – 2011 under most promising technologies. In 2015, Siemens steering committee (Comprising of Nobel Laureates) invited Er. Gaur to provide inputs on their future policy on robotics. In 2017, PM Narendra Modi invited Er. Gaur for their flagship program “Champions of Change” for providing inputs of policy matters.

SCHOTT Glass India Pvt. Ltd, is a 100% subsidiary of the German technology group SCHOTT AG. SCHOTT is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of special glass tubing, FIOLAX® established and long-standing experience since 1911. SCHOTT has foreseen in 2018, a global 5.0 pharma tubing demand is going to increase. As already that time the supply was short compared to demand, the expected market growth offers the opportunity to increase market share by establishing incremental capacity faster than competition.

The overall investment for installation of 4 new tanks in phased manner (First tank in 2019, Second-2020 third in 2022 and fourth in 2024) at Jambusar plant has helped to triple the production capacity. Success in India is vital to SCHOTT’s growth in the world market. This facility is the world’s second largest manufacturing hub for borosilicate glass tubing, a high-quality material that is converted to pharmaceutical containers, such as vials, ampoules or syringes, to store life-saving drugs.

Apart from the domestic Indian market, it is an excellent export hub to other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Bangladesh, Turkey, Taiwan, Korea, China, Singapore, and Indonesia. SCHOTT export quantities are increased 10 times and the ratio of export sales is increased from 13% to 50% of total sales. For FY 2022-23 SCHOTT Glass India Pvt. Ltd., achieved the export sales over approx. INR 250 Crores.

The jury for Glass Awards comprised of Mr. P K Kheruka, Former President AIGMF and Chairman Borosil Ltd.; Dr. K. Annapurna, Chief Scientist, Glass Division, CSIR-Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI); Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK); Mr. Sanjay Somany, Former President AIGMF; and Mr. Vinit Kapur, Secretary AIGMF.

“I feel privileged to be part of the Jury to select worthy contenders for 6th AIGMF Glass Awards. My heartfelt congratulations to Er. Pulkit Gaur for winning the prestigious C K Somany award for Innovation and Technology for his innovation of designing and developing an indigenous non-contact thickness measurement device to monitor the thickness of patterned glass online which has improved the quality of glass production. Further, I congratulate Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd., to receive the esteemed Balakrishna Gupta Award for its attaining remarkable exports.”said Dr. K. Annapurna, Chief Scientist, CSIR- Central Glass & Ceramics Research Institute, Kolkata.

“The jury received glowing reports about innovations from Pulkit Gaur that are positively influencing productivity in Indian glass plants and he deservedly joins the distinguished recipients of the CK Somany Award. SCHOTT also fully warrant commendation for their export figures and are the worthy winner of the 2023 Balkrishna Gupta Award,” said Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK).

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Former President Mr. Sanjay Somany gave the prestigious annual ‘CK Somany Award for Innovation and Technology’ to Mr. Eric L’Heureux- Managing Director, Schott Poonawalla Pvt. Ltd. The ‘Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports’ was bestowed to M/s Schott Poonawalla Pvt. Ltd., by the Former President, Mr. Pradeep Gupta. Both awards are supported by Glass Worldwide, preferred international journal of the AIGMF in association with Kanch.

The program was held parallel to its Annual General Meeting on Sept 3 at Hotel Lemon Tree, Aerocity, Delhi.

Mr. Eric L’Heureux, who joined Schott as a QA Manager at Schott Belgium in 1992, went on to become the Technical Director at Schott Indonesia in 1998, and was appointed the President Director of Schott Indonesia in 2001. He also served as the Managing Director of Schott Hungary and was responsible for operations of 2 plants in France from 2006 until 2009. In 2009, he was appointed as Vice President Asia operations.

Mr. L’Heureux’s main contributions towards expansion of operations within the glass pharmaceutical packaging at Schott Poonawalla in India since 2011 are: Started operations at the state-of-the-art plant at Jambusar (Gujarat) with 20 ampoule lines and 16 vial lines having a total output of more than 3 million pcs per day; Completed first upgrade of forming and inspection technology at Jambusar plant; Roll-out of cosmetiQ inspection system (100% camera inspection system for cosmetic parameters) in Jambusar plant; Expansion of module 2 and 3 at Jambusar plant thereby enhancing capacities to over 3 billion containers per annum. He has been instrumental in starting and stabilizing the operations at the Greenfield plant at Umarsadi (Gujarat) for pre-fillable syringes, cartridges and sterile RTF products.

Under Mr. L’Heureux’s guidance, Schott Poonawalla today has 4 state-of-the-art manufacturing units in Daman, Jambusar, Umarsadi and Baddi in India that produce an entire range of products including, bulk vials and ampoules, specialty vials and ampoules, siliconized vials, siliconized cartridges and Ready-to-Fill (RTF) vials and cartridges, siliconized pre-crimped RTF nested cartridges, sterile nested vials and an entire range of pre-fillable syringes.

As the world health safety concerns soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, Schott Poonawalla has been the supplier of vials for COVID-19 vaccines, not only for India but also supported the global vaccination drive by exporting substantial quantum of vials across the globe including Europe, USA, Russia and South Africa. The company successfully contributed towards 4.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally, through supply of vials, out of which 3 billion doses were provided for India and 1.3 billion doses were provided for the global market.

The jury for Industry awards comprised of Dr. K. Annapurna, Chief Scientist, Glass Division, CSIR-Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI); Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK); Mr. Sanjay Somany, Former President AIGMF and CMD HNG Industries Ltd.; Mr. P K Kheruka, Former President AIGMF and Chairman Borosil Ltd. and Mr. Vinit Kapur, Secretary AIGMF.

“At the outset, I am honoured to be part of Jury for AIGMF glass awards 2022. I heartily congratulate Mr. Eric L’Heureux, MD, Schott Poonawalla Pvt. Ltd. for winning the prestigious C. K. Somany Award for innovation and technology with his splendid contribution in innovative technology implementations at Schott Poonawalla Pvt. Ltd. such that to meet the demand for glass packaging for pharmaceuticals at the need of the hour like COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, again, M/s Schott Poonawalla Pvt. Ltd. had proved itself suitable to be bestowed with the Balakrishna Award for its exceptional exports in the last year. Kudos to M/s Schott Poonawalla Pvt. Ltd.” said Dr. K. Annapurna, Chief Scientist, CSIR- Central Glass & Ceramics Research Institute, Kolkata.

“It is very fitting that Mr. Eric L’Heureux should receive recognition on the 30 th anniversary of him joining Schott because his vast experience across many of the company’s global operations led to the recent success story at Schott Poonawalla. Mr L’Heureux’s achievements in overseeing the remarkable growth and accomplishments of the Indian operations over the last decade make him a very worthy winner of the prestigious C K Somany Award and Glass Worldwide sends sincere congratulations. Having been a front runner in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by providing pharmaceutical glass for primary packaging to fill so many vaccines worldwide also fully justify Schott as the recipient of this year’s sister award, the Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports. It is an honour to be part of the judging process and we look forward to publishing an exclusive interview about Eric L’Heureux and Schott-Poonawalla in a future issue of Glass Worldwide and Kanch.” said Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK).

Thanking AIGMF and the jury for industry awards, Mr. L’Heureux said, ‘’2022 being the International Year of Glass, it is a huge honour to receive the prestigious C. K. Somany Award for innovation and technology and the Balkrishna Gupta Award during this particular year. At Schott Poonawalla, we continuously invest in innovation and cutting-edge technology, not just to meet the needs of our customers, but better them. It is the collective effort and genius of all my teams that drive us forward to meet industry demands, even during challenging times like COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to everything we can accomplish together in the years ahead.’’

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AIGMF gave away its 4 th prestigious Glass Awards i.e. C K Somany Award for Innovation & Technology and Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports at the online Annual General Meeting held under Pandemic conditions.

The program was well attended by over 60 senior industry members.

Former Presidents; Mr. Sanjay Somany and Mr. Mukul Somany gave the prestigious annual ‘CK Somany Award for Innovation and Technology’ to Mr. Udit Kapoor, Director, Kapoor Glass India Pvt Ltd., Mumbai. The ‘Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports’ was bestowed to M/s Borosil Renewables Ltd., by the Former President, Mr. Pradeep Gupta. Both awards are supported by Glass Worldwide, preferred international journal of the AIGMF in association with Kanch.

Mr. Udit Kapoor represents the 3 rd Generation at Kapoor Glass. He completed his Electromechanical Engineering from The University of Southampton in 2004 and has been involved in the family business. His primary focus is to innovate and build equipment and systems to improve product quality and efficiency to meet the growing International requirements and meet customer expectations in terms of quality at affordable costs.

Kapoor Glass India Pvt Ltd., is one of India’s leading manufacturers and exporters of high- quality glass ampoules, tubular vials, Insulin & Dental cartridges, perfume samplers, and laboratory test tubes. With a manufacturing base in India, they serve 32 countries including highly regulated markets in the Americas, Europe, and Japan.

Borosil Renewables Ltd., the first and only solar glass manufacturer in India, part of the Borosil group, are proud manufacturers of “World’s First” Antimony-free solar glass and fully tempered 2mm solar glass. The Company is adding another 2.5 GW equivalent and will be a 5.0 GW equivalent solar glass manufacturer by July 2022 and will add a further 2.5 GW equivalent for commissioning in April 2023 to take it to 7.5 GW. It is targeting to raise exports significantly once the additional production is available from July 2022.

The jury for Industry awards comprised of Dr. K. Annapurna, Senior Principal Scientist, Glass Division, CSIR-Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI); Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK); Mr. Sanjay Somany, Former President AIGMF and CMD HNG Industries Ltd.; Mr. P K Kheruka, Former President AIGMF and Chairman Borosil Ltd.; and Mr. Vinit Kapur, Secretary AIGMF.

"I heartily congratulate Mr. Udit Kapoor of Kapoor Glass India Pvt. Ltd. to receive the prestigious CK Somany award for Innovation and technology for developing indigenously hot-end camera system along with operating software to achieve online automation control over key production parameters to end up with quality production of glass vials of international standards. This is certainly towards attaining a country’s self-reliance in such a critical technology. Equally, I applaud M/s Borosil Renewables to bag yet another esteemed BalKrishna Gupta award for its achievements in quality productions and exports. I feel privileged to be part of the Jury to select such worthy contenders for these 4 th AIGMF glass awards" said Dr. K. Annapurna, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-CGCRI.

“The inhouse achievements overseen by Mr. Udit Kapoor during the integration of advanced technology into Kapoor Glass’ production line of ampoules and vials cannot be underestimated and have resulted in multiple benefits. It was a pleasure for Glass Worldwide to be part of the judging process and we offer congratulations to Mr. Kapoor and Kapoor Glass as worthy winners of the prestigious C K Somany Award 2021. Congratulations also to Borosil Renewables who are deservedly recognised for tremendous export figures during unprecedented global market conditions. The company is investing significantly into its operations and its progress has deservedly been acknowledged with multiple honours recently, crowned with the AIGMF’s 2021 Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports.”, said Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher – Glass Worldwide.

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The All India Glass Manufacturers' Federation (AIGMF) gave away its 3rd prestigious Glass Awards i.e. C K Somany Award for Innovation & Technology and Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports at its 1 st ever online Annual General Meeting held under Pandemic conditions.

The program was well attended by over 60 senior industry members.

Prof. Alicia Durán (Research Professor CSIC-Spanish National Research Council) and President of International Commission on Glass, Madrid, SPAIN was the Chief Guest who also unveiled a touring exhibition on 'Glass Protects'. Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK) also attended as one of the Jury Members.

Former Presidents; Mr. Sanjay Somany and Mukul Somany gave the prestigious annual ‘CK Somany Award for Innovation and Technology’ to Dr. Mukul Chandra Paul, Sr. Principal Scientist, CGCRI, Kolkata.

The ‘Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports’ was bestowed to M/s La Opala RG Ltd., by the Former President, Mr. Pradeep Gupta. Both awards are supported by Glass Worldwide, preferred international journal of the AIGMF in association with Kanch.

Dr. Mukul Chandra Paul is a senior OSA member along with IEEE and life member of Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) and Indian Ceramic Society (ICS). He holds 7 U.S. patents, 4 Indian patents and published 7 book chapters, edited two books on ‘Fiber Laser’ and authored over 300 SCI papers in peer-reviewed journals and Conferences. Dr. Paul has received many awards, including BOYSCAST Fellowship from DST, IEEE Photonic Distinguished Lecture Award by Multimedia University, Malaysia, CSIR Technology Award for Innovation, Senior Visiting Scientist award by National Taiwan University of Technology (NTUT), Taiwan, to name a few.

La Opala RG Ltd., introduced Opal Glass technology to India in the year 1988. Since then, it has progressed to captivate lifestyle consumers, with an impressive supply chain that caters to over 40 Countries, besides being a household name in India”.

The Jury for the awards comprised of Dr. K. Annapurna, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-CGCRI, Kolkata; Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK); Mr. Sanjay Somany, Chairman & Managing Director – HNG & Ind. Ltd.; Mr. M.K. Bansal of Shri Sitaram Glass Works, Firozabad (UP) & Mr. Vinit Kapur, Secretary AIGMF.

Newly elected AIGMF President, Mr. Bharat Somany said, “The Instilling of Quality, Safety & Environmental consciousness in the minds of the next generation is a mantle the Glass Industry carries faithfully. I am grateful for the unprecedented participation and efforts of the students and congratulate them all heartily. The worthy recognition of Dr. Mukul Chandra Paul and La Opala RG Ltd. for their tremendous contribution in the fields of Innovation & Technology and Exports respectively, is a matter of great pride for the Industry”.

“Congratulations to Dr. Mukul Chandra Paul and La Opala RG Ltd., on their respective AIGMF awards. Dr. Paul’s tremendous achievements in the field of technology were clear to the judging panel as a more than worthy winner of the prestigious 2020 CK Somany Award. With a brand that is appreciated globally, it is also very fitting for La Opala to receive recognition of their exceptional international trade with this year’s Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports." said Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher of Glass Worldwide.

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At the platinum jubilee of AIGMF on Sept 27 at The Ashok, New Delhi, the Chief Guest , Hon. Minister of State for Jal Shakti as well as Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Mr. Rattan Lal Kataria gave the AIGMF Glass Awards- ‘CK Somany Award for Innovation and Technology’ to Mr. B.L. Kheruka of Gujarat Borosil Ltd., and ‘Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports’ to M/s Firozabad Glass Shell Industries.

Mr. B.L. Kheruka, born in 1930 is a pioneer in the glass industry. The Chairman of India's leading specialty glass manufacturing group, Borosil Glass Works Ltd., he presides over multiple verticals, including laboratory-ware pharma packaging (comprising of vials and ampoules), consumer goods and solar glass.

Mr. Raj Kumar Mittal, President AIGMF said, "Firozabad Glass Shell Industries has been engaged in the manufacture of Doubled Walled Glass Refills (Glass Liners) for Vacuum Flasks since its inception in 1980. FGSI is today the largest Manufacturer - Exporter of Glass Refills from India with a share of about 65% of India's export of this product. The company is owned by Mr. Ram Kishore Gupta, Mr. Dharmendra Mohan Gupta and Mr. Sunil Mohan Gupta, who have long experience of over 3 decades in different spheres of glass production”.

The Jury for these awards comprised of:

• Dr. K. Annapurna, Senior Principal Scientist, Glass Division, Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), Kolkata
• Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher, Glass Worldwide, London (UK)
• Mr. Bharat Somany, Senior Vice President - AIGMF and Vice President – HNG & Industries Ltd.
• Mr. M.K. Bansal, Executive Committee Member AIGMF and Partner, Shri Sitaram Glass Works, Firozabad (UP)
• Mr. Vinit Kapur, Secretary AIGMF, Delhi

“The contribution of Mr B.L. Kheruka to the Indian glass industry for more than fifty years cannot be overstated, right through from founding Window Glass Ltd. in the 1960s to building the Borosil brand and overseeing the company's evolution to become the leading specialty glassware enterprise in India. He is a most worthy recipient of the 2019 CK Somany Award for Innovation and Technology, and Glass Worldwide is pleased to support the AIGMF in recognizing Mr. Kheruka's achievements and those of his family. We also offer sincere congratulations to Firozabad Glass Shell Industries upon being recognized for their export contributions with the 2019 Balakrishna Gupta Award" said Mr. Dave Fordham, Publisher of Glass Worldwide, the preferred journal of AIGMF in association with Kanch (quarterly journal of the AIGMF).

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1st AIGMF Glass Awards; C K Somany Award for Innovation and Technology; and Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports were presented on Aug 17 alongside AIGMF’s Annual General and Executive Meetings.

Supported by Glass Worldwide, the C K Somany Glass Award was conceived to recognise the exceptional contribution to the Indian glass industry made over many decades by Mr. Somany of HNG, who passed away in May 2017 having headed India’s principal glass manufacturing group for more than 60 years.

Acknowledging his valuable contribution in the fields of technology, manufacturing, innovation, services and education, an appointed panel of jury members unanimously opined in favour of Mr. Sushil Jhunjhunwala, Vice Chairman of La Opala RG Ltd., as the first winner of the C K Somany Glass Award. Members of the Jhunjhunwala family have been actively involved in the Indian glass industry for more than eight decades, with Mr. Sushil Jhunjhunwala having personally served the industry for 50 years. In addition to being a key personality at La Opala, a specialist Indian producer of opal and lead crystal tableware, Mr. Jhunjhunwala served with distinction as President of the AIGMF and the Eastern India Glass Manufacturers’ Association (EIGMA).

“La Opala has always been very active in the field of innovation and every year the company is honoured to receive prestigious awards” commented Mr. Jhunjhunwala. “However, to personally be the first winner of the C K Somany Glass Award is extra special for me. Mr. Somany was like my guardian and was such a warm person. He was the Indian glass industry’s figurehead and was always very open to offering technical assistance and advice. He is greatly missed”.

The accompanying Balkrishna Gupta Award honours Mr. Gupta as founder of the Advance Group of Glass Industries in Firozabad. With more than 70 years of experience of running many glass manufacturing units in Firozabad, Mr. Gupta also served as President of the AIGMF and Uttar Pradesh Glass Manufacturers' Syndicate (UPGMS).

Awarded the Balakrishna Gupta Award in recognition of a valuable contribution in glass exports, Piramal Glass Pvt. Ltd., is a global specialist in glass packaging solutions for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, perfumery and specialty food and beverage sectors. With headquarters in Mumbai and manufacturing plants in Gujarat as well as Horana in Sri Lanka, Piramal Glass has proven particularly successful in the export market, supplying, for example, 50% of the world’s nail varnish bottles.

Upon receiving the BalKrishna Gupta Award, Mr. Sanjay Jain of Piramal Glass commented, “On behalf of Piramal Glass Pvt. Ltd., we would like to thank the jury of AIGMF for selecting us for the Balkrishna Gupta Award of the year 2017-18. The Award is prestigious, and Piramal Glass appreciates AIGMF’s acknowledgement of its performance”.

While we maintain our leadership position in the Cosmetics and Perfumery (C&P) and Pharmaceuticals glass packaging in the Indian market, we continue to expand our foot print in our existing global markets of USA, Europe and South America as well as entering into business relations with new customers in Africa (South Africa) and South East Asia (Indonesia).

The jury, who convened at CSIR-CGCRI, Kolkata in July 2018 to determine the winners of both awards, was:
- Dr. Ranjan Sen, Chief Scientist & Head Glass Division, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI), Kolkata
- Mr. Dave Fordham, Editor, Glass Worldwide, London (UK)
- Mr. Bharat Somany, Vice President AIGMF and Vice President HNG Inds. Ltd., Bahadurgarh (Haryana)
- Mr. M K Bansal, Executive Committee Member AIGMF and Partner, Shri Sitaram Glass Works, Firozabad (UP)
- Mr. Vinit Kapur, Secretary AIGMF, Delhi

Adding glory to the ceremony, C K Somany Award was presented by his sons, Mr. Sanjay and Mukul Somany (both Former Presidents of AIGMF) and BalKrishna Gupta Award by his son Mr. Pradeep Gupta who also happens to be Former President of AIGMF.

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