It seems to me that the packaged snacks industry in India is set to see the same rapid growth as the rest of the economy.
This might seem surprising, given the rich tradition of home-made snacks in Indian culture, but as urbanisation and economic growth put money in people’s pockets, they also tend to rob them of time: so convenience becomes king. This was the pattern seen in many developed countries and is now becoming apparent in India as intake of convenience and fast foods increases.
During an Internet search I found a number of surveys; all predicting double-digit annual growth in snack consumption, some forecasting up to 20% over the coming years. Clearly this opportunity is being seized by existing multinational and domestic suppliers, and is attracting new players into the industry.
So how should an Indian company approach the choice of production equipment in this fast-moving market?
Fundamental concerns that need addressing include the ability to process indigenous ingredients; being able to produce a high-quality product in what will clearly become a highly competitive market; and flexibility in terms of end product and output.
Twin-screw extrusion is a technology that fulfils all these requirements. Baker Perkins’ SBX Master™ extruders handle a wide range of flours, grains and pulses, including finely milled flours with differing textures, such as gram flour (Besan) – made from ground chickpeas – one of the vital ingredient of Snack products in India.
Twin-screw extrusion is a process that readily tolerates the use of virtually any flavouring or coating. I recently sampled an extruded curry-flavoured snack trialled in our Innovation Centre ahead of Sweet & SnackTec India this month; it had the crisp ‘bite’ consumers expect of a snack, coupled with a superbly spicy flavour.
Baker Perkins in India
Baker Perkins has already installed twin-screw extrusion equipment into India; a recent line produces 250 kg/hour of high-quality snacks on a multi-shift basis. The process and product range was proven in our Innovation Centre, using Indian ingredients.
Crucially, systems are installed in India in association with Satara-based technical partner 3P (Triple Pee Solutions Pvt Ltd), who combine locally sourced commodity equipment with our technology, and add their own process expertise and support. This partnership ensures maximum value for capital investment, provides the most efficient installation service, and guarantees availability of service and replacement parts.
Baker Perkins has been supplying snack and confectionery equipment to customers in India for over 20 years; 3P is the partner for that full range.