In July 2026, Udaan Paper Industries, based in Indore, India, shifted from a manual production facility to fully automated manufacturing. This major move of the industry now produces 50 lakh recyclable corrugated boxes every month, along with staying consistent and accelerating the transition away from plastic.
The growing online ordering culture of food, clothes, and various other categories of products involves higher usage of cardboard boxes. The growing e-commerce sector added more to this usage. Hence, Udaan Industries took advantage of this opportunity and, by hitting the right chords at the right time, transformed its operations by moving from manual production to automated manufacturing. Today, they produce nearly 50 lakh recyclable corrugated boxes each month. Hence, they also provide businesses with high-quality packaging faster, along with reducing waste and supporting the shift away from plastic.
There were times when the packaging industry of India highly depended on manual processes. Hence, such conditions led to issues like slower production, inconsistent quality, and difficulties keeping up with the growing demand. At the same time, the packaging industries in India were also looking for sustainable packaging options.
For Yash Bakliwal, Managing Director and Chairman of Udaan Paper Industries Limited, this presented an opportunity.
"India's manufacturing and consumption economy was growing rapidly, but the packaging industry was still largely fragmented and dependent on manual processes," says Yash.
"We saw a clear gap between the growing demand for high-quality packaging and the industry's ability to deliver it consistently. Businesses were also looking for sustainable alternatives to plastic. That inspired us to build automated manufacturing facilities capable of producing recyclable paper packaging quickly, consistently, and at scale."
The major changes in the company initially began in 2021 when the current promoter group took over with a renewed focus on automation and sustainable packaging.
Their goal was to solve three long-standing industry challenges:
At the same time, they wanted to make recyclable paper packaging a practical alternative to plastic.
Today, Udaan operates two fully automated manufacturing plants one in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh, and another in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh supplying corrugated packaging to businesses across North and Central India.
The base role of the industry begins with giant paper reels. These paper rolls pass through automated corrugation lines, where multiple layers of paper are bonded together to create sturdy corrugated sheets capable of withstanding transportation. The sheets are then cut, printed, folded, and stacked before being converted into finished boxes of different sizes.
"Automation makes the entire process faster, more accurate, and highly consistent," explains Yash.
Unlike traditional industries, where manual procedures are highly preferred, automation allows for maintaining a standard quality and consistency, along with reducing material wastage and improving efficiency.
"Our goal is to deliver packaging that is consistent in quality, produced faster, and reaches customers on time," he says.
"Automation helps us improve production planning, reduce material wastage, and support the shift from plastic to recyclable paper packaging."
Even though Udaan Industries has completely shifted to automated procedures, the company still believes that a few checks done manually help to ensure the quality and maintain consumers’ trust. Hence, activities such as quality checks, machine monitoring, maintenance, and dispatch planning are all handled manually by the teams of the company.
"Technology improves efficiency, but it is skilled people who ensure quality and reliability," says Yash.
The company employs around 100 people across its two plants. As automation has expanded, many employees have transitioned from physically demanding manual work into more specialised technical roles.
"Every new machine requires trained operators," Yash adds. "We see automation as an opportunity to upskill our people, not replace them."
Today, Udaan's two automated facilities produce nearly 50 lakh recyclable corrugated boxes every month, with a combined installed production capacity of 30,000 tonnes annually. Its packaging supports businesses across sectors, including FMCG, food processing, dairy, beverages, textiles, and consumer goods, while the company continues to expand into pharmaceuticals and e-commerce. GPS-enabled vehicles, optimised route planning, and improved production scheduling help ensure that packaging reaches customers on time, allowing their own production lines to run without disruption.
"Our role doesn't end when the box leaves the factory," says Yash.
"By strengthening both manufacturing and logistics, we're helping customers improve inventory movement, reduce turnaround time, and build more efficient supply chains."
The company aims to become a one-stop provider of sustainable packaging solutions by expanding into allied paper-based products, including paper bags. It will help businesses to source a wider range of eco-friendly packaging from a single partner.
The company is also planning to strengthen its technology-driven logistics capabilities to help customers improve inventory movement and build more efficient supply chains.
31 July 2026
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