Newest member from India

The Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd, a company based in India, is the latest member of POLYKUM. We met the founder, Arvind Mehta, and his son Paresh Mehta at K 2022 and asked them to introduce their company.

Arvind und Paresh Mehta (v.r.) führen die Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt Ltd.

How did the history of the Welset begin?

Paresh Mehta: My father started it in 1968 with a small initiative, but a big dream to setup a leading brand in manufacturing of masterbatches and compounds. Since then, the Welset initiative has grown from 1,000 to 85,000 square feet, and the number of employees has grown from 10 in the first year to 250 today.

Arvind Mehta: You can say my dream of the past has turned into reality. Welset Plast Extrusions is one of the top companies in this business in India with a significant global footprint. With Welset Europe S.L. we are also present in the EU. And although a lot has changed since inception, the commitment to ‘engineer in’quality in all walks of business remains well entrenched even today. Incidentally, Welset is still completely family-owned.

Welset's headquarters are still in Mumbai. Is that also your production site?

Arvind Mehta: We have been producing in Silvassa, which is about 200 kilometers north of Mumbai, since 1999. We have now set up three production units here.

What are your main products or specialties?

Paresh Mehta: Primarily our additive masterbatches and color masterbatches. But even our mission to provide a complete line of value added products and services to continue to attract customers. ‘Adding Value with Colours’ is a promise that is fulfilled by way of the number of specialised products and pioneering launches. Research and Development activities are well synchronised with the company’s future plans of growth.

What motivated you to become a member of POLYKUM?

Arvind Mehta: Welset is a member of the All India Plastics Manufacturer's Association (AIPMA), one of the leading industry associations in our country with around 22,000 members, in which I am personally very involved. Last year, in my capacity as Chairman of the Governing Council and as a sponsor, I launched the Arvind Mehta Technology & Entrepreneurship Center (AMTEC) in Mumbai. This "Center of Excellence" under the umbrella of AIPMA is intended to help small companies to grow step by step and to align themselves internationally. International contacts are just as important as knowledge of the latest materials and technologies.

And this is where POLYKUM comes into play?

Arvind Mehta: This is one of many points where I not only can imagine fruitful mutual cooperation - it has even already begun. At the BIPOLYMER Congress organized by POLYKUM in 2021, there was a collaboration between POLYKUM and AIPMA for the first time. With great success, as 400 participants from my home country proved. And this year, too, our members were active in large numbers at the conference. Biopolymers are a topic that no plastics manufacturer will be able to avoid in the future. In the meantime, Peter Putsch has also given highly interesting lectures in India, and we were also able to exchange ideas personally on these occasions. These were always very stimulating discussions.

You are currently also represented at the K 2022 trade fair at the POLYKUM stand. What is your goal here in Dusseldorf?

Paresh Mehta: We show all types of masterbatches. Of course we want to win new customers. And working side by side working here on the booth we intend to use the opportunity to make new plans for further cooperation between POLYKUM and AIPMA.

Thank you very much for the conversation.