A new platform for India’s polyurethane industry

UTECH, the flagship polyurethane exhibitions brand owned by the Global Polymer Group of Crain Communications (the publishers of this magazine) came to India for the first time in its 38-year history. It was the fifth UTECH show this year (after UTECH Europe, UTECH Asia/PU China, UTECH Middle East Foam and Polyurethane Expo and UTECH South East Asia – reviewed on the previous spread) and may be the most significant. First, it was the first UTECH show in India, which is now the most populous nation on earth. Second, it was the first UTECH show dedicated to sustainability in polyurethane.
Mumbai is the financial capital of India, with a population over 12 million. The three-day exhibition, was hosted by Global Polymer Group with our partners in India, Media Fusion, on 4-6 December 2024 at Bombay Exhibition Centre.

The show was considered a tremendous success by first time exhibitors, as well by long-established Indian exhibitors who have exhibited at previousUTECH shows in other parts of the world. “We have exhibited at UTECH show for the first time, we missed the UTECH Middle East Foam and Polyurethane Expo as the dates clashed with local show in Ahmedabad. We are coming in the UTECH Asia/PU China Show in September next year,” confirmed Sanjay Chauhan, managing director, Chauhan Enterprises. The company manufactures mattresses under the Sleepjack brand in Ahmedabad.  
While another first-timer, Pune based high-and-low pressure PU foam machinery producer Karvi Komfy, received a good number of serious enquiries during the Mumbai show. “The first two-days were really great for us, we received lots of serious enquiries, footfall was also great throughout the show. This is our first outing at UTECH series shows, and we are more than happy,” said Sachin Kumbhar, managing director, Karvi Komfy. Foam machinery producer Karvi Komfy manufactures about 25 lines annually. Initially catering to domestic markets, it opened to the Sri Lankan market in 2022, and entered the markets of the Middle East and Australia in 2024.
While regular UTECH exhibitors like Delhi-based polyurethane machinery company AS Enterprises feel it is great that the show series has expanded to India. “We were among the first Indian companies to have exhibited at the UTECH Europe in Maastricht way back in 1995,” said Anurag Purie, CEO, AS Enterprises [editor’s note: UTECH was actually in The Hague, not Maastricht, in 1995].

The inaugural UTECH India show was also the venue for the first-ever UTECH India Awards, which was presented during the first day of the conference, with two award categories. 
For the first award, Delhi-headquartered AS Enterprises was recognised for innovation in the field of PU foam machinery manufacturing. “We are thrilled that we have been recognised by the show organisers for our contribution to the Indian polyurethane machinery industry,” said Anurag Purie. The company started manufacturing cutting and processing machines for flexible polyurethane foam back in 1989. The company is credited with designing the first in-house commercially viable carousel foam-cutting machine in India.
For the second award, the Sustainable Castor Association was recognised for sustainability in the field of castor farming in India. Sanjay Sailass, general manager, Sustainable Castor Association said in his acceptance address: “It's a profound honour to receive this prestigious special recognition award on behalf of the Castor Association. This recognition is a testament to the collective effort of our members, and our partners, that have driven our mission forward since our inception in 2019. The Sustainable Castor Association was founded with a singular vision to transform castor farming – and a broader industry – to sustainability.”
The pioneer initiative trained over 10,000 farmers, certified over 11,000 hectares of land, and produced more than 10kt of certified sustainable castor beans. This led to a 25% increase in crop yield and a 30% increase in the income of farmers certified by the scheme.  

The three-day event showcased presentations by key stakeholders on subjects including “Global trends in the polyurethane market with a focus on Asia and sustainability”, “New dimensions on bio-polyols for enhanced performance applications”, “Transforming old PU foam into material with potential to decontaminate wastewater”, and “The demand for sustainability is redefining auxiliary chemicals for polyurethane”.
In a panel discussion “Sustainable energy efficient polyurethane solutions within construction in the region,” Keshav Goyal, Executive Director, Shakun Industries explained 3D printers and preformed ducts are used in building concrete structures in India: “3D printers are being used in buildings – there are projects in Bombay itself – and people are doing it and you will see a lot more of it is being done here in India, and not anywhere in the world, because Indians are very smart about it. Once a technology takes hold in India, we know how to use it properly. In Bengaluru there is an entire two-floor structure for the Indian Post Office built entirely using a 3D printer.”
Construction of the two-storey building, which opened in 2023, was completed – from start to finish – in just 43 days, two days ahead of schedule.

1. India is the rebond capital of the world. When we conceived of this show we were thinking about India’s role in producing bio-polyols from castor seed oil and cashew nut shell liquid. But we learned during a panel discussion on the Indian mattress industry that most mattresses in the country contain rebond and India makes so much rebond it actually has to import foam scraps from abroad.
2. The Indian mattress market is complex. While European countries have just seven mattress sizes to choose from, in India there is something like 10 times that number. And many mattresses must be made to order to fit custom-sized bed frames.
3. India is going through a construction boom. During a panel discussion on construction in the country, architect and academician (and chair of AESA, The Architects, Engineers and Surveyors Association) Mahesh Bangad said that India is building one Manhattan’s worth of skyscrapers a year, every year, for the next ten years.
4. India has a litter problem. Giving a presentation “The demand for sustainability is redefining auxiliary chemicals for polyurethane”, Gaurav Sachdeva, director of Chemie Products, said that India has more litter than any other country: “Plastic production is not a problem, littering is the problem.”
5. India is resourceful. In his fascinating presentation “Transforming bio-foams and old PU foam into material with potential to decontaminate wastewater” Dr SK Nataraj, professor at the Centre for Nano and Material Sciences at Jain University, explained the process he used to make wastewater filters. The PU waste was chopped, and cooked with solvents, in a domestic pressure cooker: “The same kind you’ll find in any Indian kitchen.” Meanwhile, Jayant Khadlikar, director of Jay Elastomers, showed the audience a novel building material: bricks made from ground PU waste – and other fillers – bound within an elastomeric matrix.

The next edition of UTECH India Sustainable Foam and Polyurethane Expo will be held on 13-15 November 2025 at NESCO Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.