SCHOTT AG, a leading international specialty glass and technology group, has announced Pawan Kumar Shukla as the new Managing Director for SCHOTT Glass India.

Shukla brings over 25 years in the glass, lighting, pipes and electronics industry and comes with a strong background in techno-commercials.

Prior to this role, he was the President Operations at Surya Roshni Ltd, an Indian multinational manufacturer for specialty glass tubing and lighting.

An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, in ceramic engineering as well as material science and metallurgy, Shukla has also worked with Corning JV in the CRT Division as a manufacturing head for twelve years. Commenting on his new role, he said, “India is a frontrunner of the global pharma industry and primary pharma packaging is one of the most vital components in the entire production chain. I am proud to be associated with SCHOTT, being one of the oldest and most trusted manufacturers of tubular glass worldwide. While the domestic market is our key focus, our India plant also caters to the Asian market, thereby contributing to the pharmaceutical industry and the Indian government’s vision of becoming a global pharmaceutical hub.”

Presently, SCHOTT is delivering its highly specialised Fiolax® glass tubes to leading pharma packaging players in India and abroad for preparing primary packaging products such as vials, syringes, etc. Supporting the world’s fight against COVID-19 with vials capable of holding up to 2 billion vaccination doses, the German leader has reached agreements and started supplying to leading pharmaceutical companies including key players in India.

Given the exponential rise in demand for quality glass for pharma packaging, SCHOTT had inaugurated a new tank facility in its Jambusar plant, following an investment of €21 million in 2018. Even before the Coronavirus pandemic, the company had forecasted a rapid growth trend, and had thus committed additional investments of €26 million for yet another tank facility last year. With a combined investment of €47 million and two new plants, SCHOTT’s India plant is well on track to double its production capacity, enabling supply of its FIOLAX® glass tubing for both domestic and export demands.