Harveer Sahni has been presented this year’s R.Stanton Avery Global Achievement Award.
The label industry veteran started his career in 1971 working at his father’s stationary company, Weldon Sales Corporation.
In 1978, as part of expanding the company’s stationery product range, Mr Sahni set up a 20-inch coater to manufacture self-adhesive BOPP tapes – one of the first to do so in India.
Mr Sahni said, ‘This is the first time ever that this prestigious award is conferred upon an Indian recognising his contribution to the global label fraternity.’
Making use of his BSc Chemistry background, Mr Sahni used the Weldon laboratory to research development of new products including inks, adhesives and coatings. He also ventured into industrial adhesives, plastic blow moulding and injection moulding.
With demand for self-adhesive stickers starting to take off in India through the 1970s, Mr Sahni invested in a siliconising line, developing poly-coated release liners and a barrier coating for uncoated woodfree or brown sack kraft papers that could accept silicone release coating.
In the late 1990s, a one-meter coater was installed to carry out both silicone coating and to produce release liners. Weldon soon started manufacturing self-adhesive label stock, adding another coater to focus on liner manufacture.
Mr Sahni welcomed the entry of ‘big brother’ Avery Dennison to India, recognising that this would help drive development of the entire Indian label converting industry. This also pushed Mr Sahni into developing export markets, and Weldon was soon selling to over 30 countries.
Mr Sahni set up the first Nordson Hotmelt adhesive coating line in India and later helped his friend Anil Arora establish the India Label Show.
The global recession of 2008 led to Mr Sahni act as an India agent for leading global manufacturers of print and converting equipment, tooling and consumables.
Mr Sahni’s blog “Self-adhesive Labels Industry in India and The World” consists of over 200 articles on success stories, technical articles, market size, events and acquisitions. The blog is nearing half a million page views this year.
Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo Global Series, said, ‘This award recognises Harveer’s central role in building the Indian self-adhesive label industry from its earliest days, and later his major contribution to promoting the Indian label industry on the world stage.’
The decision was made by judges Lori Campbell, chairman at TLMI, Linnea Keen, president at TLMI, Philippe Voet, FINAT president, Greg Hrinya, editor Label and Narrow Web, James Quirk, content director Labels & Labeling and Jean Poncet, editor-in-chief Etiq+Pack.
Andy Thomas-Emans, chair of the judging panel, added, ‘The judges felt Harveer Sahni met all the criteria for excellence. His history in building a company to manufacture self-adhesive labels in India, through to his central role in building the Indian label association and then acting as an influential ambassador on the world stage, all helped the judging panel to come to their decision amongst a field of excellent candidates.’
