Plastics is perhaps the most versatile product of our age. It serves virtually every sector, particularly households goods, packaging, automobiles, paints, defence equipment, medical and surgical products, kitchen and toilet products, toys, appliances, agriculture and even construction. Universally accepted as energy conserving, plastics have almost replaced material like rubber, metals, wood and glass in several uses. Yet, in India, our per capita consumption is only 2.4 kg as compared to the world average of 16 kg and even China’s nine kg. Thus, it is obvious that plastics have a great future in India.

Theproduction of raw material is normally handled by chemical engineers or plastic technologists through the compounding of polymers in large reactors from which moulding powder or chips are obtained. These form the basis of plastic products. These are then put through various processing operations such as extrusion, injection moulding, firm blowing and so on, to be made into products of consumption. In fact, polymers, the mother of all plastics, haves various applications in the areas of natural and synthetic rubber, fibres, polythene, nylon and a range of PVC and PET products.

Chemical engineers, plastic technologists and polymer scientists are involved in all aspects of use of plastic and polymer materials from designing the products, identifying the basic raw material and the processes to be used to test the finished products.

Conducting research studies to determine the chemicals and substances used for and with plastic such as coal, petroleum, wood, cotton, etc, are other important areas of work forthose in the plastic industry.

There are also marketing and sales executives who handle the marketing of plastic materials or finished items. These could be for industrial users or general consumers and also requires adequate knowledge of the end usage of the plastic and of its qualities and properties.

Managers in companies dealing with the production and sale of plastic products are normally management graduates with specialised knowledge of plastic technology. Research and development is a major area for plastic technologists as polymer substances are being increasingly used for a range of new products from spacecraft and optical fibres to textiles and household utilities.

Entry

One can join this industry either by joining a B Tech programme in plastics technology, or taking up an M Tech in plastic technology after an M Sc in Chemistry or Physics, or a B Tech in Chemical Engineering, Rubber Technology or Mechanical Engineering. In either case, you would need to have completed 10+2 withScience for entering this field.

The B Tech course in plastic technology is of four years’ duration, while the M Tech/ME programme is of 1.5-2 years.

There are also a number of long- and short-term diploma courses in plastic technology at the post-graduate level.

Those entering management and marketing areas in the plastic industry would need a management degree after a B Sc in Chemical/Plastic/Rubber Engineering. For research work, a Master’s or Ph D would be essential.

Among the prominent institutes offering courses in plastic technology and polymer sciences are the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, the M S University of Vadodara, Cochin University, Dept of Chemical Technology, University of Bombay, the Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune and the L D College of Engineering, Ahmedabad.

Post-graduate diploma courses are offered by the Indian Plastics Institute in Delhi and the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology in Chennai.

Career Prospects

The jobopportunities for trained professionals in this field are immense. Government sector organisations such as the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, Oil India, the polymer corporations of different states, petro-chemical research labs and the ministry of petroleum and chemicals and so on regularly recruit chemical engineers and plastic technologists.

Moreover, today, there are large petrochemical engineering plants and various private companies dealing with the production and marketing of plastics commodities, which offer attractive employment opportunities. Over the last decade, plastic technology and polymer sciences have attracted multi-crore investments from some of the biggest industrial houses in India. Companies such as Reliance, Spic, Finolex and others have set up plants to produce raw materials as well as research laboratories to develop new products. Also, plants have been set up to develop intermediate products such as PVC films of various thickness, synthetic marbles and material for sanitary wareand so on.

The government has identified the petrochemical industry as a high priority sector owing to the fact that plastics play an important role in providing the basic necessities for everyday life while conserving scarce resources. There is also need for extensive research and development in this field by those who have total understanding of the technology and the applicability of the raw material and can work at developing new uses and products.

The plastic industry can play a significant role in the growth and development of key sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, through plasticulture and packaging for processed foods, in innovative products for telecommunications and the information technology sector and enormous untapped potential for consumer non-durables in the rural areas.

Besides meeting the growing domestic demand for plastics, India can also access a fair share of the world market with its competitive advantage with low labour costs and high knowledge and technology base.Combine this with the Indian entrepreneurship and there is scope for generating tremendous wealth for the country and for individuals who enter the field.

The writer is the author of Penguin India Career Guide, Vol I & II. She is also a newsreader on Doordarshan and producer of Hum Honge Kamyaab.