Awantika Chadha likes to work out every morning, first thing. The habit helps her prepare for the busy day ahead.
"That one or two hours at the gym is the most relaxing time for me. And when it's not possible, I can always listen to music, which does the magic for me," she said.
Chadha is an executive at Polyplex Corp. Ltd., a Noida, India-based company that provides application development and technical services. She's currently focused on flexible packaging.
"There are an endless number of factors that come into consideration for designing a suitable package for a particular product. Understanding such technicalities and specifications which link so many fields and branches together is what I like the most. Chemistry combined with polymer science opens up so many areas of brainstorming and learning new things."
What is your current challenge at work? Currently, the industry is highly competitive and demanding. Being good at one job is just not enough. I need to perform better every day and faster every day to be able to grow at a decent pace in my career.
Studying the market, potentials, demands, I need to pick the right kind of projects for our developmental team, which can help both us as well as our customers. Different time zones, different languages present a challenge, but then this is what it makes the job interesting. Yes, there are challenges, but I love every bit of them.
What emerging technology or market most interests you? Flexible packaging is what interests me the most. To a normal man, a popcorn packet and a chocolate pack will appear the same. But only we know how many factors come in play when one has to decide the right kind of packaging format. The product weight, the product nature, the required shelf life, the chemical nature and whatnot.
What is the best advice you have ever received? Always work for an organization and not a person.
What advice would you give to a person considering a career in the plastics industry? Gear up and get ready for the most exciting and challenging job.
What job do you really want to have in the future? My aim is to learn enough about manufacturing and converting to be able to have a strong role in the final sector, the brand owners. This industry has got me hooked, and I want to learn as much as possible to be a reliable technical resource for any company I work for.
