Sanjay Kumar Jha: Engineering A Smarter, Greener Manufacturing Future
Sanjay Kumar Jha
Chief Operating Officer
This perspective defines the professional journey of Sanjay Kumar Jha, Chief Operating Officer, Aegios Polyfilms, whose career of more than 33 plus years has been closely associated with building and scaling film-manufacturing operations. A mechanical engineer from Nagpur University with a postgraduate diploma in business management, Jha has worked across polyester (BOPET Resins & films), BOPP, CPP, Thermal lamination, Blown PP/PE & Various offline coating films, gaining experience spanning manufacturing, project execution, R&D, Product & business development and green & brown field international operations.
He began his career in the polyester industry and joined Ester in 1993 as a management trainee & Move to UFLEX in 1995 as part of the core team that established its polyester & Polyprelene business. At Jindal Polyester, he was again among the early inception members involved in establishing operations and production infrastructure.
His career then took him to Polyplex, where he contributed to new polyester operations and international expansion, serving as Manufacturing Head and later President Director for Thailand and Indonesia. His experience in Indonesia included stabilizing a greenfield operation and driving its manufacturing performances i.e bench mark for the industry.
At Ester Industries, Jha expanded his expertise into polyester resin production and R&D, developing new & innovative products, specialty customers and introducing technologies from inter national markets. He later returned to Polyplex, contributing to specialized Resin, films manufacturing and new product development.
Jha joined Aegios Polyfilms in 2023, following its transition from Ahmedabad to Jammu & Kashmir and the establishment of an advanced film manufacturing facility. Today, he leads operations as Aegios expands its specialty and coated film capabilities, bringing a rare combination of shop-floor experience, technology exposure and international manufacturing expertise to the company's growth journey.
Looking back on your career, which experiences and achievements have most influenced your approach to leadership, operations and business performance?
My career has given me exposure to the complete manufacturing cycle—from setting up production lines and greenfield facilities to product development, R&D, team building and market development. Setting up and stabilizing the greenfield operation in Indonesia was particularly significant, where we achieved strong operating parameters across polyester, BOPP, metallization and resin-related operations.
My experience in R&D also shaped my approach, as I worked on products introduced in India for the first time, including solar applications. These experiences taught me that sustainable performance comes from capable teams, robust systems and continuous improvement rather than individual effort alone.
As COOww of Aegios Polyfilms, how do you translate the company's vision into measurable operational priorities?
I believe execution starts with building the right team and supporting it with transparent systems. At Aegios, we hire young engineers and skilled ITI professionals and invest in structured training to develop them internally. We assign clear KPIs to teams and display performance metrics visually across operational areas, enabling everyone to track progress.
We follow TPM principles, along with 5S, Kaizen, problem-solving and one-point lessons. Our performance framework is based on PQCDSM, covering production, quality, cost, delivery and safety. This approach ensures that productivity and growth are achieved without compromising quality, customer commitments or workplace safety.
How are you balancing advanced technology, manu- facturing efficiency, quality and sustainability at Aegios Poly films?
I look at operations through the 4Ms - Man, Material, Method and Machine—and increasingly automation has become an important fifth element. Our focus is to standardize processes, reduce unnecessary human intervention and introduce mistake-proofing wherever possible.
We follow TPM practices such as cleaning, inspection, lubrication and tightening to improve equipment reliability and
My career has given me exposure to the complete manufacturing cycle—from setting up production lines and greenfield facilities to product development, R&D, team building and market development. Setting up and stabilizing the greenfield operation in Indonesia was particularly significant, where we achieved strong operating parameters across polyester, BOPP, metallization and resin-related operations.
Sanjay Kumar Jha brings decades of manufac - turing expertise, global perspective and visionary leadership to build smarter, sustain- able and high-performing operations
My experience in R&D also shaped my approach, as I worked on products introduced in India for the first time, including solar applications. These experiences taught me that sustainable performance comes from capable teams, robust systems and continuous improvement rather than individual effort alone.
As COOww of Aegios Polyfilms, how do you translate the company's vision into measurable operational priorities?
I believe execution starts with building the right team and supporting it with transparent systems. At Aegios, we hire young engineers and skilled ITI professionals and invest in structured training to develop them internally. We assign clear KPIs to teams and display performance metrics visually across operational areas, enabling everyone to track progress.
We follow TPM principles, along with 5S, Kaizen, problem-solving and one-point lessons. Our performance framework is based on PQCDSM, covering production, quality, cost, delivery and safety. This approach ensures that productivity and growth are achieved without compromising quality, customer commitments or workplace safety.
How are you balancing advanced technology, manu- facturing efficiency, quality and sustainability at Aegios Poly films?
I look at operations through the 4Ms - Man, Material, Method and Machine—and increasingly automation has become an important fifth element. Our focus is to standardize processes, reduce unnecessary human intervention and introduce mistake-proofing wherever possible.
We follow TPM practices such as cleaning, inspection, lubrication and tightening to improve equipment reliability and
minimize breakdowns. Energy efficiency is another major priority, supported by structured quality, food safety, energy and safety management systems.
Sustainability is embedded into our manufacturing process through recycling. We utilize post-consumer bottle waste, convert it into resin and subsequently use it in film production, creating value from waste.
What has been one of the most demanding business challenges at Aegios, and how have you addressed it?
One of the biggest challenges is responding to a rapidly changing market where sustainability, energy efficiency, global competition and customer expectations are constantly evolving. Customers have many choices, so differentiation has become increasingly important.
We therefore train our sales and technical teams to approach customers as problem solvers rather than simply product sellers. Our objective is to help customers improve yields, quality or costs and achieve their own business goals.
My experience across more than 35 countries has also given me a strong understanding of global markets. I use that exposure to anticipate changing requirements and prepare our teams accordingly.
What is your vision for Aegios Poly films' operational growth, and which priorities will shape the next phase?
Aegios is already moving into its next phase of expansion, with two specialty coated film lines being established in Jammu & Kashmir and further expansion planned in Maharashtra.
My priority is to build an organization where technology, operational excellence, sustainability and people development progress together. We are creating teams that can independently manage new facilities while maintaining the same operational discipline.
I also remain actively involved in specialty-film conferences and global technology networks, particularly in Japan and Korea, where we have undertaken joint development initiatives. We are also working towards TPM Excellence and global safety recognition as part of our opera-tional journey.
Sanjay Kumar Jha, COO, Aegios Polyfilms
Sanjay Kumar Jha is Chief Operating Officer at Aegios Polyfilms, with over 33 years of experience across polyester Resins& films, BOPP, CPP, Thermal lamination & Blown PP /PE manufacturing, R&D and international operations. A mechanical engineer with a postgraduate diploma in business management, he has held leadership roles at Jindal Polyester, Polyplex, Ester Industries & Uflex .
Sustainability is embedded into our manufacturing process through recycling. We utilize post-consumer bottle waste, convert it into resin and subsequently use it in film production, creating value from waste.
What has been one of the most demanding business challenges at Aegios, and how have you addressed it?
One of the biggest challenges is responding to a rapidly changing market where sustainability, energy efficiency, global competition and customer expectations are constantly evolving. Customers have many choices, so differentiation has become increasingly important.
We therefore train our sales and technical teams to approach customers as problem solvers rather than simply product sellers. Our objective is to help customers improve yields, quality or costs and achieve their own business goals.
My experience across more than 35 countries has also given me a strong understanding of global markets. I use that exposure to anticipate changing requirements and prepare our teams accordingly.
What is your vision for Aegios Poly films' operational growth, and which priorities will shape the next phase?
Aegios is already moving into its next phase of expansion, with two specialty coated film lines being established in Jammu & Kashmir and further expansion planned in Maharashtra.
My priority is to build an organization where technology, operational excellence, sustainability and people development progress together. We are creating teams that can independently manage new facilities while maintaining the same operational discipline.
I also remain actively involved in specialty-film conferences and global technology networks, particularly in Japan and Korea, where we have undertaken joint development initiatives. We are also working towards TPM Excellence and global safety recognition as part of our opera-tional journey.
Sanjay Kumar Jha, COO, Aegios Polyfilms
Sanjay Kumar Jha is Chief Operating Officer at Aegios Polyfilms, with over 33 years of experience across polyester Resins& films, BOPP, CPP, Thermal lamination & Blown PP /PE manufacturing, R&D and international operations. A mechanical engineer with a postgraduate diploma in business management, he has held leadership roles at Jindal Polyester, Polyplex, Ester Industries & Uflex .