GapCon invests in a Greenfield infrastructure project in India

GapCon invests in a Greenfield infrastructure project in India

Jaykay was conceived and started operation in the year 1975 , primarily as a sales ,service and consulting company exclusively for the Indian Pulp and P a p e r Industry. Long term objectives were to bring close to India cost effective technology and updated knowledge , that directly impacts bottom lines and improves productivity. The cited efforts were sustainable, primarily attributed to many European partners and OEM’s with effective knowhow and flexibility to share the same in the Indian market. There are numerous instances, precipitated by Jaykay which has created yardsticks in the process and application of Pulp and Paper history In India. The team has been relentless and persistent , fighting the demon of guarded practices in paper making prevalent in India during late seventies etc. Exclusively talking to “The Pulp and Paper Times” Mr.Ranajoy Chowdhury reveals his company’s future action plans;

Q Jaykay Enterprises is known as potential and renowned supplier of paper machinery to paper mills, what are those technology milestones you have achieved and successfully delivered to paper industries.

On the lines as cited above, Jaykay has been a pioneer in bringing close to the Indian Market Technology in an era which was relatively conservative, dominated by predictable pattern in thinking, which resisted change. Jaykay is proud to state the following new concepts and knowledge was introduced by them in the Indian Market from the year 1975 onwards. See the text box.

Q In India, how many papermills are being catered by you, who are your major clients? How many manufacturing facilities you have in India and out of India?

Most of the Indian mills ranging from 70 TPD are our partners and accomplices. Practically 70% of the production in India has Jaykay contributing in some form or the other. With GapCon Engineering and Levcon Jaykay, we have 2 manufacturing facilities in India.

Q India is considered as a big buying market where there is vacuum for advance process technologies, foreign companies are suitable to fill up the this vacuum, what are your views for increasing shares of European and Chinese companies in Indian Market, What are the reasons of this share increment? what steps you have taken to counterthis competition?

On the contrary, the biggest retardant for the envisaged Growth of Pulp and Paper Industry in India is the lack of enviable technology partner and OEM’s in India. Realizing this deficit, Jaykay was instrumental in formation of Levcon Jaykay M P Ltd, in the year 1996 as a Licensee of Bonetti S.p.A, Italy to not only produce European quality doctor blades in India , replacing imports from Europe, but also build up a service and troubleshooting team on doctoring, trained in Europe, which was woefully lacking in the market. In continuation to the efforts, Jaykay in the year 2012, established GapCon Engineering PLtd, a Joint venture with GapCon GmbH, Germany to offer services of functional rolls and manufacture modern calendar and film presses. For the first time on Indian Soil , we had a German company GapCon investing in a Greenfield infrastructure project , exclusively catering to the Indian Pulp and Paper industryThe cited endeavor has since effectively countered cheap and poor technology of the Chinese and at the same time overpriced European supplies , thereby making investments in knowhow by the Indian Pulp and Paper mills viable. Inception of GapCon , in India has been a trigger for other European OEM’s to set up base in India and allow an environment for growth of cost effective and affordable technology for the Industry.

Q Exercising on research activities may give good outputs. What are those research outputs which have been delivered to Paper Industries?

A We are constantly undertaking efforts to bring to India latest innovations from our partners in Europe, focusing primarily on the paper machine. Being the Indian partner of our various European counterparts , we have all the access to their research and sometimes use Indian mills for corresponding process trials. Q What are major process problems in paper industries you observe and how do you counter them. A On the lines of our emphasis on the paper machines , we are invariably focusing on improving not only production , but also quality and grade developments which directly influences bottom lines.

Q Tell us about your major Plant up-gradations (where you have converted tradition plant section machinery into Modern Plant section machinery).

We have been instrumental in promoting Shoe presses as a tool to not only improve bulk and strength, but also speed, specially for fine packaging grades. This is apart from the fact that GapCon Engineering has not only indigenous Calander but film press as well , which has improved printability, strength, runability, stiffness etc of the sheet, all coming at relatively affordable figures .

Q Paper Making Process is considered as a costly one, various kind of process optimization standards are adopted by Paper Mills on many times but still paper productivity is required a lot of research. What are those process and energy parameters which you see , if addressed by you, can give productivity and profit enhancement to Paper Mills.

We see a lot of scope in improving the various press sections, incorporating a shoe press, which neutralizes to some extent weak fibres and at the same time delivers improved quality at higher speed. Q Research is the activity which is required a lot of process study (theoretical and practically) before start execution, success and failure both have equal probability to come, Have you ever faced failure in expectation of paper mills but your efforts were praised. What was that research output? A Indian paper industry with the current liquidity situation, high interest rate, high cost of investments etc, find it tough to fathom any failures. The Indian wings of both GapCon and Bonetti, has shown its commitments to the market, with its investments and in order to secure the investments we stick to solutions which is proven and risk free.

Q In Paper Industry process downtime is very important in papermaking ? How do you create space foryourresearch outputs? 

This is handled by our European partners.

Q What are yourexpansion plans fornext 5 years?

Expand GapCon, bandwagon to Northern part of India, with another state of art shop.

Q Paper making process is directly related to the environment and a big pressure is on the environmental resources, in this condition How Jaykay Enterprises with its more than 2 decades experience can minimize the uses of environmental resources in PaperMaking?

We are shortly launching in tandem with our European partners, solutions for closed loop, zero discharge plants. Thanks.

Web Title: GapCon invests in a Greenfield infrastructure project in India