Resource Conservation as a key to Competitiveness: IPPTA

Resource Conservation as a key to Competitiveness: IPPTA

Kolkata March, 8, 2016:  Indian Pulp and Paper Technical Association (IPPTA) strongly emphasises on making the Indian Paper Industry more competitive by using the resources efficiently. IPPTA’s has decided to hold a well themed annual general meeting and seminar on "Resource Conservation as a key to Competitiveness”. IPPTA held its 52 AGM and seminar on 10 and 11th march at Kolkata. Various important dignitaries from paper industry joined the discussion.

The raw material availability is a serious concern to sustain the future demand. India's wood resources are limited resulting in cost of wood being much higher in global comparison. Recovered fiber consumption is going up globally and in India with low wastepaper recovery rate, paper mills are heavily dependent on imported waste paper. Further the available agro-residual raw material like wheat and rice straws find restriction in usage owing to technical constraints. All these issues require a fresh thought process of taking a serious look on the technology part to bring in cost competitiveness in this aspect of pulp and paper making.  Mr. Peter Berg form Mckinsey & Company expressed his views on seminar “In the Pulp and Paper Industry - as in many raw material industries- resource productivity is becoming an imperative; not only for reasons of cost competitiveness but as a business opportunity and a "license to operate". Despite an impressive journey over the past years, the Indian paper industry has further significant potential to improve. Through a combination of changes in technology, management processes, and mindset a lot can be gained.”

“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and finite resources. The need of the hour is to practice conversation or generations beyond us may have to pay a harsh price.” Mr. Bajrang Lohia, Managing Partner of Ecotech Papers said on IPPTA’s theme.  This year IPPTA kept several important aspects of paper industry in its seminar profile.

Some of them are like:

-New process and equipment technologies for resource conservation, with reference to raw material preservation, handling, processing, pulping, bleaching, chemical recovery, stock preparation and paper making.

-Technologies for achieving higher filler levels in the paper.

-Efforts made by the industry for energy conservation, water conservation and cost competitiveness.

-Automation and Mechanization opportunities leading to improved productivity. Best practices in plant maintenance for maximizing the throughput and reduction in expense. Achievement of higher efficiency in boilers, turbines and steam and power distribution loop.

-Use of Solar energy in paper Industry.

-Environmental issues faced by the industry and efforts made to address these issues.- high energy costs and so on.  

-Specific case studies for resource conservation in areas such as raw material yield, cooking and bleaching chemicals, high efficient pumping systems, refining, steam and condensate systems etc.

India is currently one of the fastest growing economies in the world with the pulp and paper segment expected to register nearly 6% demand growth per annum. The major demand drivers spurring the Indian paper industry are healthy GDP growth (expected about 7%), increasing literacy, thrust on ever expanding Union budgets on the education sector and growing consumerism. while this give a lot of hope for a positive outlook of the industry, at the same time the industry is facing a huge challenge of low cost imports from china and other Asian countries. Major reasons for high production costs in India are low economies of scale compared to its global peers resulting in less efficient usage of resources, high cost of fibre, high energy costs and so on.

Mr. Neehar Aggarwal President IPPTA, Mr. Sanjay Singh divn. CEO of ITC Ltd., Mr. Saurabh Bangur, VC The West Coast Paper Mills Limited, Mr. P.S. Patwari ED Emami Paper Mills Ltd., Mr. Anil Kumar ED & CEO of Shreyans Papers, Mr. Ved Krishna MD, Yash Papers Limited participated in panel discussion.  

Web Title: Resource Conservation as a key to Competitiveness IPPTA