The Hindu Business Line : ITC’s paperboard unit yielding results on eco front

Kolkata, Jan. 17 Commissioning of the second paperboard machine (K-2 Line) of ITC’s recycled paperboard plant under the PSPD (Papers and Specialty Papers Division) at Coimbatore, entailing a total investment of around Rs 400 crore, is expected sometime in 2010.

The Kovai unit, which will complete four years in March 2008, was acquired by ITC from BIPCO/BILT for Rs 233 crore in March 2004.

Talking to Business Line here recently, Mr Pradeep Dhobale, Divisional CEO of the paper division, said that the expansion plan was taken up to meet the growing demand for boards in the market.

He said that the unit has followed lean manufacturing practices from day one, with growing awareness levels among workmen.

According to him, the unit now boasts of a young workforce (average age around 28), which has contributed to the greening of the environment that has been in and around the plant area of nearly 310 acres.

The clear thrust on manufacturing by ITC is said to be in tune with the Tamil Nadu Government’s new industrial policy — to give top priority to the manufacturing sector for speedy job creation in the State.

Environmental investments

According to Mr C.V. Nair, Unit Head, ITC has invested heavily on an environment-friendly, 8-MW, Co-gen power unit (at a cost of Rs 40 crore), a de-inking plant and also in areas like water conservation and safety, health and environment at Kovai.

He said the unit, having achieved a turnaround, has now attained a high degree of water and energy efficiency (with power consumption down from 700 units/tonne of paperboard to 560 units/tonne and water consumption from 22m3/tonne to 12m3/tonne).

According to him, the target was to bring water consumption to below 10.

Emphasising the use of alternative fuels, Mr Nair said the mill uses bio-fuels such as de-oiled bran and saw dust mixed with coal. On the raw materials front, he said prices of waste paper have skyrocketed as many small mills were now switching to recycling.

The new K-2 line will add another 1 lakh tonne of recycled paperboard, taking the total capacity post-expansion from 90,000 tonne to 1.9 lakh tonne.

The Kovai recycled board is used for all packaging applications — from toothpastes to Agarbattis.

On the unit’s on-going CSR activities under the “Sunehra Kal” programme in collaboration with NGOs of the area, he said drinking water was being provided to some 150 families, and that some villages were meeting their irrigation needs with the help of company-built check-dams.