ITC Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division to focus on capacity expansion
The Company is focusing on capacity expansion. It is adding a new virgin board paper manufacturing facility at Bhadrachalam in Telangana and rebuilding specialty papers division at Triveni unit near Kolkata.
The new virgin paperboard manufacturing facility at Bhadrachalam is aimed at adding to the existing capacity of ITC PSPD, which is already a leader in the packaging segment.
“We already have an integrated pulp and paper production unit at Bhadrachalam, which is our largest plant. We are adding a big virgin paper board manufacturing facility here. We are also adding significant capacity to Tribeni unit near Kolkata, which is a specialty papers manufacturing facility. Both these industries are capacity-driven and, therefore, we want to expand our capacities,” Vadiraj Kulkarni, chief operating officer of ITC’s Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division, told Express. He added, “Together, about `1,000 crore investment has gone into both these units.”
While the virgin paperboard manufacturing facility machinery has been imported from Sweden, the specialty papers facility is being rebuild with German machinery.
“Virgin paperboard manufacturing facility will become operational by March 2018 while the capacity addition at Triveni facility will be operational by the end of this year. These are our investments for capacity expansion in this year and next year but we are also working on other proposals for future expansion,” Kulkarni added.
While these new capacity additions are poised to further strengthen ITC PSPD’s share in the market, Kulkarni said ITC would grow along the industry in paperboard packaging segment, which might see a 10-plus per cent growth in FY18.
