 Mumbai:
Paperex, India's most important exhibition for the country's
paper industry, was officially opened yesterday by Hans
Mueller, member of the corporate board of management of
the German engineering giant Voith. Mueller's career in
the international paper industry spans some 40 years.
In
his speech, he did not only point out current trends
in the international paper industry, but also spoke
about future developments of the Indian paper market.
India
is a highly important market for the paper industry.
The demand for paper in India is rising by nearly 7
per cent every year. In 2000, the paper consumption
in India amounted to some 4.2 million tonnes, by 2010
it will have reached 8 million tonnes. In other words:
the annual per capita consumption of approximately 4
kilograms at the end of the last millennium will have
grown to nearly 7 kilograms by 2010.
In
order to satisfy this demand, more than 10 new paper
machines will be necessary. As it is, the Indian paper
industry is already struggling to meet national requirements.
Last year, India imported approximately 500,000 tonnes
of paper. By 2010, the import volume is expected to
have more than tripled, with an estimated amount of
1.7 million tonnes. At present, there are 540 paper
mills in India, with 300,000 people working in the industry.
The
increasing demand offers excellent prospects for the
Indian paper industry and also for Voith, one of the
world's leading manufacturers of paper machines. Voith
has a long-standing tradition as a partner of the Indian
paper industry. Voith delivered its first paper machine
to India as early as 1924.
In
1994, Voith delivered a world innovation to India: a
paper machine which produces paper from sugar cane bagasse.
Voith Paper is represented in Kolkata in a joint venture
company with Larsen & Toubro. Voith paper machines
and components can be found in all major paper mills
in India.
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