“In my view, investing in skilled and honest people, taking actions that aim to deliver products to satisfy customers, and adopting new technologies to boost production are the keys to becoming a globally competitive domestic supply chain.”
Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Shekhar C. Desarda, Chairman & Managing Director, Parason Machinery Private Limited:
Paper Mart: “Aatmanirbhar Bharat is not about being self-contained or closed to the world; it is about being self-sustaining, self-generating,” PM said with the message that India is walking the path of self-reliance. How do you relate the relevance of this viewpoint for the Indian pulp and paper industry?
Shekhar C. Desarda: The government led by PM Narendra Modi is doing every possible thing to make India self-reliant and self-generating. As an Indian, we must be a part of this marked transformation. By and large, Indian paper mills should strive to enhance their technological capabilities and the level of competence in each and every respect. Every organization should try to develop indigenous product & supplier. In my understanding, as a country we should be thoroughly capable of fulfilling all the requirements of our paper industry indigenously. That is our vision to make India ‘Aatmanirbhar’ in every aspect in the pulp and paper industry.
“By and large, Indian paper mills should strive to enhance their technological capabilities and the level of competence in each and every respect. Every organization should try to develop import substitute products, develop indigenous suppliers and focus on indigenization of entire value chain. In my understanding, as a country we are capable of fulfilling all the requirements of our paper industry.”
PM: What do you think are the different strategies and the kind of investment which is required to develop a globally competitive domestic supply chain in the Indian paper industry?
SCD: The main and most important investments in the paper industry include – in people, processes, and technologies. In my view, investing in skilled and honest people, taking actions that aim to deliver products to satisfy customers, and adopting new technologies to boost production are the keys to becoming a globally competitive domestic supply chain.
PM: Please outline the recent product developments at your end and the upgradations you have introduced in the recent past at your production unit.
SCD: We have recently started a new workshop that is focused on manufacturing our new equipment -sharp edge drum pulper, twin disc filter, high consistency disc filter, and energy-saving rotors. We have also done new furnace upgradation for better quality and fast delivery. Technically, we have upgraded our CNC machines for drilling, CNC pattern-making machines, and our R&D machine fibre analyzer. We have also upgraded our dispersion system with more automation features and our new screw press series is having provision of Ceramic Screw which is very big advantage.
PM: Smart manufacturing together with Industry 4.0 is emerging as the next step towards calibrating manufacturing for the future. What are your strategies and outlook on this technology-driven approach to monitoring and improving manufacturing performance in the paper industry?
SCD: Industry 4.0 is paving the way for all types of businesses to become digitally advanced. This is a high-tech revolution and our strategies are definitely going to strengthen the current process and enhance the future manufacturing process.
Recently, we have undertaken certain new methods such as Predictive maintenance system, IoT in Refiners and Pressure Screens, and other automation technologies that improves performance and efficiency of our equipment. We have also established “Parason Digital Solutions Lab” in our office, in coming years we will be offering Smart Automation solutions with each of our equipment and fiber line system.
“We have started manufacturing Molded Fiber Machines which gives us an opportunity to provide end to end solution for disposable tableware industry, this is an upcoming industry line that will surely replace Single Use Plastic one day.”
PM: Modernization of the entire industry will require a huge investment to bring improvement in core competencies such as including a quantifiable increase in productivity, and quality improvement. What kind of trends do you foresee with respect to capacity expansions, quality enhancement, productivity improvements in the sector?
SCD: Expanding manufacturing capacities to meet future customer demands is necessary and it necessitates the requirement of adequate investments. To compete in the market, the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is crucial because the products are going to be known for their performance. It is also necessary to expand your horizons, and to expand the domains of manufacturing to seek improvements in the sector. Similarly at Parason, we have started manufacturing pulp mould lines which give us an edge in the disposable tableware manufacturing sector.
