Bluecraft Agro Private Limited, which specializes in giving tailor-made solutions to paper mills and claims to be the largest manufacturer of modified starch in India, plans to increase its capacity to 2300 MTPD by March-end 2024, following the ongoing expansion. This information was shared by Mr. Siddharth Chowdhary, Executive Director, Bluecraft Agro Private Limited, while interacting with Paper Mart during Paperex 2023.
Paper Mart: Bluecraft Agro has become a veteran, having spent more than three decades in the industry. Please share with us your journey, how it all began and major achievements.
Siddharth Chowdhary: We began our journey in 1993 with the commencement of a Corn Wet Milling plant at Viramgam, Ahmedabad. Thereafter, we grew by leaps and bounds and became the leading manufacturers of starch and its derivatives in India with global presence.
With more than 30 years of expertise in the starch industry, Bluecraft Agro manufactures a range of specialty starches and modified starches, derived from maize, potato, and tapioca. We cater to the leading companies in the paper & board industry offering solutions for various kinds of paper such as writing & printing, duplex, kraft, newsprint, board and corrugation. Our wide range of modified starches are used for surface sizing, bonding, wet-end applications, coating and adhesives, thereby providing enhanced properties to paper.
PM: Kindly share details about your manufacturing capabilities
SC: Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, we have three manufacturing facilities in India, having an approximate capacity of 2,000 metric tonnes per day (MTPD).
With a cohesive workforce of more than 2,500 people, we dynamically cater to the needs of several businesses. We are currently in the process of expanding our capacities, which is expected to complete in March. After the expansion, we will touch 2,300 MTPD.
Watch: Starkraft to Offer Capacity of 350,000 tons from May 2024
PM: Research and Development plays an important part in the growth of any company. Please share details about your R&D facility.
SC: We have an in-house Research & Development Centre at one of our plants, which works continuously to develop and deliver superior performance products. The highly qualified and experienced team of engineers and scientists develops a minimum of 5-10 new products every year for various applications in the paper industry.
All our plants are equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and modern technology. Our dedicated laboratory with high-end equipment and standard testing methodologies ensures that all our products undergo stringent quality checks and meet customer expectations. We ensure delivering high-quality products by harnessing manufacturing excellence and best practices in the industry.
PM: Kindly share details about your market footprint.
SC: Today, we are exporting to more than 55 countries across the globe, which accounts for approximately 25 percent of our total sales. We have two marketing offices in India, one in New Delhi and another in Ahmedabad.
Also Read: Haber: Revolutionizing Sustainability in Pulp and Paper Industries
PM: Kindly share your product portfolio specific to the paper & board segment along with USPs and clientele of the company.
SC: We are currently the largest modified starch manufacturing company in India – and also one of the largest corn processing companies in the country. We are doing almost 40-50 percent market share in a few of the paper segments. We offer a wide range of modified starches such as surface sizing, cationic, oxidized, coating and bonding starches to the paper industry in wet-end and dry-end and we are able to cater to the customers, seeking good quality material.
In the paper industry, ‘starch’ is a vital ingredient for producing paper and ranks third in the process of making paper. Our starches contribute to the stiffness of paper and act as a bonding agent for surface sizing, binder for coatings, and adhesive in the production of various corrugated boxes. We offer a wide range of over 15 types of modified starches for the paper industry and are the largest producer of paper grade starches in India.
PM: How do you keep ahead of competition?
SC: We believe in innovation and customization of products. No paper mill is the same in India and different mills have different requirements. Since there cannot be one product for all paper mills, we have tailor-made solutions to suit the customers’ machines and for the kind of quality they want. In terms of entire capacities in corn processing, we rank at number three position in India today, but in terms of exposure to the paper industry and our product portfolio, we stand at the top position in the country. Most of our products are economical and offer a significant improvement in the final quality of the paper.
PM: Your views on the Indian paper industry, challenges and opportunities.
SC: We think there is a little bit of extra capacity in few of the paper segments but we feel good companies will grow and people who are manufacturing quality products will obviously excel compared to other smaller players. I think a little bit of over-investment has been done in few of the paper segments but still there is a lot of scope in India because the demand is growing on a year-on-year basis, especially in the packaging sector.
The paper packaging industry in India is expected to grow by around 6-7% in the next two years while the long-term demand is expected to remain stable. We have seen growing investments in the paper packaging segment post-pandemic, which gives us further scope to innovate and cater to this emerging business.
