Be it, paper and non-wovens machine, winder or auxiliary equipment, Allimand provides a large portfolio of products covering all stages of production of paper, board, & nonwoven productions along with machines’ services like performance audit, troubleshooting & repairs, spare parts etc. Based in France, and having presence in over 40 countries, Allimand has established a strong reputation in the Indian market over the years. In a recent interaction with Paper Mart magazine, Dr. Simon Cena, Vice-CEO; Mr. Patrick Gamet, CEO; and Mr. Fabrice Gilet, VP Sales, Allimand, shared their insights about their company, market footprint, and vision for the future. They also shared their view of the Indian paper market and their growth in the Indian market.
Paper Mart: Please tell us about your company, its history, and core values.
Patrick Gamet: Allimand Group has been a global leader in the design and manufacturing of high-value-added paper, board, and fiber mat machines since 1850. Our company offers each of its customers the expertise and equipment necessary to carry out their projects to ensure a tailor-made service. Earlier, the company was a family-owned business, which was acquired by Arcole in 2023 through private equity. The equity is financed by public money from France & Europe. We are working for the development of the company, and we are committed to being positioned at the forefront on a long-term basis.
After the acquisition in 2023, we retained all the people on our staff who were working for the family-owned company. We believe that all the staff are skilled and perfectly know this market, so we are building this company together. We know that it’s impossible to develop a worldwide business without having some very strong partners, especially in India. We are working with the SCAN, we have some partners in Korea and China. So the target is really to develop our company and expand our footprint.
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PM: How do you look forward to the Indian market and going forward what is your commitment to India as a market?
PG: For a long time, we’ve established a strong presence in India, partnering with successful companies like Trident Group, Satia Industries, Ballarpur Industries, and others. Recognizing the market’s importance, we’ve undertaken numerous projects there. Our expertise lies in high-quality specialty paper as well as printing & writing paper and copier and we can excel in this specialized segment. We maintain a network of agents to ensure efficient operations and further strengthen our commitment to the Indian market.
Fabrice Gilet: The Indian market is mainly focused on writing & printing paper, copier paper, and container boards. We have seen in the last five years that there are still many opportunities in India for the writing & printing, and the copier paper market. We also feel that the containerboard market will grow rapidly. Infrastructure in India is now making it possible to do a lot more in the market of containerboard. We feel also that some customers are now starting to more be interested in specialty papers. India will be a very significant market. Allimand is known for its specialty paper as it has a very wide knowledge of fibrous paper and its characteristics.
Simon Cena: We see that the Indian market is now focussing more on the quality level of the produced paper and also on the efficiency level, which is required for the running of the paper machine. This shows the progress of the Indian customers and we are here with our technology to provide first-class equipment to follow our customers in achieving those targets.
PM: Kindly shed light on your recent collaboration with Satia Industries.
SC: We have recently supplied a complete line for the production of graphic paper to Satia Industries. There has been a very close cooperation from the beginning of the project with a clear target of reaching a high production speed and low weight without compromising the quality either for printing, writing paper, or copier paper. We will be having close cooperation with Satia Industries to serve them better and help them achieve a higher standard in terms of production.
PM: Kindly walk us through your R&D activities.
PG: With the strong desire to always better accompany its customers in their different specialties, Allimand constantly innovates. We invest 5 percent to 10 percent of our annual turnover in research and development which results in high-value-added finished products and particularly efficient installations. Our R&D is not only constant within the company covering fundamental, mechanical, process, and papermaking areas, but also outside the company to accompany customers in their diversification and growth strategies.
We have 6 high-performing pilot machines that continually evolve to meet the company’s specific R&D needs. Allimand also has the advantage of its industrial premises in Rives being located near the Pulp and Paper Research & Technical Centre and the Pagora Engineering School which train future professionals in the papermaking industry.
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PM: Please tell us about your market footprint.
SC: Present in 40 countries, we support our customers around the world in countries like France, India, USA , China, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Czechia, Thailand, Slovakia, Turkey, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea, China, United States, Mexico, Colombia, Emirates Arab United, Saudi Arabia, Peru etc.
PM: What are your vision and plans for the future?
PG: Before acquiring Allimand, the company had a conservative strategy. But now we have a clear expansion strategy. We have a very strong hiring program and we are going to add more than 10% of the people in this company in the coming years. Our investments in machinery, IT development, design department, simulation department have significantly increased. We have launched a pilot platform dedicated to non-woven products and their development which will help us to meet the customer demands easily. We are investing heavily to upgrade ourselves with the global market demand.
