Located in the Sultanate of Oman, Keryas Paper Industry LLC is considered to be one of the largest producers of paperboard in the region. With the latest state-of-the-art technology and three-ply paper machine, Keryas Paper Industry produces superior quality products from recycled waste paper.
“We are moving ahead to grow steadily in the MENA region with sustainable development goals… Our vision is to excel in serving the environment-friendly paper and paper products worldwide.”
In an interview with Paper Mart, Mr. Rajasekar. V, Vice President, Keryas Paper Industry LLC, talks about the company, their product portfolio, expansion plans, technology roadmap, and more.
Paper Mart: Could you present a brief overview of your company along with its crucial milestones and market presence?
Rajasekar. V: Keryas Paper Industry LLC is considered to be one of the largest producers of paperboard in the Sultanate of Oman, with a production capacity of 180,000 MTPA. With the latest technology, we ensure the quality of the finishing products with our three-ply paper machine.
Keryas Paper Industry started in July 2021 during the tough pandemic condition with the objective to be an environment-friendly company and encourage the indigenous collection, and usage of waste paper which avoids deforesting for the manufacturing of paper. This was the dream project of our Managing Director Mr. Abdullah Omar Ali Al Hosni, who is a first-generation entrepreneur. At the age of 30, he initiated this project to make Oman clean by creating awareness of accumulation and collection of waste paper and preserving the environment by making paper from 100 percent recycled waste paper and zero discharge. We aim to promote and encourage consumers to use more and more non-woody, eco-friendly paper and paper products.
Keryas Paper Industry is considered to be one of the largest producers of FSC-certified paperboards in the GCC region, located in the Sultanate of Oman with the latest state technology of DCS, QCS to ensure the quality of the finishing products with our triple-ply machine. We are located in the Sohar industrial zone in close proximity to the Sohar sea port enabling us to deliver to our clients within the shortest lead time. Due to our good and consistent quality, within 10 months of start-up, we have a strong presence in the entire GCC market, Asia, and African countries.
PM: Describe the R&D efforts, manufacturing capabilities, and machinery installed at your facility. How do you go the extra mile to ensure the quality of your products?
RV: The mill has its own R&D, quality control lab consisting of wet-end and dry-end testing tools to ensure we serve the market or our customers with the quality as per the standard TAPPI. We have a good team who are trained in lean, six sigma quality standards to maintain sustainable quality and develop new products which help the end customer to have better operation and quality of their final products. Our USP is ‘Value for Money’, i.e., minimum price for the best quality with timely delivery.
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PM: What are the different ranges of Kraft Paper supplied by you? How do you foresee the future trends of the Kraft Paper industry?
RV: Presently, the mill is producing 100 percent FSC recycled fluting medium and test liners in various grammages ranging from 110 to 200. With the global increase in population, Oman itself registered an increase of 2.49 percent at the end of 2021. Further, with the increasing e-commerce business, we would surely see the demand for the packaging products in GCC and MENA regions and cater to the needs of the market.
PM: What challenges do you face in the supply chain and how do you overcome them?
RV: It is a global challenge and we have to face it accordingly, subject to the best interest of the organisation. We do have our internal strategies to keep up our pace with the logistic challenges and the world’s best logistic and shipping agents as our business partner makes timely delivery all across the globe.
PM: Has there been any recent development at Keryas Paper Industry that you wish to talk about?
RV: We are in the process of implementing a complete integrated ERP for the smooth functioning of the mills. We have a new 1 MW in-house power generation with the available steam by modifying it with a cascading system. We are also going to upgrade with state-of-the-art technology in the dryer screen cleaning to have a speck-free paper with better machine runnability and an auto spool changing system to have better reel control in the top and bottom of the reel.
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PM: What are the future roadmap and growth strategies of the company?
RV: Under the guidance and vision of our Managing Director, we are moving ahead to grow steadily in the MENA region with sustainable development goals. We are aiming to run the machine at its full capacity and develop new products in the segment to cater to the increasing demand of the market. Also, we are planning to make white top kraft liner and upgrade the machine to increase the capacity. We are coming up with a new in-house core pipe plant and focusing more on the environmental aspect with a sustainable project by upgrading our effluent treatment plant with the latest anaerobic digester. We are planning to make our factory a model plant with international standards in safety, environment, leadership training, lean, six sigma, and best place to work.
Protecting the environment is vital to our work. As climate change impacts the most vulnerable, we need to act. At Keryas Paper Industry, we must ensure that our activities do not increase vulnerability even further. That’s why we have started the process of recycling to preserve the environment.
Our mission is to attain customer loyalty by providing the highest standards of quality products suitable for various business segments and for all age groups across the world and to focus on innovative production processes through constant research and development as well as to use the raw materials and technology that is environmentally friendly and that further caters to the interests of the future generations. Our vision is to excel in serving the environment-friendly paper and paper products worldwide.
