How adopting the best practices can win you the recognition of “Mill of the year”? Mr. A Velliangiri, Deputy Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited gave the significant points during the conversation with Team Paper Mart. Excerpts
Paper Mart: How do you feel after receiving such a prestigious award?
Mr. A Velliangiri: I was immensely happy to receive the “Mill of The Year” award from IPMA. It was a great moment for me and for all my colleagues in the company. The award belongs to all the employees of the company. The people behind the machine are important for optimal utilization of resources and achieving excellence. I remembered the saying that there is no finishing line in the race of excellence. We have to continue our journey with the same zeal and spirit.
PM: Kindly share what kind of business practices helped TNPL to win this award?
AV: TNPL always believes in the growth story. The company invests in capacity expansion and technology up-gradation on a consistent basis. This strategy has helped the company to raise its production capacity from 90,000 tons to 400,000 tons per annum and keep the operational cost low. The investments are focused on bringing in the best available technologies into mill operations to conserve raw materials, energy, water and other resources that go into manufacture of paper. The functional freedom given to executives at various levels inspires them to open up and share their ideas.
TNPL has many “firsts” to its credit such as installation of bio-methanation plant to generate methane gas from mill wastes and use the same in lime kiln in lieu of high cost furnace oil, availing of CDM and REC benefits, converting mill generated solid wastes viz. lime sludge and fly ash into high grade cement etc.
TNPL has reduced its water consumption and waste water discharge by more than 50% in the last five years and has received the Water and Environmental Best Practice Award from CII for past three years in a row.
TNPL has received the FSC – Forest Management Certificate from Rain Forest Alliance for 19,561 hectares of pulp wood plantation, is the largest certified area in the country.
TNPL also believes in maintaining good relations with all stakeholders. TNPL spends approximately 3 percent of its net profit earned in the previous year for its CSR activities on a regular basis. These factors have given TNPL competitive advantage.
AV:“Best” is achieved only through competitive spirit. Awards always motivate us to do better and scale new heights. These awards will certainly motivate the industry players to improve efficiencies on all fronts.
PM: Recently you also received award for the Green Energy & Bio-fuels from PPI. What has your experience been like?
AV: TNPL is the first company to receive the PPI award in the country. Last year TNPL received environmental strategy of the year – mill category and this year Green Energy & Bio-fuels award in competition with many mills across the globe from PPI. This year the award was given to TNPL for its performance to mitigate the climate change by the reduction of fossil fuel consumption, through the in-house generation of bio-fuel from wastewater, efficient utilization black liquor solids and reduction of fossil fuel use in the power plant by replacing with renewable bio-fuels.
