Voith Paper being a partner and pioneer in the technological innovations for the paper industry has always developed custom-made solutions which offer its customers a clear added value. They have always focused on setting their own standards in fiber, energy & water consumption and to deliver nothing but the best of services. Voith contribution to the Indian paper Industry has been phenomenal over the years and every time they have something new to offer to the industry. To explore more about above said things Paper Mart team interacted with Mr. Chandrasekhar Panigrahi who heads Voith Paper India operations as Regional President, where he elaborated about their New Urban Mill Concept and further about Voith perspective on India, their product offerings and its approach etc.
Voith Paper in India
Voith Paper has four operating divisions which are represented here in India by two companies under Mr. Panigrahi, one in Kolkata and the other in Faridabad. Voith Paper Technology (India) Limited at Kolkata under the leadership of Mr. Anirban Khamroi looks after three divisions, namely Paper Machine, Fibre Systems & Environmental Solutions and Automation. Voith Paper Fabrics (India) Limited, Faridabad headed by Mr. R. Krishna Kumar looks after the Fabrics and Roll Systems Division in India.
Voith’s Indian Perspective
Mr. Panigrahi quickly responded “Paper Industry is a sustainable industry and Voith is here to help the industry to reduce the use of virgin fiber, fresh water and energy.” These can be achieved through upgrading the existing technology with new ideas and better technologies. Our effort has always been to design a plant which keeps the operating cost low. India’s paper market is growing but with this positive sentiment we realize that only limited resources are available to sustain it. That’s why it is important to develop carefully planned, cost effective and long-term solutions. The new Urban Mill Concept has been consolidated with all the key priorities on fiber, water and energy because “resources are limitedbut not ideas.”
The Urban Mill Concept
Mr. Panigrahi Proudly stated “Voith Paper has been developing a growing spectrum of products and innovations which we refer to as “green technology”. And today, our Urban mill Concept has consolidated all these advances and combined their key priorities of preserving resources, systematically cutting energy consumption, dramatically reducing the use of fresh water and the reprocessing of production wastes.” It is an integrated paper mill for cities. Metropolitan areas with a high population density and an existing industrial infrastructure are ideally suited for the Urban Mill Concept. This is particularly true for emerging markets, such as India.
It’s Approach
This idea was conceived with the future development that can be expected from further urbanization.. The Urban Mill is where paper demand is – near the customers and end consumers. It will be located nearby an urban agglomeration and clearly focused on satisfying the local paper and board demand and use the source of raw material that comes f rom urban agglomerat ions such as recovered paper; work with the most modern and energyefficient systems; and operate with low fresh water consumption. The industrial water is completely treated with the latest Voith technology and fed back to the production process. After a maximum design time of 12 months, a high-tech paper machine provides for an annual paper production of between 70,000 and 150,000 tons of paper at speeds up to 1,300 m/min after startup. The machines are highly efficient and produce the highest quality product for the local market. High logistics costs are thereby avoided.
How It Works
When planning an urban mill, three resource cycles are especially important: the fiber cycle, the water cycle, and the energy cycle. First of all, we’ve established neutral reference concepts for primary paper grades. Then, during a preliminary phase the appropriate reference concept is adapted to the individual requirements of the customer’s plant and location. Each project is based on a detailed analysis of the customer’s unique situation. Here, we ensure that all of the sub-processes in the paper production are working effectively together, so that economical and ecological improvements can be realized. With the Urban Mill concept, we even go one step further: The economic potential and efficiency of paper mill can be even further improved by integrating the mill’s operations with other industries in its immediate surroundings, such as municipal waste treatment plants, power stations or waste recycling facilities.
It’s Savings
The savings are significantly higher. The operating costs of an urban mill are 50% lower – due to the use of recycled waste paper, 20% less use of energy, the production of energy from solid wastes, as well as the reduced need for fresh water and minimized waste water. In addition, investment costs for an urban mill can also be kept relatively low by adapting the mill’s projected capacity and internal processes to the local market’s demands, as well as by using a single-source supplier. As a result, an urban mill can generate a higher cash flow than a conventional paper mill and an urban mill would also have a faster return-on investment of between 3 and 4 years. For this reason, investing in an urban mill not only pays off ecologically but economically too.
Voith Approach for Indian Paper Industry
Voith puts a lot of emphasis on “Trust” and Voith “never lets the customer down”. We really stand shoulder to shoulder with the Indian paper industry. Our application solutions cover every paper grade imaginable and are specifically tailored to the demands of the individual types. In new plants the goal is to provide lowest total cost of ownership. On the product front we assure the competitiveness of our customers. We constantly provide life cycle support system for optimal conditions for paper making. In the case of rebuilds we provide perfect fit solutions for best efficiency, quality, speed, space and environment. For the new machines we advise people to think of both the “class” and the “scale” because the domestic market may not be enough and in order to survive people have to go global.
Mr. Anirban Khamroi – Sr. Vice President, Voith Paper India
He concluded the subject by quoting: “Indian paper industry can boast of having all the latest technologies that are available internationally”.
Training at Voith
We at Voith continuously strive to upgrade the existing skills and to deploy right people at right place. We have also created a training department at Voith where we have different capsules for training. For example if somebody buys a state of art machine then you need skilled operating staff to operate the machine. So, in order to train the selected people from mill we do a skill audit as to what types of skill is required to run the machine. Then, they are being trained both in classroom and mill through our experts from Germany and in India from erection to commissioning and there after. When we sell a project, it’s a part of the project he concluded.
