By Nayanima Basu, IANS
New Delhi : Billerud AB, a Swedish packaging paper firm, is bullish on introducing its packaging products for India’s booming retail and medical sectors.
“We are targeting the niche segment of packaging. Currently, we are scouting for partnerships with local players here. We are targeting the medical sector where packaging is very important in terms of safety and hygiene. Hence, the quality with which the products are packed is very crucial,” Per Lindberg, CEO, Billerud AB, told IANS.
“We have had fruitful discussions with some of the leading players in the paper industry here. Hopefully we would be launching our products by the second quarter of next year,” he added.
“Our packaging solutions are safe and environment-friendly. Our grades are used for syringes that need a special type of packaging to avoid contamination and leakages.”
The $1.2-billion company is a global supplier of materials to specific segments of the packaging market with an annual capacity of 1.4 million tonnes.
“India is now becoming hot property for retail. This industry is going to throw up a host of opportunities for us in terms of high-quality packaging. We do not intend to make greenfield investments here. We are looking to tie up with the top players.”
Citing reasons why the firm has chosen to invest in India, Lindberg said: “In India, producers are very skilled with tremendous knowledge and expertise. But India’s share is a meagre two percent of the global paper production, so in terms of market, it offers huge potential.”
“Our main objective is to transform and introduce concepts of high-grade paper. We produce pulp that is needed to produce high-quality packaging material,” he highlighted.
The Stockholm-based company has 11 sales offices, seven of which are in Europe. It has over 2,400 employees.