Ballarpur Industries, popularly known as BILT, one of the largest paper manufacturers in the country, which also ranks among the top 100 pulp and paper companies in the world, introduced the 40gsm Medi Print brand at Paperex 2015.

As its name suggests, the paper is of lower grammage (thinner) and is targeted for the pharmaceuticals print market, as well as the Bible printing segment.

In the pharmaceuticals industry, globally, India has the third place in terms of volume and 14th in terms of value. According to the department of pharmaceuticals, the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, the total turnover of India’s pharmaceuticals industry between 2008 and September 2009 was USD 21.04 billion. While the domestic market was worth USD 13.8 billion as of 2013, it is expected to reach USD 49 billion by 2020.

As per estimates, the growth in Bible printing is in double digits. According to the Bible Society of India, the complete Bible is available in 65 Indian languages. Portions of the Bible are available in 204 Indian languages. As on 31 December 2010, at least some portion of the Bible is available in 2,527 languages of the world. The complete Bible is available in 469 languages across the world.

ITC is the sole supplier of the BILT paper to the Bible Society of India, which is the largest publisher of the Bible in India, meeting 90% of the demand.

Other manufacturers in the Bible paper segment include ITC in India and Tervakoski Mill in Finland.

At Paperex 2015, Ballarpur Industries, part of Avantha Group Company, also showcased its range of writing, printing and coated papers, including coated wood-free (for magazines, brochures, labels); uncoated wood-free (for books, magazines, notebooks); premium business stationery (for offices) and tissue paper.

The company also showcased its office supply and stationery business, featuring the range of notebooks, pads, photo paper and pencils.

BILT is the first paper company in India to be FSC certified at all its manufacturing facilities (Bhigwan, Ballarpur, Sewa, Ashti, and Shree Gopal), including the Sabah Forest Industries, Malaysia, a leading uncoated paper manufacturer in Malaysia, which the company operates.

Overall, the company has seven state-of-the-art pulp and paper manufacturing facilities, with a production capacity of pulp and paper to one million mtpa. The company generated a revenue of Rs 3626 crore during 2014-15 and has four regional sales and marketing offices, with a nationwide network of 135 distributors.

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