Parason Machinery Private Limited is the most preferred supplier of machinery for the pulp and paper industry. With their constantly improving solutions and services, the company has been serving a wide number of pulp and paper mills in 73+ countries around the globe for the last four decades, along with consultation services with their offices based in India and abroad. In a recent interaction with Paper Mart, Mr. Madhure S. Desarda, Director, Parason Machinery Private Limited, shared about the company’s clientele, market footprint, USP and its Molded Fiber Products line among other insightful information.

Bangladesh Pulp & Paper: Tell us about your ‘Molded Fiber Products’ business line – solutions offered, manufacturing infrastructure & capabilities, technology etc.
Madhure S. Desarda: Parason is providing complete package project for manufacturing compostable molded fiber products and single-use plastic alternative products from agri-residue, hardwood fiber, pre-consumer fiber, etc. Our state of the art manufacturing facility is house for end to end technology support to customer to cater the rising demand of environment sensitive and responsible packaging.

BPP: What is your USP and how are your solutions better than your peers?

MSD: Our strength lies in the infrastructure, R&D, and in-house manufacturing facilities that we have along with manpower support. We are serving the industry with latest & advanced technology considering the cost effectiveness and operation efficiency. Machines are robust and built quality is best in class and we are continuously working towards ease of operation. Our engineered solution is customized according to customers’ specific demand like for layout, process, furnish, equipment, etc.

BPP: Please share some information about your market footprint and clientele.

MSD: Our customer base is continuously growing with increasing repeat customers and new projects in India and abroad. So far, we have successfully commissioned 40+ projects in molded fiber and 12+ projects are in the pipeline. Market is now evolving with more critical and unique products in the packaging segment.

BPP: Are there any new developments for this business segment or any future plans lined up at Parason?

MSD: We have introduced robotic technology in coordination with the main production line to fasten the operations and improve efficiency and economics. Apart from continual improvement in the existing product line, we are implementing and introducing more automated machines for critical geometry products. Our continuous former machine is in the development phase, it would be mainly focusing on the industrial packaging products.

BPP: What kind of market trends do you foresee in the molded fiber products and more specifically biodegradable tableware market? What are the key demand drivers?

MSD: Nowadays, more and more products are coming under the compostable and eco-friendly products umbrella as the brands are becoming more conscious about the packaging and its life cycle. To a great extent, choice of customers is also affected due to sensitization about the harmful effects of polystyrene and SUP. Globally various countries, agencies are running campaigns to make people aware about protection & restoration of the environment, health care, etc. These factors are driving the industry primarily. Compostable tableware is increasing its space in the market for serving and takeaway.

BPP: In fact, there are some challenges along with opportunities. According to you, what are the main challenges for this sector and how best these can be addressed?

MSD: Main challenges in the molded fiber industry are fiber pulp, PFAS free chemicals and scalability. Concern with the PFAS free chemical substitute is that of cost. Being imported in India at present, keeping the economics under control is really a challenge. Molded fiber products constitute different product varieties in terms of size, design, usability, types, etc. and every SKU requires a dedicated machine to manufacture the products. Scalability becomes a challenge as the market is developing, supply of raw material is sometimes affected and the amount of investment required.

BPP: Lastly, please share your vision for the molded fiber products business of Parason.

MSD: The molded fiber products industry has been growing in popularity due to its eco-friendly and sustainable nature. The industry produces products made from recycled materials that are biodegradable and compostable. Many consumers are now seeking out sustainable alternatives to plastic products, and molded fiber products fit the bill. Parason is also investing in research and development to create new and innovative products to meet consumer demand. Overall, the future looks promising for the molded fiber products industry as it continues to gain traction in the market.