An exclusive interview from Mr. Naveet Jindal, CEO – Paper, Energy & Chemical Business.
Paper Desk : Could you let us know the long-history of Trident Papers?
Naveet Jindal : Founded in the 1984s, Trident Group was started by Rajinder Gupta as a solitary yarn manufacturer and today, it is a US$ 3 billion conglomerate operating in five segments – yarn, home textiles, paper, chemicals, and captive power.
Trident Paper began writing its success story in 1993 and today it is the world’s largest wheat straw based manufacturer. Pertaining to growing demand at a very early stage – its production capacity was increased from 65 TPD to 125 TPD and then to 150 TPD.
In 2008, it added cutting-edge machinery with a capacity of 325 MT/day taking it to a total of 475 MT/day. Between 2009 and to date, the group has launched multiple varieties and grades of copier paper. In 2012, Trident witnessed a tremendous increase in sales and popularity with the introduction of the Bielomatik copier machine for the US-sized copier paper.
After this in 2015, Trident hit a record of 7,500 MT copier sales per month and had been consistently maintaining its brand image ever since. With changing customer choices and interests, it has further diversified into new brands and also new packaging.
Armed with an ISO 9001: 2008, ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2015 certificate, the company has made its own way to the pinnacle of the paper industry.
PD : What are your company’s mission & vision for your paper division?
NJ : Fuelling the concern of offering the best to the customers, in the highly competitive paper market, the brand’s mission is to continuously grow and offer customer satisfaction. With its unmatched success in the paper industry, the leadership at the organisation is intensely working on developments and innovations to expand its product portfolio. The phrase Making in India, selling to the world is what the company thrives for and takes pride in its Indian origin.
Vision- Inspired by challenge, we will add value to life, and together, prosper globally.
PD : Your products for the current paper consumers market?
NJ : Trident has an impressive range of world-class office products such as laser printer paper, laser paper, bond paper, inkjet printer paper, presentation paper and multi-purpose paper. Its various paper brands include Trident Spectra, Trident My Choice, Trident Royal Touch, Trident Digi Print and the premium Trident Spectra Bond. Trident is one of the reliable suppliers of high-quality paper for multi-colour high-speed printing.
Approximately 80% of the offerings are consumed within the home country, India and around 20% is exported to over 35 countries. Not only this, but to cater to the growing needs of the market, the group has endeavoured to become one-shop for fulfilling paper needs by launching paper in the unbleached and bleached kraft segment in high-quality carry bags and pouches.
Another significant work in the domain by the group is its entry into the uncoated cup stock base paper market. The pursuit for diversification doesn’t stand still here as from copier paper to school bags, it has made a mark in the stationery segment bybringing forth India’s first anti-bacterial notebooks under the My Choice brand. The brand is all motivated to scale new heights by adding more products to its portfolio.
PD : What is the speciality of your Spectrabond papers?
NJ : Strengthening the relationship with the clientele across the globe, the paper products by the brand are eco-friendly, ultra-bright with premium impressions made from Wheat Straw as raw material, thus enabling utilisation of agricultural waste. The paper has water mark which can be used for letterheads, corporate stationary, reports, presentation and more.
PD : May we know about your lab & in-house testing facilities which help you to supply the right specification?
NJ : To make the best available in the market, the sweat that goes into it is no piece of cake. For coming at par with the right specification, section-wise lab set up starting from raw material intake to finished product and following QMS which is complying with ISO 9001:2015 is in place.
Each section complies with the standard and continuous helps to attain the aimed product specifications. For end-product, we have a state-of-the-art paper lab where L&W (Lorentzen & Wettree, Sweden) equipment for testing of the finished goods is used. All equipments are calibrated by OEM on annual basis along with AMC of equipment to keep our instruments in top-notch condition. All the data is stored in SAP for data management which helps in proper data analysis.
PD : What is your special achievement in the paper industry?
NJ : It now has a global footprint that spans 35 countries. Its green, agro-based resources have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to cause less carbon emissions. In the recent past, it was certified by the Carbon Footprint Standard, another step towards a more comprehensive environmental footprint. One sheet at a time, Trident has been re-writing the history of paper in India.
PD : Any awards received for you management practices & policies?
NJ : The company’s quest for excellence has yielded several awards – the CII’s National Award for Excellence in Energy Management, Star Trading House FIEO Export Excellence Award, Indian Exporters Excellence Awards, the Government of India’s National Energy Conservation Award, and the Apex India Occupational Health & Safety Award 2022 among many others. Not only this, the group has attained prestigious Superbrands status two years in a row that strengthens a brands position and provides an assurance to consumers and suppliers that they are buying the best brand in the market.
PD : How does your company contribute to the society?
NJ : The crisis of trees due to paper manufacturing has always made the news however the cliché of cutting trees to make paper hardly applies to Trident. Its wheat straw-based paper, popularly known as The Good Paper not only does it bloom because of quality but also due to the promise of restoring the planet.
Constantly endeavouring to take the lead on sustainability, it brings out only the Good to the society. Wheat straw is one of the most abundant agricultural wastes available in largely agrarian India. By using wheat straw as the main ingredient for manufacturing paper, Trident is helping prevent large amounts of this resource from being burnt and causing air pollution. It is also providing an additional source of income to the farmers of the nation.
At a time when ecological consciousness is driving several industries to change processes, Trident Paper is a strident eco warrior. With a production capacity of 1,75,000 TPA, it is the world’s largest producer of wheat straw-based paper. The group’s sustainable eco-friendly paper is not only green by nature, but also helps keep the planet greener by saving up to 5,000 trees every single day.
By drawing the maximum utility out of the wheat straw as a sustainable and profitable paper resource, the group has literally transformed waste into wealth.
PD : How do you see the growth of Indian paper industry in near future?
NJ : With people becoming environmentally conscious and the changing lifestyles of people in the country have influenced the demand for sustainable packaging. The government of India has banned single-use plastic to lower the impact on the environment. It is harmless to say that the explosive growth of sustainable packaging is expected in the near future. Paper might not be a perfect substitute of plastic but it is the best alternative at the disposal. The Paper businesses are going through an incredible transformation. There’s increasing excitement revolving around sustainable packaging – especially the packaging that is affordable, offers functionality and serves the purpose of saving nature in a splendid way. The growing use of paper in food packaging and e-commerce industry for delivering goods- the demand of paper in the years to come is predominant.
PD : Does your company have any voluntary associations?
NJ : With an aim to make India stronger, nurturing the youth of the nation is imperative. The relationship between the youth and the growth of the nation is directly proportional. Various programmes running under Trident for nurturing the talent of tomorrow are:
Deen Dyal Upadhayaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY):
We are running DDU-GKY scheme in collaboration with the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and District Placement Management Units (DPMU). Under this initiative, over 1400 youngsters have been successfully trained on Apparel (Sewing Machine Operator and packer) and Textile (Ring Frame) in addition, over 1000 trainees have joined the Trident workforce.
SAMARTH (Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector – SCBTS):
In collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles (MoT), 630 youngsters have been successfully trained on Apparel (Sewing Machine Operator and packer) in the first phase; Over 500 trainees have joined the Trident workforce. In the second phase, we again aim to train 630 youngsters and single mothers from vulnerable sections of society by the year 2024. Furthermore, the non-profit organisation targets to provide in-house employment to minimum 70% of them.
ITI DST (Dual System of Training with Industrial Training Institute) Under this scheme, Trident signed 21 MOUs with various ITIs across Punjab and its objective is to provide industrial internship training for duration of 6-12 months to technically qualified students.
SAARTHAK – Employing the Differently Abled:
Under this scheme, through on-the-job training, the Foundation creates
employability for Differently Abled Person (DAP).
PD : Your group has any trusts to help public?
NJ : By stepping up with various initiatives via Trident Foundation like Education and Skill development, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Livelihood, Healthcare, and more- the group supports various sections of the society.