Rigesa back to kraft market with premium line

Second biggest Brazilian manufacturer of corrugated packaging, the MWV Rigesa returned to the national market of kraft paper with a new line of premium products. From the investment of more than $ 1 billion to expand production capacity in the country, runs in the last three years, Rigesa started working with excess volume, which allowed the launch of HyPerform line and the supply of paper and Fluting for packaging on the market.
"We came back with strength and with a much higher quality product," said the company's Business Director, Jairo Leiva. Currently, Rigesa can produce 430 thousand tons per year of new line of papers. Of this volume, approximately 300 thousand tons per year will be consumed internally, in the manufacture of packaging by the company itself. The remaining 130 thousand tons will be sold in the Brazilian market, with some exported volume, divided into kraft paper (approximately 100 thousand tons) and kernels for packaging (30 thousand tonnes).
As Leiva, before investing in expansion-the package of more than $ 1 billion in contributions includes forests, paper and packaging, which resulted in the doubling of production capacity at the plant of Três Barras (SC), Rigesa consumed in its production process of practically the entire kraft paper packaging that produced. "In addition to meeting the need, the project resulted in the launch of the new line," he reiterated.
The new paper machine at the company's three bars went into operation in mid-2012 and hit rate of 100 percent of capacity recently. But the additional offer in the market comes in good time: at the beginning of year, inventories of chips (used in the production of recycled paper) are practically zero and the kraft paper, at very low levels. In addition, since last year, manufacturers have suffered from consecutive increases in the prices of chips, what resonated in the readjustment of the other inputs. "The sector has felt the pressure. But the Rigesa is very diligent in its cost control, "he said.
The HyPerform, according to the Director, specializes, among other factors, the possibility of reducing costs provided to the client. The new line, guaranteed, offers better performance for the manufacture of packaging and allows reduction of basis weight of up to 20%, in addition to provide uniformity in the process of production of cardboard sheets, which allows increasing the speed of the machines. "It represents customer cost reduction," he explained.
The new kraft paper of Rigesa is more expensive than the traditional product-the company did not disclose the price differential, but this award, according to Leiva, is compensated fairly by reducing costs provided. In the country, one of the largest suppliers of kraft's Klabin, who also heads the national market of corrugated packaging.
In the evaluation of Leiva, the Brazilian market of cardboard packaging, in 2014, should not show lower performance when checked last year. "This is a market of continued growth," he recalled. According to statistics of the Brazilian Association of corrugated board (ABPO), industry shipments in the country, in 2013, grew nearly 3%.