Russian North-West Timber Industry Company reported bleached paper products sales at 153% within 6 months in 2004

Jul 27, 2004. /Lesprom Network/. Russian North-West Timber Industry Company (NWTIC) reported copy-books, drawing albums, drawing folders and Whatman sheets production at 153% within 6 months in 2004 compared with the prior period in 2003. NWTIC turnover in the bleached paper products market exceeded $12 million. 99977 tons of copy-books, drawing albums, drawing folders and Whatman sheets were sold within 6 months in 2004. Market analysts believe that NWTIC accounts for about 15% of the bleached paper products market of the former USSR. According to NWTIC CEO Vadim Kharitonov, the success is due to a number of factors. Firstly, it is the increase of production variety – the enterprise started the production of perforated and microperforated copy-books, copy-books on spiral (under European standards), copy-books rings with hard, plastic and laminated covers. Secondly, it is the drastic increase in the cover designs: presently NWTIC offers around 1300 various cover designs. Due to the modernization of NWTIC-owned Nemansky pulp and paper enterprise and Kamennogorskaya offset paper enterprise paper quality is on the rise. ‘NWTIC bleached paper products are of high demand due to the price/quality ideal combination’ Vadim Kharitonov stressed. New storage sites built in Neman and Kamennogorsk provide additional opportunities for the customers. NWTIC bleached paper sales department director Liudmila Baranovskaya said the geography of sales expanded significantly. In 2004 the company entered the markets of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. After launching Bielomatik production lines on Nemansky located in Kaliningrad region the sales to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia went up. According to Liudmila Baranovskaya, UniOne copy-books with flashy and selectively varnished covers are of high demand on the market. The traditional ‘green’ copy-books are also of high demand. The following cover designs were rated sales leaders – Fabrika Zvezd – 4, Home pets, Smeshariki and etc. The demand for Grand office paper produced on Nemansky pulp and paper enterprise is also on the rise – another proof of this fact is that Nemansky won a tender to supply Silver Grand B+ paper to Russian Sberbank. After certain requests from consumers, Nemansky started the production of Gran C paper in 500-sheet and 250-sheet packs. ‘The demand rates within the 1st 6 months in 2004 assure us that the growth tendency will continue in the future.’ Liudmila Baranovskaya said. NWTIC will continue to expand the variety of products: Style copy-books with pressed foil will be launched on the market. NWTIC produces bleached paper products on Kamennogorskaya offset paper enterprise (Leningrad region) using German E.C.H. Will, Kugler and Bielomatik production lines, as well as on Nemansky pulp and paper enterprise (Kaliningrad region) using Bielomatik production lines. Daily copy-book, note-book, drawing albums, drawing folders production reached 1 million pieces. Lesprom Industry Consulting agency rated the project to produce copy-books under European standards launched by NWTIC one of the best among the 20 leading pulp and paper manufacturers in Russia. In spring 2004 NWTIC won Gold Binder award as ‘The best bleached paper products manufacturer in Russia’