Kerala Paper Products Ltd.(KPPL), a State-owned public sector unit, began its operations here on Saturday with the repair and upgrading of machinery in three of the six plants in the factory unit in Velloor.
Officials said the operations had begun with the restoration of the paper machines, a pulp recycling unit, and a power boiler-turbine generator. As many as 105 workers joined the company on the first day.
The upgradation of the mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation engineering wings will be completed in five months at a cost of ₹34.3 crore while the industrial production will start with imported pulp and the recycled pulp stock currently in the plant.
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Next phases
The second phase, which envisages accelerated production of mechanical and chemical pulps and activation of other plants, will begin by March. The phase will witness the production of newsprint, notebooks, and textbooks.
The third phase will witness diversification of production to premium grade paper boards. An investment of ₹650 crore is expected in this phase, which will be completed in 27 months.
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The fourth phase, which will last 17 months, requires an investment of ₹350 crore. The company aims at producing five lakh tonnes of paper a year with a turnover of ₹2,700 crore.
From defunct HNL
The KPPL was constituted as part of the takeover process of the defunct Hindustan Newsprint Limited (HNL), which had shut down its production plant about two years ago citing financial loss. The State government took over the company after the Union government had initiated plans to privatise the unit.