Establishing a paper mill in the United Arab Emirates brings with it a unique set of challenges. In the case of the Ittihad and Crown Paper Mills, these challenges have been met with great success. MAKING PAPER WHILE THE SUN SHINES
NICK BARLOW, photos CROWN PAPER MILL
Crown Paper Mill produces Jumbo Tissue Paper rolls. The company’s annual production capacity is 100,000 metric tonnes.
“As a market leader, we need to be innovative in terms of our processes and products – and expand our business into different markets,” says Amin. The last couple of years have anyhow been difficult for everyone. “The Covid-19-pandemic has changed the picture radically. The demand for office paper, for example, has dropped significantly, and, since we make office paper, we also have to look to alternative products in other sectors. We are constantly engaged in researching new business ar- eas,” explains Mika Viertola , Production Manager at IPM. Company’s products are sold both domestically and in- ternationally, to 59 countries around the world. In this sense, the setting of the facilities can be an advantage. “Although it is not an easy task to make paper in a coun- try where there is no fresh water or pulp, we are unique in our location,” Viertola points out. “There are no other paper manufacturers – everything else is imported. Also, we are next to many of our cus- tomers in neighbouring or nearby countries, where other companies have a lead time of up to two months. Although
Ittihad International Investment LLC is a parent company for two paper mills located in Abu Dhabi, both of them using Metsä Fibre’s pulp as raw material. Crown Paper Mill (CPM) was established in 1996 and produces Jumbo Tissue Paper rolls at an annual produc- tion capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes. Ittihad Paper Mill (IPM) opened in 2018, is the first printing and writing paper production facility in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Its annual production capacity is 325,000 metric tonnes. The growth in production at both mills has been remark- able in the last few years. “Both mills are well-known facilities in the industry. At CPM production has grown from 35,000 to 100,000 metric tonnes in the past three years, while production since 2020 at IPM has increased by 45,000 metric tonnes,” says Sunny Amin , Procurement and Logistics manager for the mills. PLANNING FOR STRATEGIC GROWTH This growth is part of the Ittihad International Investe- ment LLC’s strategic plan.
Ittihad International Investment LLC is a parent company for two paper mills located in Abu Dhabi, CPM and IPM.
Sunny Amin Procurement and Logistics Manager for Crown Paper Mill and Ittihad Paper Mill.
Mika Viertola Production manager at Ittihad Paper Mill after a global career in the pulp industry.
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