JK Paper

Part of the HS Singhania Group, JK Paper (formerly known as Central Pulp Mill) Ltd is one of the largest producers of branded paper, coated paper and high-end packaging boards in the Indian market. The company, incorporated in 1960, has three manufacturing units – two major integrated pulp and paper mills in Odisha's Rayagada and Songadh in Gujarat. A third unit was acquired at Sirpur in Telangana. The company has a combined production capacity of about 6 lakh tons annually.

Along with India, JK Paper exports its branded copier paper and packaging boards to over 35 countries including the USA, Middle East, SAARC and African countries.

Business operations

JK Paper has a vast network in the Indian market thanks to over 350 trade partners, 4000 dealers, 15 depots and 4 regional marketing offices. The company's legacy goes back to 1938, with the setting up of Straw Products Ltd in Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal. The firm's first manufacturing unit came up in Rayagada, Odisha, in 1962.

JK Paper acquired the second unit in Gujarat. It purchased a pulp drying plant from Finland in 2001 to increase the output of market pulp. The plant was commissioned during the same year. In 2005, the company commissioned a coating plant at the JKPM Unit in Odisha. It was followed up with the commissioning of a premium packaging board plant in 2007 at its Gujarat plant.

The company has curtailed its dependency on natural forest wood for raw materials. Instead, it sources raw materials through social forestry and farm forestry programmes in districts within a 200 km radius of its units in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

JK Paper’s initiatives have helped in plant trees in close to 4,65,000 hectares of land. The farm forestry model has helped more than 75,000 farm families, offering them livelihood.

In 2022, JK Paper commissioned 170000 TPA packaging board expansion. The company acquired the Embedded Systems and Electro-Optics Business of Deepti Electronics and Electro-Optics Pvt. Ltd. through a business transfer agreement.

In FY 2023, the company acquired an 85% stake in Horizon Packs Pvt. Ltd and Securipax Packaging Ltd.

JK Paper acquired its first greenfield project in Punjab’s Ludhiana through a subsidiary JKPL Packaging Products Limited (JKPPPL).

As of December 29, 2023, JK Paper Ltd's market capitalisation stood at over ₹6,900 crore. JK Paper share price has surged more than 288% in the last three years.

Financial highlights

• The company’s consolidated revenue from operation stood at ₹6,7845 crore in FY23 compared to ₹4,153.47 crore in FY22.
• JK Paper reported profit after tax (PAT) at ₹1,208 crore in FY23, up by 120% from ₹543 crore in FY22.
• The EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) stood at ₹1,759.38 crore in FY23.
• EBITDA margin stood at 28.2% in FY23 compared to 25.7% in FY22.
• Its earnings per share (EPS) stood at ₹52.26.