“Everything starts with yourself, with you making up your mind about what you’re going to do with your life”, Tony Dorsett.

Hello, I am Syed Daniyal Zaidi. I have done my MBA in Supply Chain Management from Superior University Lahore. Recently, I joined Roshan Packages Limited as an MTO Supply Chain. I am here to write this blog to share my experience, supply chain issues, and sustainability in the paper market.

Before joining Roshan Packages I didn’t have much knowledge regarding the functioning of the corrugated paper industry. However, during our training session, we interacted with all departments of the company in which we got to know about Roshan Packages as a company, and as a team. I was curious and excited to meet the people who are leading the Supply Chain at Roshan. I was not disappointed as when I did meet them they are so kind, welcoming, and helpful.

In Roshan Packages Limited, Supply Chain functions are divided into four parts: planning, procurement, warehousing, and logistics. In Roshan, we have two types of plant operations, which are corrugation and converting. The sales team brings the orders. The planning department makes plans to procure materials and Procurement ensures the availability of direct and indirect material before the production process. The delivered raw material will be checked by the Quality Department and stored in the warehouse. The logistics team manages the transportation services by itself or 3PL and ensures the timely availability of products to customers. The function in which I am performing is procurement.

My first working day was quite impressive, when I stepped into the room of the Supply Chain team, I was a little nervous, but they welcomed me very kindly and warmly. I was introduced to managers and executives who guided us through the general processes of procurement. Procurement in Roshan Packages is a wide field that includes paper, spare parts, consumables, grocery, stationery, assets, services, polymers, dies, and fixed assets. I learned and observed all day-to-day activities by doing small tasks. I handled different documentation related to procurement. I am slowly understanding terms used in material buying of paper like paper type, grammage, and deckle sizes, etc. Moreover, currently, I am observing and understanding the import terms and processes e.g. letter of credit (LC), HS Code, Incoterms, T/T, Swift message, bank guarantee, GD declaration, etc. In my opinion, Roshan Packages has the best integrated well organized Supply Chain system which creates a valuable impact on the performance of the company.

Supply Chain Issues:

In Pakistan, the manufacturing industry of corrugated boxes faces a big problem of raw material shortage. Over the last two years’ prices of the Kraft paper which is used in manufacturing corrugated boxes have been still increasing, affecting brown box manufacturers who play a main role in the supply chain for many other industries. Coal and fuel which is the main source of energy for paper mills whose prices have been continuously increasing which are a large reason for the price increases.

Sustainability in the Paper Market:

Sustainability must be an internal part of any business’s strategy as it is the only way to succeed in the future. In the future the corrugated industry will have an increase in demand of 3-5% predicted around 2022-2025, Says Beroe Inc. Lightweight and recycled paper’s combination are the innovative raw material used in corrugated production. Roshan Packages has some of the best machines in the country, which are used in both corrugation and converting. They have the best staff to manage their plant process which gives them a competitive advantage. Over the time being the management has been working to bring the best out of us. The things I have been learning from my seniors are very informative and essential to develop myself, to become an expert or professional. I am thankful to Roshan Packages for believing and giving us an opportunity to prove our abilities.

-Syed Daniyal Zaidi, MTO Supply Chain, Roshan Packages Limited