Paper, pulp and packaging industry:
Some of the key characteristics of the continuous or flow shop industries are many the operations with extra controls, complex sequencing rules (as in paper mills), complex optimization for planning & scheduling and of course fluctuating demands. Paper, pulp and packaging industry is no exception for these characteristics. Paper and pulp manufacturing is also greatly affected by the regulatory compliance issues related to forestry management and environmental issues like Co2 emission norms, and Kyoto protocol.

And forest and paper products industry is always under the pressure of addressing the serious environmental risks and impacts like, liquid effluents, air quality, solid waste, resource consumption and recycling.

	Pulp and paper
	Converted paper products like containers, paper bags, stationary products etc

	Managing demand cycles – flexible supply to demand
	Pricing pressures from large retailers
	Increasing raw material and energy costs
	Global issues – regionalized players, exports, foreign exchange fluctuations
	Capital intensive manufacturing capacity and average inventory discipline
	Complying with regulatory and environmental guidelines

As we move forward, this segment is likely to address these issues and other challenges by becoming more proactive, technology savvy, agile and lean – thanks to a whole lot of new technologies, improved supply chain techniques, mature outsourcing models and emergence of new service providers like Wipro.