PaperOne™ Customer Feature Article – APRIL 2020
1 April 2020
Mr. Rajendra Kabra
Director
Saurabh Pvt Ltd
Customer Spotlight Feature
Welcome to the PaperOne™ customer feature, where we interview our customers to find out more about them, their company, their thoughts about the industry, and their partnership with APRIL Group.
For this month’s spotlight, we spoke with Mr. Rajendra Kabra, Director of Saurabh Pvt. Ltd. Based in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saurabh focuses on coated and uncoated wood-free paper and is one of the oldest paper importers in Nepal.
PaperOne™: Thank you Mr. Rajendra for speaking with us. Please tell us about yourself and your role at Saurabh Pvt Ltd.
Rajendra: Thank you for having me! I have been in this business for 40 years and my role in Saurabh is to make sure all teams work cohesively to ensure that we are able to consistently offer our products to our customers in time and at competitive prices. My favourite part of the job is maintaining the supply chain. It is my responsibility to make sure we have adequate buffer stocks because of the unpredictability of customer demand.
PaperOne™: We understand that Saurabh is one of the oldest paper importers in Nepal. With such a long history, are there any interesting facts about Saurabh you could share with us?
Rajendra:Yes, Saurabh has been importing paper for 50 years. I am proud to say that we are the pioneers in diversifying the sourcing of paper into Nepal. In the very early days all the supplies used to come from India. We took the lead in finding new sources in mills spread all over China and Indonesia.
PaperOne™: That is impressive! And did this sourcing for mills outside of Nepal lead to your partnership with the APRIL Group?
Rajendra: That is correct. We were looking to partner with a company that follows strong systems and offers superior quality. We definitely found that in the APRIL Group, and we have maintained this partnership for over 15 years. The sales team always tries to accommodate our special requests. They are proactive and are constantly working towards increasing the market share of APRIL in Nepal.
PaperOne™: That is great to hear! Has this partnership given you a competitive advantage in Nepal?
Rajendra: Saurabh sells PaperOne™ Offset, and without a doubt the quality of the APRIL Group products is the best among the many brands available in Nepal. In addition, Nepal has not mandated PEFC compliance, but we try to source PEFC compliant products as much as possible. And I’m happy to say this is where PaperOne™ and the APRIL Group come in. All of their products are PEFC compliant and as a paper importing company we feel it is our responsibility to ensure that we are securing future generations without damaging the ecology and the environment.
PaperOne™: Before we end, is there any fun fact about paper you want to impart to our readers?
Rajendra: We have what we call Lokta paper that is indigenous to Nepal and is known for its durability. There are scriptures printed on Lokta paper which are more than 1,000 years old. Locally, it is used for legal documents but there is also an increasing use of Lokta paper in various products such as calendars, diaries, invitation and greeting cards, lamp shades, etc. So if you come to Nepal, it would be great to try Lokta paper.
To find the most suitable PaperOne™ products for your business, contact us at customer_service@aprilasia.com