1 September 2022

 

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani
Kazani Group

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.

This September, we feature Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani, CEO of Kazani Group. Alongside him are Mr. Husein Amjad Ali and Mr. Habib Hussain who head the Paper Division in the UAE.

PaperOne™: Hi Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani, Mr. Husein Amjad Ali, and Mr. Habib Hussain, thank you so much for being here today. We appreciate you taking time off to join us for this interview! Let’s begin by telling us a bit about yourself.

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: Hi, glad to be here. I’m Sirajuddin Kazani and I’m the CEO of the Kazani Group. I’ve been active in the paper and printing industry for 35 years now and was formerly working in a big printing company in Dubai for about 6 years before I started my own company - first as a partner, and then independently as Kazani Trading Co LLC. in Sharjah, UAE back in 1999.

I started my own paper company 23 years ago and today, I have a professional and dedicated team that’s responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. Currently, my role involves overseeing the business activities, strategies & policy planning, as well as envisioning and planning for the future growth of the company.

PaperOne™: Incredible! Thank you for sharing all this. Could you tell us more about what your company does?

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: We’re paper merchants and we stock all types of paper including PaperOne’s products. We also deal with book-related services on behalf of our customers and ship them from mills around the world to printing presses in the GCC region. In 1999, I started a paper business independently in my own name as KAZANI TRADING CO. LLC in Sharjah, UAE, with a small warehouse of about 5000 sq ft. Today, we have a warehouse of about 80,000 sq ft. In the last five years, we have opened a branch in Dubai in the name of Kazani Paper FZ and established another branch in Abu Dhabi in the name of Kazani General Trading Co. After moving to Canada, I created another paper company in Toronto in 2006 by the name of SNZ Trading Inc. Today, we have outlets in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

PaperOne™: Wonderful to hear! It’s amazing to see how far your company has come. What do you think sets Kazani Group apart from your competitors?

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: I believe it's because of our competitive prices and better services. We have a dedicated team that works 24/7 to meet and exceed the demands of our customers. The most impressive thing is the team we work with, all of them are fully skilled to handle all the roles in the office, and also the dedication and hard work is shown in the growth we have seen in the past 2 decades. The Paper Division in UAE is headed by Mr. Husein Amjad Ali and Mr. Habib Hussain and the Canadian Division is headed by Mr. Shaheer Bhaidani.

PaperOne™: That’s amazing! Does your company participate in any Corporate Social Responsibility efforts?

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: Yes, we support and contribute to education and development initiatives, especially in the Pakistani and Central Asia regions. For example, we supplied a container’s worth of PaperOne Copier paper to The Aga Khan University Education Board and also made substantial contributions to the University of Central Asia, a university established to serve the isolated and mountainous communities of Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

PaperOne™: Wow, it’s inspiring to hear how much your company is giving back to the community. Could you also share with us more about Kazani Group’s partnership with APRIL Group?

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: Yes, we’ve been partners with APRIL Group for the last 10 years and APRIL Group has been a great support to us over the years. The sales representatives are very responsive, the deals are amazing, and the rebate programme is great.

We mainly import PaperOne Offset and supply PaperOne cut-size to our Canadian market and to The Aga Khan Education Board for their examination papers that are used all around Pakistan. We prefer PaperOne products as they are PEFC certified which assures us that we are selling sustainably sourced products.

I believe that our customers enjoy using paper from APRIL Group because of its high whiteness. PaperOne cut-size also runs smoothly and consistently in digital machines which makes a significant difference when it comes to reliability and productivity.

PaperOne™: We’re humbled to hear all that. Well, with the current shift to digital from print, how do you think this has impacted the pulp and paper industry?

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: As the world continues to move forward digitally, both due to technical advancement and consideration for the environment, we’re seeing a decrease in everyday paper consumption. Nevertheless, our business has thrived on recycled paper and board, which are both environmentally friendly and have become a source for many packaging materials as well.

PaperOne™: That’s good, it’s important to continue looking out for environmentally friendly resources and alternatives. What direction do you see your company headed towards in the next 5 to 10 years?

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: As we’re currently expanding our markets in both Canada and the Gulf region, our present plans include opening branches in Calgary (Canada) and in Oman (Gulf). So we’ll likely be focusing on that at least for the near future.

PaperOne™: Great! Last but not least, are there any interesting facts about paper that you’d like to leave with us?

Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani: I find that one of the most interesting things about paper is the sheer size of its market! Did you know that the global pulp and paper market is valued at USD 351.53 billion in the year 2021 and is projected to grow from USD 254.39 billion to USD 372.70 billion by 2029? It’s so interesting to see that there is still a growth projection for it and it fascinates me to see how new innovations in this market continue to shape our lives.

PaperOne™: That’s really something indeed! Thank you for sharing this insight with us. Once again, thank you for being here with us today, Mr. Sirajuddin Kazani, Mr. Husein Amjad Ali, and Mr. Habib Hussain!

To find the most suitable PaperOne™ products for your business, contact us at customer_service@aprilasia.com.