The industry of paper making is as old as the hills; and as an art form, it’s even older. Counting the sector’s rings reveals more than just age, however. Take Orient Paper & Industries, an Indian paper manufacturer with over 80 years of experience.

It’s a tremendous track record by any standard, but thanks to its core values – and the guiding principles of its owner, C K Birla Group – Orient has achieved a respectable position in the industry. Integrity, excellence, respect, responsibility and accountability aren’t some secret formula, either; over time, these have proven to be the most effective way to do business, even in such an established industry.

“These are timeless values,” Orient CEO Ashwin Laddha says, who only joined the company in January of 2022. Faced with the prospect of becoming a part of a business so entrenched in its ways and its industry, Ashwin had to carefully assess what exactly he could bring to the table.

For eight decades, Orient has been in the business of empowering lives.

“The only dash of freshness I’m trying to add to Orient’s age-old values is to bring more passion,” he says. “We are very passionate about what we do, and as a business we can see an outstanding opportunity before us.”

Digitisation and ecommerce have combined to do the unthinkable – change the landscape of the paper industry. “There’s a reset happening across all the paper verticals,” Ashwin says. “So right now we’re re-examining what businesses we’re into, what our overall purpose is and how we get there. We’re 86 years old; how are we going to cross that centenary year, and in what shape and form?”

Even 14 years out from that momentous occasion, Ashwin says Orient is creating a plan to celebrate in style. “In today’s world, having a plan for anything more than three years ahead is unrealistic, so we’re working on a broad roadmap,” he says. “I used my first 100 days in the role to focus on where we stand as a team and what potential remains to be unlocked. We’ve come up with a lot of interesting ideas.”

Ashwin’s appointment as CEO – and in April, as Managing Director – has given Orient a greater purpose and a larger goal. Already, owner C K Birla Group has a vast swathe of interests in its portfolio, including automobiles, chemical plants, software development and engineering, but Orient offers a unique opportunity.

“For eight decades, Orient has been in the business of empowering lives,” Ashwin says. “We help impart quality education to children; that was our original product. We’ve branched out into hygiene and health with our range of toilet, kitchen, hand and facial tissues, but that’s still about improving quality of life.”

With such a solid purpose as a foundation, Ashwin has taken the opportunity to push Orient further. “I thought we could do so much more than what we’ve done,” he says. “We’ve got this well of trust and goodwill created over the years, which is beyond financial numbers, and that’s such a tremendous opportunity.”

To Ashwin, that asset went hand in hand with the corporate world’s newfound fascination with environmental and social governance (ESG), something he says has been a part of Orient’s DNA since the beginning. “When the Birla family established Orient’s first plant, they also set up a school, a hospital and a temple as glorious as you’d find in any big city as part of the launch,” he says. “That was ESG before the term was coined. So I believe we can make that our centre again today.”

This initiative has already kicked off via Orient’s outreach program, which engages with farmers across India and works towards their economic improvement. “We’re also partnered with Heartfulness, a global non-government organisation focused on spiritual and meditative self-improvement,” he says. “Actually, we’ve teamed with many world class non-government organisations to engage with communities and shift the needle.”

It’s this aspect of the role that warms Ashwin’s heart like no other. “It gives me a kick,” he says. “If we get this rhythm right, who knows what ripple effect we’ll have?”

Meanwhile, the traditional business side of Orient is bracing for further uncertainty. “Geopolitical challenges have created the challenge of unpredictability,” he says. “There are wild swings in the coal market; sometimes it’s three times the cost. I don’t think businesses have ever had to manage such swings. We’ll have to let the dust settle over the next few months.”

And that’s on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also took a toll on the business. “As you know, the education sector went virtual for two years, so that affected the 55 per cent of our volume devoted to education materials,” he says. “What we took away from that situation was that we needed more fungibility in our product mix using the same machine capabilities, so we’ve been working on that.”

If we get this rhythm right, who knows what ripple effect we’ll have?

Orient has also been ramping up its value-added product range in both the writing paper production and tissue production departments, both of which will help to brace against further market difficulties, should they arise.

“I see the next 12-to-18 months as a period of transition,” Ashwin says. “We’re working on all facets of the business, from people to process to technology. Industry 4.0 demands a higher level of analytics-driven decision-making. Our talent needs greater engagement to help them upskill and become future ready and our processes need refreshing to increase our agility and the reliability of our outcomes.”

The way to tackle these challenges, he adds, is through holistic work. “We’re upgrading our technology in a sustainable way, so we reduce our environmental impact and become more efficient and competitive at the same time.”

There’s also the matter of partnerships, of which Ashwin says Orient is in no short supply. “Many of our vendor partners have told me, ‘We started our career with Orient, either as a supplier, working with Orient or learning with Orient’,” he says. “That’s the reality of a company with an 86-year history; we’ve had an incredible journey with our partners so far. Now, we want to keep that going with a renewed purpose so we can have a greater impact on the industry going forward.”

Part of that renewal is Ashwin’s commitment to improving the social fabric around him, something he believes is a major selling point to Orient’s partners. “We don’t want to say we’re in the business of paper and tissue. We’re in the business of empowering lives, and if my vendor partners also believe they’re working towards helping kids and families lead healthy lives, that acts as a glue that keeps us together.”

While this may seem like an overwhelming number of plates to keep spinning, Ashwin says it’s nothing compared to how he felt during his first days in the CEO’s chair. “There was so much happening,” he shares. “The volatility meant I couldn’t find my footing straight away. It was a kind of shock treatment that in some ways continues to this day. But I’ve found my rhythm, I’ve cleared the noise and had the chance to focus.”

Discipline is something Ashwin values in his day-to-day life. “I’m a man of routine,” he says. “Yoga and meditation first thing, a disciplined day where meetings are planned in advance and evenings are family time. If anything, the chaos at the start of the job meant I became even more disciplined in terms of time commitment.”

There’s always room to look at things differently.

Developing that kind of routine is quite an achievement for someone who has worked around the world setting up businesses and manufacturing operations with culturally diverse teams by his side. “I started in commercial finance before going into business development, so I have a good grasp of the nuances and the nitty gritties of business,” he says.

“I’ve done business in more than 80 countries consistently for years, and what I’ve learned has been incredible. I’m very comfortable venturing into the unknown, which I did when I entered the paper industry.”

Ashwin says becoming comfortable in his new role was never in question. “Coming from a totally different industry meant I could challenge the status quo of paper,” he says. “There’s always room to look at things differently.”

With ESG at the heart of its business strategy and ongoing transformation, customers may be looking at Orient in a very different way in years to come. “Everything we’re doing is happening at a fast pace, but we have a disciplined approach to operations and a very system-oriented approach to executing our ideas and plans,” Ashwin says.

“Once you’re clear on how you’ll do something, the journey is easy.”

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