Pigments for Paper & Packaging
The Pigments for Paper & Packaging business group is organized by geographical area: Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific.
Supplying international paper manufacturing
The Paper & Packaging business group comprise the Group's activities in kaolin and calcium carbonates (natural and precipitated) to serve the major international papermakers : More than 330 paper mills are served: 43% in Europe, 24% in North America, and 33% in the rest of the world, mainly Asia-Pacific, the region driving growth in the paper industry.
Kaolins and carbonates improve paper’s whiteness, opacity, glossiness, smoothness and optical qualities.
Front-rank market positions
- World #2 in ground calcium carbonate (GCC) for paper
- World #1 in kaolin for paper
Sales 2012859 M€
The Pigments for Paper & Packaging business group is now paying increasing attention to helping its customers develop specialty products for recycled fiber-based packaging. Technical and geological teams have been strengthened to support this move.
In 2012, global production of printing and writing paper was close to 2011 volumes. Overall, strong emerging markets (+ 4.7%) offset the erosion in mature countries that has gathered pace since the end of 2011
(- 4.5%). The packaging segment continues to grow.
In addition to extensive overburden and maintenance operations in 2012, capital expenditure was primarily dedicated to the diversification of the business group’s product range. Construction of a lime production facility began in 2012, with the view to leverage some of Imerys’ calcium carbonate reserves in Brazil (Doresopolis, Minas Geiras). Lime is a mineral specialty used in various forms in the steel, paper, chemicals, environment, agriculture and construction sectors. In Malaysia, the extension of the Ipoh calcium carbonate plant was launched. In Japan, capacity was increased at the Miyagi plant, which was rebuilt after the tsunami, to meet higher demand from its main customer.