April Group is an Indonesian pulp and paper manufacturer that employs 9,000 people directly. In 2014 it became the first Indonesian forestry company to be PEFC certified.
The new strategic partnership with Kent-based Scalderhurst is focused on April’s premium GC1 and GC2 folding boxboard range, along with art board and cup stocks.
April commissioned a new paperboard manufacturing plant last year on the back of rising demand for sustainable packaging. It has the capacity to make 1.2m tonnes of paperboard a year.
The range has food safety accreditation for direct contact, including for fatty foods.
The boxboard products are new to the UK market.
Kenrick Chew, April’s regional sales head for Paperboard Europe (West & East), commented: “We are thrilled to partner with Scalderhurst, a company that shares our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
“This collaboration will enhance our service capabilities, grow our market share and ensure that our customers in the UK and Ireland receive the best products and support.”
Scalderhurst has in-house conversion facilities at its site near Ashford, and the firm said it held sufficient stock “to meet immediate and large-scale demands” with more than 1,500 tonnes of April product currently held.
The independent merchant runs three high-speed sheeters, a mill winder and a guillotine at its conversion facility, providing flexibility and fast turnaround times for bespoke requirements in sheets and reels.
It also offers carbon balancing.
The firm described April’s closed-loop chain of custody as “second to none”.
Scalderhurst non-executive director St John Harvey said: “We’re really pleased, it’s a great product.
“We went to visit the April mill in October. The new board machine is absolutely amazing in terms of size, scale, cleanness, attention to health and safety and the environment.”
Scalderhurst’s overall total stockholding is typically more than 10,000 tonnes.
