The initiative aligns with AIFMP's broader efforts towards modernisation, quality enhancement, skill development, and strengthening policy support for the Indian printing industry.
The collaboration is expected to help printers better understand paper-related production challenges, improve process consistency, reduce wastage, and adopt more scientific manufacturing practices across the sector.
CPPRI is a national-level institute established in 1980 as an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, to promote R&D in the field of pulp & paper.
The MoU was formalised during the visit of the AIFMP delegation led by the president C Ravinder Reddy, along with MN Pandey, AIFMP vice-president – North, Vinay Baweja, committee chairman – Government Relations, Sunil Joshi, AIFMP government relations. The delegation held detailed discussions with Dr Ashish Kumar, the director, CPPRI, and senior officials of the institute on various industry challenges and opportunities for collaborative initiatives.
The discussions focused on critical industry concerns, including paper quality consistency, printability issues, substrate performance, quality standardisation, scientific process control, wastage reduction, testing and evaluation support, and technical training for printers.
Speaking on the occasion, Ravinder Reddy stated that the collaboration with CPPRI would help bridge an important gap between research institutions and the printing industry by bringing greater scientific understanding and technical support into production environments.
He emphasised that the industry today requires more structured quality systems, better awareness of material behaviour, and stronger technical intervention to improve productivity and profitability.
CPPRI expressed positive interest in supporting the printing industry through joint initiatives, including technical seminars, awareness programs, testing support, industry studies, training programmes, and dissemination of best practices related to paper and print performance.