The digital shift has not entirely made paper disappear, far from it. For example, a Louiseville printing plant had to deal with a shortage of special-purpose paper on the market, while the paper mills were no longer able to meet demand.
Instead of a volume of 1000 tons per month which it needs, the Marquis printing works must at the moment be satisfied with half. This shortfall has an impact on its production and income. “It’s difficult to make the budgets we had expected because we have lost productivity due to the non-availability of paper. In some cases, not only do they cut us off, but the day they have to deliver us, they don’t deliver to us,” said Serge Loubier, president of Marquis Imprimeur.
In Louiseville, Marquis mainly prints books, including many bestsellers. The pandemic must have revived the taste for reading because the demand increased tenfold, which increased the appetite for the paper. Thus, the record of two million copies per month established a year ago has just been smashed. We are now at three million copies. Customers are snapping up available paper. “All the mills are at maximum capacity. So if we need more paper it’s not complicated. You have to take it away from someone to give it to another, ”observed the president of Marquis.
The Quebec Forest Industry Council (CFIQ) confirms the phenomenon. Demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels. “The signal is there. The demand is there and the pulp and paper industry is getting organized to deal with the situation, to start production again,” said Michel Vincent, analyst at the CIFQ.
Resolute Forest Products confirms that supply and demand are currently tightening. Supply chain hiccups also complicate procurement. “When you need 32 trucks, you can often only count on eight or nine,” lamented Marquis Imprimeur. Despite the consequences of this shortage on production, the printer ensures that no job is threatened.
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com