Paper Company Goes ‘Paperless’

When a major paper company goes "paperless," what do you understand? Nope, the company has not run out of paper or bowed out of business. On the other hand, it has gone paperless because it wants to make its business more profitable.

The Nation Paper Products and Printing Corp. (NAPPC0) announced Tuesday that it has embarked on an ambitious plan to make its day-to-day operations paperless.

Stanley Ang, NAPPCO systems analyst, said the company will soon automate its major operations, from purchasing to selling, to save on cost and increase profits.

After 42 years in business, NAPPCO is transforming itself from a pure brick-and-mortar firm to one that balances traditional wisdom with modern technology.

Ang told reporters at the Manila Peninsula that NAPPCO has put up a website (http://www.nappco.com.ph) to build brand awareness among its target markets and open communication lines to potential business partners.

"Normally, paper doesn’t have standard brand awareness. But this time, we want consumers to see our brand and recognize it in the market."

Aside from promoting itself, the NAPPCO website educates people on the features of paper, its proper uses and the right machines that work well with it.

According to Anson Tan, NAPPCO assistant vice president and son of the NAPPCO head, the company "wants to teach people how to use the right paper for the right machine."

The NAPPCO website, designed by AsiaOnline, contains a catalogue of paper products and their features, prices and specifications. It also includes tips on how to properly use paper, what paper use means to the environment and some trivia.

The site is the first stage in the company’s grand plan to fully engage in electronic commerce. Tan said NAPPCO’s payment system, which is being done offline, will be integrated into the website in the future. "Because of e-commerce, the website will make transactions easier."

NAPPCO traces its roots from the busy area of Divisoria where it began as a small paper trading firm in the early 50s. Its founders, Cheng Uh and Cheng Tsu, partnered with Barreto Sy to convert the company into a printing firm. With the help of four other Chinese, the company grew to become NAPPCO.

Today, NAPPCO has over 300 employees, more than 100 dealers and over 1,000 major customers. It currently enjoys 30 percent of the total office/school supplies as well as the printing market. With a monthly sales volume of 90 million tons, it is considered number one in the two market segments. The company is known in the office/school supplies market for its NAPPCO copy paper, and for its Paragon and Eagle brands.

Aside from office/school supplies and printing, NAPPCO also supplies manufacturers with packaging materials, paper boards, kraft liners, poster paper, and paper for brochures, magazines and books. – Junep Ocampo