Sissay Tesfaye, 44, is the owner of Best Plastic Factory and Walia Steel Industry Plc, which he

established 12 and four years ago, respectively. He is also president of the Ethiopian Association of
Basic Metals and Engineering Industries (EABMEI). On August 28, 2010, he attended the meeting
between Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and manufacturers.
The government would do everything in its power to formulate policies that favour the local
manufacturing sector, particularly the basic metal and engineering sector, Meles said during the
meeting. The policy measures would include financial ones.
A few days later, the Birrs devaluation by 20pc was announced.
Asked if he thought Meles made the promise deliberately to prepare the industry for any possible
shock over the devaluation news, Sissays immediate response was to laugh from the heart.
We import a lot of capital goods, he then said. It will make investment difficult. Our working capital
will also increase by 20pc.
The steel industry is made up of basic metal manufacturing companies and the engineering sector.
The basic metal industry produces two categories of products: long and flat.
Long products include reinforcement bars and tubular sections and wires, while flat products comprise
LTZ profiles and various sheets: such as steel (lamera), corrugated, and EGA.
The engineering sector consists of manufacturers of doors and windows, tankers, vehicle bodies, truck
trailers, spare parts, and machinery like concrete mixers and vibrators.
Although iron ore is believed to exist in Ethiopia, it is not mined in the country. Bars and billets are
produced from iron ore, coiled wire rods, from which nails are made, and coiled sheets are imported
as raw materials.
The only locally available raw material in the country is scrap metal, which the factories buy for
between 2.80 Br and 3.20 Br a kilogramme. It is smelted and converted into bars and billets. The bars
are used to produce spare parts and simple machines like concrete mixers and vibrators. The billets
are used to make reinforcement bars.
The highly automated industry is capital intensive.
Mame Steel Mill Plc, which offered Fortune a rare visit to the interior of its manufacturing plant, boasts
the latest Italian machinery on the market, according to Betru Woldehana, deputy general manager. It
produces circular, square, and rectangular tubes (hollow sections) as well as LTZ profiles.
Full automation results in only a few people being needed to operate the machinery. The mill employs
67 people of which very few are involved in operating the machines.
The factory became operational in December 2009, and started trial production in March 2010. In
2010/11 it plans to produce 24,000tn, 40pc of its installed capacity.
If I produce 24,000tn, I will need 279 million Br to buy raw materials, Betru said, making a quick
calculation in his notebook. My problem is working capital.
The same is true of other factories in the industry. The state owned Kaliti Metal Products Factory has a
working capital requirement of 200 million Br, most of which it needs in hard currency for the
importation of raw materials, on which the factory relies completely.
In the short-term, there fore, the devaluation of the Birr will affect everyone in the industry; both
traders and manufacturers.
In 2008 local basic metal and engineering companies serve only 15pc of the market while the rest is
imported, according to Getahun Tadesse, head of the Metal Products Development Centre (MPDC) of
the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI). In monetary terms, the share of the local industry was only
4.5 billion Br, a small sum in comparison with the 28 billion Br of imports.
The local industry operated at only 40pc of its capacity, according to Getahun, while an even smaller
figure was quoted by those in the industry.
The plastic industry has almost eliminated imported basic plastic products from the market with the
assistance of a 35pc duty levied them. The metal industry is far from that. The market is dominated
by imported products while most of the local factories operate under their capacity.
Most of the metal factories, including ours, are running at only 20pc to 30pc of their capacities, said
Sissay.
It seems as if only Kaliti Metal Products is operating at full capacity and even made 140pc of its
targeted profit for 2009/10, according to Mathewos Assale, general manager, who declined to give the
exact figure. However, he feels the government has not done enough to encourage and protect the
local industry.
Ethiopias engineering sector is still in its infancy. It could produce 85pc of the materials needed for
the construction of sugar and cement factories; for everything except precision and complex electronic
equipment, according to Getahun.
Many products in the metal and engineering industry could be produced locally, he said. Yet, it has
not happened.
In addition, the industry has been unable to utilise its full capacity when demand booms. Over the last
five years, huge government projects like the construction of houses, colleges, schools, and roads
have resulted in a huge demand in the market.
It was a sudden boom, said Solomon Mulugeta, general manager of EABMEI. The industry was not
ready for it.
The basic metal and engineering industry is both capital intensive and knowledge based and has to
grow naturally, according to Solomon.
It is difficult to build capacity all of the a sudden, he said.
Working capital, spare parts, access to foreign currency, and human resources are among the biggest
problems the industry faces.
Engineering is supported by little research and development, which results in it not being cost-
effective, according to Solomon.
Other problems are the small tariff gap between imported raw materials and finished goods and the
lack of quality monitoring on imported products. Even so, the combined problems have not hampered
the growth of the industry.
EABMEI boasts 28 members. There are about 10 other factories that are not members and several
more that are currently under formation. Several companies that produce furniture, doors and
windows, and automobile bodies have not been included in the association yet.
Globally, scrap metal is a major source of raw material; between 50pc and 60pc, according to
Solomon. Locally, it supplies about 40pc of the demand, but the billets that are made from it are only
used to manufacture reinforcement bars.
Local factories largely depend on imported raw materials from Turkey, Ukraine, Kazakstan, China, and
India. The same countries also supply the bulk of finished goods in the market.
Scrap metal covers up to 95pc of the steel needed for the production of reinforcement bars, according
to Sissay. Tubular sections depend on 80pc to 90pc of imported raw materials while flat products are
produced entirely from imported sheets.
Existing local capacity can meet 50pc to 60pc of the demand for reinforcement bars and 100pc of the
demand for tubular sections and flat products, said Sissay.
Imports make their way into the country in various ways. Some local traders order the products
specifically to their needs directly from China and Turkey.
International trading companies such as Steelforce, a Belgian company, and Coutinho & Ferrostaal
GmbH, a German company, supply factories with raw materials and the market with finished materials
through local agents. These trading companies source their materials from various countries, such as
China, Ukraine, and Turkey.
The involvement of the trading companies is important because the selling factories do not want to be
involved in the potential financial issues of a country, such as Ethiopia, with unreliable dollar reserves,
according to Tewodros Mengistu, an agent for Steelforce in Ethiopia.
Arcelor Mittal only sells to Ethiopia through us and other trade agents, he said.
The trading company pays the factory, in a way financing the local buyers whose payment through
letters of credit (LC) takes longer than factories are willing to wait.
An order of 400tn may be big for a local company, but it is nothing for the manufacturer, Tewodros
said.
Usually the traders make huge purchases at discounted prices and deliver only the quantity their
clients have ordered. There are several big local traders, such as Hadid Trading Plc and Yohannes
Abadi, who import reinforcement bars, tubular sections, and steel and corrugated sheets.
Hadids general manager was not available to talk to Fortune. Yohannes Abadi has a policy of not
talking to journalists, according to his brother who manages the company that is his namesake.
Yet, the local manufacturers have a lot to complain about with regard to the quality and tariffs of
imported products.
Importers deliberately order substandard material (shorter and thinner products), according to
manufacturers. A six-metre tubular section could be shorter by a few centimetres or a sheet could be
thinner by a fraction of a millimetre.
The advantage to the trader is that he orders the products in tonnes but sells it in pieces, so that a ton
of shorter rods and thinner sheets will have more pieces. Most buyers are not professionals and rely
on the information provided to them by the supplier, according to the manufactures.
A decrease of up to six per cent in the thickness of reinforcement bars is acceptable, said Tewodros.
We have observed differences of up to 11pc but you cannot blame the traders. The Quality and
Standards Authority of Ethiopia (QSAE) should be regulating quality.
We have no standards in Ethiopia, except for corrugated iron sheets, said Mathewos.
Mame Steel Mills products are up to 15 Br more expensive apiece than Turkish products in the
market, according to Betru.
His only consolation comes from the fact that he is confident that his products are of a better quality
than the imported ones and that there is enough room in the market for both local and imported
products.
I believe that enough support has not been given to the metal industry, said Mathewos. Some of it
has to do with implementation.
If a local bidder in a government tender adds value by 20pc, the tender issuing body must add 15pc to
the price offered by a foreign bidder to give the local company an advantage, according to financial
regulations.
However, implementing bodies fail to abide by the directive and evaluate all bidders by the same
standard, according to Mathewos, who stops short of identifying the culprits.
Government owned companies are also encumbered with the requirement that they issue tenders for
all purchases. As a result, situations arise in which commodity prices vary so much between the
issuing of tenders and the placing of orders that the tender has to be reissued, according to Tewodros.
Things would be easier if he could simply contact a trusted supplier and place orders, according to
Mathewos. However, Kaliti has been producing so far beyond its capacity for nearly 15 years that it
has been elected as a role model for other state enterprises.
In spite of the problems it faces, the industry can benefit greatly from the governments latest five-
year plan, the much publicised Development and Transformation Plan. The services sector will benefit
less than agriculture and related sectors as well as industry, according to the plan.
Agriculture, which grew by six per cent in 2009/10, according to the government, will grow by eight
per cent, according to the base case scenario, or by 14.9pc in the high case scenario. These two
scenarios will either bring agricultures share of the national gross domestic product (GDP) down to
35.8pc, from 41pc in 2009/10, or keep it at the same level.
The metal industry registered growth of 10.2pc in 2009/10. The government targets a growth of at
least 20.1pc and 21.4pc at best, according to the five-year plan. The industrys share in GDP could
either be 19pc or 16.9pc: the best case scenario shows the effect of the higher growth of agriculture.
Among industries, the basic metal and engineering industry stands to benefit the most, according to
Meles. Over the next five years, per capita metal consumption could grow between 12 kilograms and
34.72 kilograms, according to the government.
The government, the biggest buyer of metal products, could create a bonanza in the industry, with or
without incentives, although the biggest beneficiary could end up being the traders.
Some of the factories are undertaking expansion projects. Kaliti has initiated a 138 million Br project
which will equip it with additional machinery over the nest two years. In 2010/11, it plans to spend 50
million Br on machinery that have already been ordered and are currently being manufactured in Italy
and China, according to Mathewos.
More raw materials could be manufactured locally over the next five years, according to Sissay.
However, the tariff intervention will completely hinder competition, according to Getahun.
The government does not see tariffs as only a source of revenues but also as a policy measure to
assist the local industry, both Meles and Sufian Ahmed, minister of Finance and Economic
Development (MoFED), told the manufacturers, according to Solomon.
EABMEI is currently working on its own five-year strategic plan based on the governments five-year
plan while the MPDC is also looking for ways in which to help the industry. The foreign currency issue
is one of resources allocation and the governments priority is the textile and leather industries,
according to Getahun
Yet, while some of the major problems will persist, the future is not bleak.
Even though we have not utilised our existing capacity, we are importing additional equipment
because we look forward to a growing market, said Sissay. If we look at the devaluation positively,
the local industry will eventually benefit from it.
If the government accorded more tariff protection, existing factories could increase their capacities
and local and international investors could open new factories, according to Mathewos.
EABMEI is preparing to make that kind of proposal to the government.





Job Description:
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND
ETHIOPIA COUNTRY OFFICE
WHEN APPLYING, PLEASE QUOTE THE VACANCY NOTICE NO WITH THE POST
TITLE, LEVEL AND DUTY STATION AS FOLLOWS:

VACANCY NOTICE NO: ETH14009-1
LEVEL: NO-C
CONT. STATUS: Fixed-Term (FT)


The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), the worlds leading organization working for
the rights of children, is inviting applications for the above position.


PURPOSE OF THE POST

Accountable for formulation, design, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of
community based alternative Care systems programme(s) to ensure overall efficiency and
effectiveness of the programme management, delivery and accomplishment of programme goals
and objectives. Promotes inter-sectoral partnerships leading to responsive child protection/ social
welfare systems build on the strengths of issue-specific programming; and which addresses
specific forms of vulnerability.


MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS POST INCLUDE:

Within the delegated authority and under the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be
assigned the primarily, shared, or contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following
areas of major duties and key end-results.


1. Programme Planning, Technical support, Development and Management.

Enhance effective sectoral or inter-sectoral collaborative partnerships in planning, development
and management by leading, guiding, coordinating and supporting the timely completion of the
Situational Analysis and its periodic update through accurate; and complete monitoring and
analysis; and the timely preparation or finalization of sectoral input, leading to responsive
community based alternative care programs, build on the strengths of issue-specific
programming which addresses specific forms of vulnerability, including children without
adequate parental care, those related to gender, disability, HIV, and facilitate measure of
outcomes for different groups. Provide substantive advice, recommendations and input in the
formulation of country programme documents and plans of actions relating to community based
alternative care programme.

Takes primary responsibility for the development of the community based alternative care work
plan and technical decisions as well as for programme management, implementation and
monitoring of assigned sectoral activity, in compliance with the defined programme strategies
and approaches.


2. Promotion of UNICEFs Global Goals

Promote the organization goals of UNICEF through advocacy and policy dialogue through active
engagement in communication, networking and participation at every opportunity inside and
outside UNICEF, leveraging the strength of UNICEF mission, goals and programmes; and forge
broad-based partnerships to raise awareness and stimulate open dialogue on the rights of the
child and practices that create social exclusion or harm children.


3. Knowledge Management.

Promote knowledge management by exchange of knowledge, information, situation analysis,
experience or lessons learned; promote knowledge sharing and technical input or
recommendations on major programme directions and on introduction of new initiatives in the
country; using the know-how of academic and knowledge institutions to collect, analyze and use
relevant data to further understanding of social norms, harmful practices to children, issues of
separation, particularly girls.


4. Rights-Based and Results-Based Approach.

Promote the quality of rights-based Child Protection programmes through participation in the
formulation of programme goals, strategies and approaches, collaborating with key partners to
address the multiple aspects of the protective environment; and to bring coherence, synergy and
added value to sectoral or inter-sectoral management processes using a results-based
management approach to planning and design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

5. Sectoral Work Plan Development, Implementation, and Monitoring.

Takes primary responsibility for the development of the sectoral work plan and technical
decisions as well as for programme management, implementation and monitoring of assigned
project/sectoral activity, in compliance with the defined programme strategies and approaches,
with adequate consultation with relevant stakeholders. Support maintenance of information
system for monitoring gender/sex disaggregated data.


6. Programme Delivery, Evaluation and Reporting.

Ensure programme, sectoral or inter-sectoral, efficiency and delivery through a rigorous and
transparent approach to evaluation. Participation in major evaluation exercises, programme
reviews and annual sector review meetings with government counterparts, with involvement of
all stakeholders. Ensure the preparation of annual Child Protection sector status reports, with
contribution of all major partners.


7. UNICEF and Government Accountability.

Coordinates with Operations and Supply staff on supply and non-supply assistance activities
ensuring proper and timely UNICEF and Government as well as all implementing partners
accountability; and to orientate and train Government and all UNICEF implementing partners in
UNICEF supply and non-supply policies and procedures. Certifies disbursements of funds,
monitors and submits financial status reports to management in compliance with the regulations
and guidelines.


8. Communication, Collaboration, Networking and Partnership.
Ensure exchange of information, experience, identify new strategies and courses of action
to accelerate/improve delivery of services and achieve Child Protection programme
requirements and objectives. Conduct field visits to monitor programmes and collect
information. Conduct periodic programme reviews with Government counterparts and
other partners.
Collaborate with Communication and Programme Communication groups to ensure
development of effective communication materials and strategies to support advocacy
and social mobilization efforts in order to: enhance collaboration with media, civil
society and involvement of children and their families to support positive practices;
engage dialogue with private sector on good practices and corporate social responsibility;
and strengthen partnerships with bilateral and multilateral organizations.
Overall coordination with UNICEF Field offices. Collaborate with other
Programme/Project Officers to ensure the integration of the sectoral programme with
other sectors.
Collaborate with the Operations and Supply Sections and Government authorities to
establish and maintain sound internal controls supportive of Child Protection programme
planning and implementation, to coordinate financial and supply management
requirements as well as to ensure accountability.
Interact with Government and other partners, NGOs, UN and bilateral agencies in the
different stages of the community based alternative care program implementation to
follow up on agreements and recommendations. Provide technical support and guidance
on appropriate technical, financial and institutional capacity building measures to achieve
Child Protection programme goals with all key partners.
In line with the Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) in Humanitarian Action,
strengthen partnerships with child protection humanitarian actors within the inter-agency
standing committee (IASC) mechanism, for preparedness, contingency planning and
response.
Job Requirements:
Education requirements: Advanced university degree*, preferably in the social sciences, law or
other relevant field.


Work Experience: Five years of professional work experience at national and international
levels in child protection, including field work experience and Background/familiarity with
Emergency. *A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic
qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Language Proficiency: Fluency in English and in the local working language of the duty station
required.

Nationality: Candidates should be NATIONALS of Ethiopia.


Competencies: Commitment, Diversity and Inclusion, Integrity, Communication, Drive for
Results, Working With People, Leading and Supervising, Formulating Strategies and Concepts,
Analyzing, Relating and Networking, Deciding and Initiating Action, Applying Technical
Expertise.
Paper Napkins, Toilet Rolls & Facial Tissue
Paper is one of the necessities of civilization and it is almost impossible to imagine the continuance of a
world with out a printed books and news papers. Facial and toilet tissue papers fall in the category of
light weigh sanitary tissue and comprise of items viz facial tissue, sanitary tissue, table napkins such
varieties of papers are normally unsized and manufactured in soft, loosely felted conditions. Industries
manufacturing paper napkins, toilet paper rolls, facial tissues as well as cigarette and wrapping paper
etc. are dependant on tissue paper. It is concluded that there is good domestic and export demand of
paper napkins, toilet rolls and facial tissue. The industry may be classed as very prospective.
Plant capacity: 1000 Kgs/Day Plant & machinery: Rs. 6 Lakhs
Working capital: Rs. 38 Lakhs T.C.I: Rs. 53 Lakhs
Return: 96.61% Break even: 25.40%
Email Us | Add to Inquiry Basket

We can provide you detailed project reports on the following topics. Please select the projects
of your interests.
Each detailed project reports cover all the aspects of business, from analysing the market,
confirming availability of various necessities such as plant & machinery, raw materials to
forecasting the financial requirements. The scope of the report includes assessing market
potential, negotiating with collaborators, investment decision making, corporate diversification
planning etc. in a very planned manner by formulating detailed manufacturing techniques and
forecasting financial aspects by estimating the cost of raw material, formulating the cash flow
statement, projecting the balance sheet etc.
We also offer self-contained Pre-Investment and Pre-Feasibility Studies, Market Surveys and
Studies, Preparation of Techno-Economic Feasibility Reports, Identification and Selection of
Plant and Machinery, Manufacturing Process and or Equipment required, General Guidance,
Technical and Commercial Counseling for setting up new industrial projects on the following
topics.
Many of the engineers, project consultant & industrial consultancy firms in India and worldwide
use our project reports as one of the input in doing their analysis.
Information
One Lac / Lakh / Lakhs is equivalent to one hundred thousand (100,000)
One Crore is equivalent to ten million (10,000,000)
T.C.I is Total Capital Investment
We can modify the project capacity and project cost as per your requirement.
We can also prepare project report on any subject as per your requirement.
Caution: The project's cost, capacity and return are subject to change without any notice.
Future projects may have different values of project cost, capacity or return.

About NIIR PROJECT CONSULTANCY SERVICES
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NIIR PROJECT CONSULTANCY SERVICES (NPCS) is a reliable name in the industrial
world for offering integrated technical consultancy services. Its various services are: Pre-
feasibility study, New Project Identification, Project Feasibility and Market Study, Identification
of Profitable Industrial Project Opportunities, Preparation of Project Profiles and Pre-Investment
and Pre-Feasibility Studies, Market Surveys and Studies, Preparation of Techno-Economic
Feasibility Reports, Identification and Selection of Plant and Machinery, Manufacturing Process
and or Equipment required, General Guidance, Technical and Commercial Counseling for setting
up new industrial projects and industry.
NPCS also publishes varies technology books, directory, databases, detailed project reports,
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manufacturers, industrialists and entrepreneurs, our publications are also used by Indian and
overseas professionals including project engineers, information services bureau, consultants and
consultancy firms as one of the input in their research.

Looking carefully into the 2013 budget presented by President Goodluck Jonathan, the Federal
Government will pay much attention on Manufacturing, Local Industrial developments and
Agriculture.
Any investor into any of these sectors will benefit from various Government incentives. Any
type of manufacturing engaged by individual or groups of individuals or corporate organisations
will go a long way in contributing towards the growth of the nations economy. It will generate
employment opportunities and add to GDP.
The purpose of this write-up is to educate and encourage potential investors on the commercial
viability and profitability of tissue paper/serviettes production.
Most Nigerians consume toilet roll. Its demand is influenced by population explosion, rapid
urbanisation and social awareness. It is generally used for cleaning and sanitary purposes in
households, restaurants, hotels, canteens, social gatherings, parties, maternity homes, clinics,
hospitals, educational institutions, churches, night clubs, shops, fast food centres and offices.
Research findings indicate that Nigeria alone now needs over 950 million tonnes of tissue papers
per annum. While our total local production output is still less than 150 million tonnes, the
supply gap offers a tremendous opportunity for Nigeria investors.
Nigerian investors can now go into this lucrative business using locally made machines. Though
there are imported machines as well, our local investors do not need to waste their scarce foreign
exchange for the importation. The writer will assist you in procuring and installing quality
machines that stand the test of time at moderate and affordable prices.
The attractiveness of this project is that both the raw materials and equipment are locally
available and the technology involved is very easy to understand and master. The essential
equipment are: -
(1) Core making machine
(2) Rewinding System
(3) Band Saw cutter
(4) Embossing Unit
(5) Perforating Unit
These equipments are portable, simple to operate and durable. The machines will be procured
from highly experienced local producers of such machines. The writer will supply the machines
at the sum of N3million.
The machinery being introduced here is rugged, reliable and high performing with a capacity of
5,000kg per day. Operating on a single shift for a minimum of 250 days per annum, a total of
1,250,000 MT of tissue paper will be procured and processed into quality tissue products (toilet
rolls & serviettes).
Raw materials include jumbo reels, and glue. Packaging materials include printed labels and
nylon rolls. All these are 100 per cent available locally. Since the machine will process
1,250,000MT per annum, the total sales revenue is N437.5 million from which we deducted our
total inputs of N315. 5million thus realising a gross profit before tax of N122.5 million in the
first year.
Many Nigerians have burnt their fingers while sourcing local machinery from some
inexperienced and dishonest fabricators who produce machines with very low efficiency. Many
investors have been deceived. They also tell big lies about the efficiency, performance, capacity
and life span of these machines.
To guard against this industrial fraud, prospective investors can contact this writer for free
investment advisory services. The issue of availability of raw materials should not disturb
anybody because we have so many options to handle it.
On the whole, a toilet roll project is a very good small-scale industry, which can launch a small
investor into the world of millionaires within one year.
A three-bedroom flat garage or warehouse may serve, as accommodation while staff strength of
eight is required for effective production, marketing and administration. Bigger or smaller plants
are also available at competitive prices.
For details on preparation of comprehensive & bankable feasibility studies/ report, sourcing &
installation of quality & durable machines; Recruitment & Training, Sourcing of Investment
funds,
Estimated Cost Implications
(N000)
Preliminary Expenses 250
Machinery & Equipment 5,000
Working (Variable) 3,500
Accommodation (Rented) (variable) 500
Contingencies 750
Total 10,000
* Godwin wrote in from Surulere, Lagos and can be reached on: E-mail:
ubagodwin@yahoo.com
Tags: Business, Nigeria, Featured, TISSUE PAPER/SERVIETTES PRODUCTION PLANT
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Toilet Paper




Background
Most of us can't imagine living without toilet paper. The average American uses over 100 single
rollsabout 21,000 sheetseach year. It's used not only for bathroom hygiene, but for nose
care, wiping up spills, removing makeup, and small bathroom cleaning chores. Manufacturers
estimate that an average single roll lasts five days.
Toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, and facial tissues are sanitary papers, personal products that
need to be clean and hygenic. They're made from various proportions of bleached kraft pulps
with relatively little refining of the stock, rendering them soft, bulky, and absorbent. Sanitary
papers are further distinguished from other papers in that they are creped, a process in which the
paper is dried on a cylinder then scraped off with a metal blade, slightly crimping it. This softens
the paper but makes it fairly weak, allowing it to disintegrate in water.
Toilet paper can be one-or two-ply, meaning that it's either a single sheet or two sheets placed
back-to-back to make it builder and more absorbent. Color, scents, and embossing may also be
added, but fragrances sometimes cause problems for consumers who are allergic to perfumes.
The biggest difference between toilet papers is the distinction between virgin paper products,
which are formed directly from chipped wood, and those made from recycled paper. Most toilet
paper, however, whether virgin or recycled, is wrapped around recycled cardboard cylinders.
History
Before paper was widely available, a variety of materials were employed. The Romans used an
L-shaped stick (like a hockey stick) made of wood or precious metal; at public toilets people
used sponges on sticks that were kept in saltwater between uses. In arid climates, sand, powdered
brick, or earth was used. Until the late nineteenth century, Muslims were advised to use three
stones to clean up. One favorite tool was a mussel shell, used for centuries. Until the early
twentieth century, corn cobs were used.
In the late fifteenth century, when paper became widely available, it began to replace other
traditional materials. Sometimes old correspondence was pressed into service, as were pages
from old books, magazines, newspapers, and catalogs. People also used old paper bags,
envelopes, and other bits of scrap paper, which were cut into pieces and threaded onto a string
that was kept in the privy.
Toilet paper is a fairly modern invention, making its debut around 1880 when it was developed
by the British Perforated Paper Company. Made of a coarser paper than its modern incarnation, it
was sold in boxes of individual squares. In America, the Scott Paper Company made its Waldorf
brand toilet paper in rolls as early as 1890. The first rolls were not perforated, and lavatory
dispensers had serrated teeth to cut the paper as needed. It was a nearly "unmentionable" product
for years, and consumers were often embarrassed to ask for it by name or even be seen buying it.
Timid shoppers simply asked for "Two, please," and the clerk presumably knew what they
wanted. To keep things discreet, toilet paper was packaged and sold in brown paper wrappers.
During the 120 years since its introduction, toilet paper has changed little, although it's

A diagram of toilet paper manufacturing process.
now perforated, and may be scented, embossed, or colored. Recently, toilet paper manufacturers
increased the number of sheets on a roll, allowing consumers to replace the roll less frequently.
Raw Materials
Toilet paper is generally made from new or "virgin" paper, using a combination of softwood and
hardwood trees. Softwood trees such as Southern pines and Douglas firs have long fibers that
wrap around each other; this gives paper strength. Hardwood trees like gum, maple and oak have
shorter fibers that make a softer paper. Toilet paper is generally a combination of approximately
70% hardwood and 30% softwood.
Other materials used in manufacture include water, chemicals for breaking down the trees into
usable fiber, and bleaches. Companies that make paper from recycled products use oxygen,
ozone, sodium hydroxide, or peroxide to whiten the paper. Virgin-paper manufacturers, however,
often use chlorine-based bleaches (chlorine dioxide), which have been identified as a threat to
the environment.
The Manufacturing Process
1. Trees arive at the mill and are debarked, a process that removes the tree's outer layer while
leaving as much wood on the tree as possible.
2. The debarked logs are chipped into a uniform size approximately 1 in x 1/4 in. These small
pieces make it easier to pulp the wood.
3. The batch of wood chipsabout 50 tonsis then mixed with 10,000 gallons of cooking
chemicals; the resultant slurry is sent to a 60-ft (18.3-m)-tall pressure cooker called a digester.
4. During the cooking, which can last up to three hours, much of the moisture in the wood is
evaporated (wood chips contain about 50% moisture). The mixture is reduced to about 25 tons
of cellulose fibers, lignin (which binds the wood fibers together) and other substances. Out of
this, about 15 tons of usable fiber, called pulp, result from each cooked batch.
5. The pulp goes through a multistage washer system that removes most of the lignin and the
cooking chemicals. This fluid, called black liquor, is separated from the pulp, which goes on to
the next stage of production.
6. The washed pulp is sent to the bleach plant where a multistage chemical process removes color
from the fiber. Residual lignin, the adhesive that binds fibers together, will yellow paper over
time and must be bleached to make paper white.
7. The pulp is mixed with water again to produce paper stock, a mixture that is 99.5% water and
0.5% fiber. The paper stock is sprayed between moving mesh screens, which allow much of the
water to drain. This produces an 18-ft (5.5-m) wide sheet of matted fiber at a rate of up to 6,500
ft (1981 m) per minute.
8. The mat is then transferred to a huge heated cylinder called a Yankee Dryer that presses and
dries the paper to a final moisture content of about 5%.
9. Next, the paper is creped, a process that makes it very soft and gives it a slightly wrinkled look.
During creping, the paper is scraped off the Yankee Dryer with a metal blade. This makes the
sheets somewhat flexible but lowers their strength and thickness so that they virtually
disintegrate when wet. The paper, which is produced at speeds over a mile a minute, is then
wound on jumbo reels that can weigh as much as five tons.
10. The paper is then loaded onto converting machines that unwind, slit, and rewind it onto long
thin cardboard tubing, making a paper log. The paper logs are then cut into rolls and wrapped
packages.
Recycled toilet paper
Toilet tissue made from recycled paper is made from both colored and white stock, with staples
and pins removed. The paper goes into a huge vat called a pulper that combines it with hot water
and detergents to turn it into a liquid slurry. The recycled pulp then goes through a series of
screens and rinses to remove paper coatings and inks. The pulp is whitened somewhat and
sanitized with oxygen-based products like peroxide. It then goes through steps 7 through 10 like
virgin paper products, producing a cheaper, less-white paper.
Quality Control
Paper companies often maintain their own tree stands in order to ensure the quality of the paper
they manufacture. The chemicals used in the pulping process are also carefully tested and
monitored. Temperatures at which a slurry is cooked is ensured, too, by checking gauges,
machinery, and processes. Completed paper may be tested for a variety of qualities, including
stretch, opacity, moisture content, smoothness, and color.
Byproducts/Waste
The first waste product produced in the papermaking process, the bark removed from tree trunks,
burns easily and is used to help power the paper mills. In addition, black liquor, the fluid
removed from the pulp after cooking, is further evaporated to a thick combustible liquid that is
also used to power the mill. This reduction process, in turn, yields a byproduct called tall oil that
is widely used many household products. About 95% of the cooking chemicals are recovered and
reused.
But other problems associated with the industry are less easily solved. The production of virgin
toilet paper has spawned two current controversies: the destruction of trees, and the use of
chlorine dioxide to bleach the paper. While virgin paper processing does necessitate the
destruction of trees, they are a readily renewable resource and paper companies maintain large
forests to feed their supply. Despite this, some activists have proposed that toilet paper be
manufactured only from recycled products and suggest that consumers boycott toilet paper made
of new materials.
These activists object to new paper processing because it often uses chlorine bleaching, which
produces dioxins, a family of chemicals considered environmental hazards, as a byproduct. Paper
and pulp mills are the primary producers of dioxins, and manufacturers must carefully assess
their effluvia to counteract the emission of dioxins. Increasingly, virgin paper makers use
alternative bleaching methods that substitute oxygen, peroxide, and sodium hydroxide for
chlorine. Some simply reduce the amount of chlorine used in the process. Others experiment
with cooking the wood chips longer, removing more lignin earlier in the process, which requires
less bleach. Better pulp washing also removes more lignin, and reduces the amount of bleach
needed for whitening.
Where to Learn More
Books
Ierley, Merritt. The Comforts of Home. New York: Clarkson Potter, 1999.
Muir, Frank. An Irreverant and Almost Complete Social History of the Bathroom. New York:
Stein and Day Publishers, 1983.
Other
Charmin Bathroom Tissue. http://www.charmin.com (January 2001).
Georgia Pacific. Student Resources. http://www.gp.com/resourcecenter/process.html (January
2001).
Marcal Paper Products. http://www.marcalpaper.com (January 2001).


User Contributions:

Apr 23, 2014 @ 7:07 am
what are the chemicals used ih soft tisue manufacturing.
mostly what is the right chemical used for softning of soft tissue paper.
what are the other paper machine chemicals used in soft tissue manufacturing process.is it alum or pac
used in soft tissuepaper manufacturing .is brightinig OBA is used or not
Jun 29, 2014 @ 2:02 am
This article was very informative. Easy enough for me to read the main points to my 5 year old (it was
her initial question that pushed my inquiry as to where Did toilet paper come from) as well as indepth
enough to fully explain the process. Thank you very much!!
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