Books are here to stay
Books are one of the most popular items for Christmas shoppers. But besides seasonal highs books are enjoying a solid growth which is also reflected on Stora Enso´s book paper business.
Electronic books have been predicted to conquer the market for more than a decade. The prediction has not yet materialised. For example in the largest book market in the world – the US – the so called e-books have a market share of under 0,1 %. Jussi Uotinen, Sales & Marketing Manager for Stora Enso Book Papers, has an explanation.
"Reading habits don´t change so quickly and even if younger ones like Internet and mobiles they are not keen to pay over 400 USD for a separate e-book device. Our customers also indicate that traditional book has only benefited from Internet since books are being sold at record numbers on online portals. Selling books has become more easier and cost effective," says Jussi Uotinen.
Besides bookstores and online portals publishers have got closer to the consumer, which means being represented in places that are both accessible and convenient, such as supermarkets, department stores, bus and train stations and airports. This has increased the sales volumes as well.
Quality improvements
Stora Enso is the leading producer of book papers in Europe. The Group has invested 29 MEUR to its Anjala Mill PM2 in Finland to improve quality and productivity. The new PM2 start up was on 20 November.
The first customer tests were performed recently by WS Bookwell which is part of Sanoma, a leading media group in the Nordic countries. Matti Iso-Kulmala, Head of Quality & Development at WS Bookwell, thinks that the new quality shows solid results. The tests were done with a 70g 1-6 bulk paper.
"We like the fact that the new paper provides improved formation and performs well both for pictures and text, which we have been testing. The both sides of the paper are of equal even quality. The overall printability and runnability are according to our criteria," says Matti Iso-Kulmala.
