Sukanto Tanoto – April Asia

In 1994, the Company’s largest operation to-date began to take shape in the form of APRIL – Asia Pacific Resources International Limited. The local Indonesian operation was undertaken by PT RIAU ANDALAN PULP AND PAPER, or Riaupulp for short.

Construction of one of the world’s largest integrated pulp and paper mills began in the small town of Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau province, in Sumatra.  The Chairman’s vision was to build the world’s largest, greenfield, single-line pulp mill, with state of the art technology, and faster and at lower cost than others.  At the peak of construction, there were 10,000 people on site in Kerinci, and the Company project team alone numbered in the hundreds.

The mill and the administrative complex would eventually occupy a 1,750 hectare site, utilizing some of the world’s fastest and most efficient paper machines. The first batch of pulp was milled on Christmas Eve 1994, and the mill began commercial production of top quality pulp the following year in 1995. The mills’ machines have since been consistently rated among the world’s most efficient by independent third parties.