The plywood and laminate industry witness shortage of workforce on every front if it comes to skill set and technical expertise. The wood panel industry in India faces labor shortage at least thrice in a year. It comes in two spell of marriage seasons, harvest season and sometimes due to certain elections in UP, Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. The 30000 cr plyboard and laminate industry struggle almost daily with the output deficit or quality issues due to skilled manpower as well as trained technical staff.
The plywood and laminate industry both witness a surge in production of inferior/defected and B- grade materials when their skilled people are absent. The study done by The Ply Reporter in plywood and laminate industry shows that whenever a technical staff and trained manpower notice an absence the inferior material production goes up by 3-4 percent. Normally the industry considers 2 percent of B grade materials but at time of crisis and shortage it reaches even up to 5-6 percent. According to the estimates, the total of material degradation, efficiency loss and wastage producers lead to an average value loss of 300 cr every year if practical on the ground scenario is analyzed.
In a straight calculation, the Rs 40 per sq feet material turns in to a Rs 35 worth product the moment it observes any defect. Similarly a laminate sheet losses an average of Rs 100 once it is not an ‘A’ grade material. On an average every laminates manufacturing plant produce approximately 5-6%or more in many cases of second grade materials. This material goes to specific expert distributors who specialize in such material. Off late with increase of number of presses and reducing number of skilled workers the inflow of B grade has increased, blames a Gujarat based Laminates producer. The fluctuating prices of raw materials, increasing over supply etc has already been eating profit margin of laminates producers.
A bagasse particle board turns in to re-process once it is not perfect and the latest to the list is WPC where a small bubble or lump lead to rejection of whole panel board to recycle again. There may be difference on calculation/ estimation person to person but Plywood-laminate veneer- door-PB-PVC board industry combined, the minimum annual value loss may surpass 300cr.
Small units face bigger task here as they tend to loose more money on quality front than bigger plants. On an average there are approximately 700 small units who produce an average of mere 75 to 80 lacs worth material but they lose big whenever there is labor crisis. This bigger the size of factory, higher is the loss but it industry. Presently the production units are expanding with fast pace where as there is no any steps being taken on number of skilled manpower availability to the industry. Plywood Industry seeks to government, IPIRTI and FRI for helping the wood panel and furniture industry by training them with better technical knowhow. Bangalore based IPIRTI is the only institute, which conducts one year technical course for plywood and panel manufacturing, where as they have short term training programs in Kolkata and Mohali centers but there is nothing for laminate, PB, PVC boards, ACP and furniture manufacturing.