The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) eighth biennial International CEO Roundtable has taken place in Berlin, Germany. More than 20 forest based industry CEOs and association leaders from around the world met to discuss industry innovation, sustainability aspects, current political aspects and future trends that may impact the industry at local and international levels.  

“The global forest and paper industry stands firm in achieving its sustainability commitments based on its common values. Today’s conference provides us with an opportunity to reaffirm these values in today’s interconnected and fast-paced world,” said Peter Oswald, Mondi Group CEO designate (from 11 May 2017), who chaired the roundtable.

The CEOs discussed industry improvements in sustainability practices and innovation. They also watched the 3 global finalists of the Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovations Award presenting their projects in a wide range of activities relevant to forest-based science, products using forest-based raw materials, process improvements or other innovations throughout the value chain. The global finalists of the Award and their respective projects can be found at http://www.icfpa.org/who-we-are/blue-sky-young-researcher-and-innovation-award

Keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Michael Huether, economist and director of the Institute der deutschen Wirtschaft, provided insights about the effects of Global Political Disruption on the forest based industry.

The next ICFPA International CEO Roundtable will take place in Canada in 2019.

The ICFPA represents more than 30 national and regional forest and paper associations around the world.

For more information about the sustainability of the global forest and paper industry, visit icfpa.org.

Winners of Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation Award

Against the backdrop of these discussions, the ICFPA announced the winners of the Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovation Award, a global award that aims to stimulate interest by young researchers carrying out projects in a wide range of activities relevant to forest-based science, products as well as process improvements or other innovation throughout the value chain.

The theme of the 2016-2017 global competition was “Game Changing Technologies for the Forest and Paper Industries – Unfolding Potential of Forest, Paper and Wood-Based Products”. Each participating country nominated national candidates to compete internationally. This year, 12 projects were nominated by ICFPA members to the international phase. Based on the assessment of a jury composed of experts of different regions and organisations, three winners were selected:

-       Koh Sakai, with the project ‘Cellulose nanofibres prepared by phosphorylation’

-       Shuji Fujisawa, with the project ‘Biocompatible nanocellulose/polymer composite microparticles formed by emulsion-templated synthesis’

-       Esthevan Gasparoto, with the project ‘Cutting-edge technologies for forest monitoring and measurement’

Two South African students among finalists

South Africa’s Sonja Boshoff and Ryan Merckel won the South African round and were counted among the 12 finalists. Boshoff’s work looked at the potential of biological and thermochemical technologies for the conversion of solid waste streams from paper and pulp mills into energy. She is currently a research engineer at Mpact Paper, Stellenbosch.

Merckel pitched his research on Catalytic Pyrolysis for Upgrading of Bio-oil. He has recently been selected as an exchange student with Malardalen University in Sweden. He is doing his PHd through the University of Pretoria as part of the PAMSA co-funded project with the Department of Science and Technology. 

“The ICFPA congratulates all the participants and the global winners of the first edition of this global competition. We believe it is important to foster knowledge and stimulate innovative research among young researchers.  Our industry is a vibrant and dynamic workplace for the future and therefore we will continue our support of students and young professionals”, said ICFPA President Elizabeth de Carvalhaes.  

For more information on the award and researchers finalists: http://www.icfpa.org/who-we-are/blue-sky-young-researcher-and-innovation-award

The ICFPA represents more than 30 national and regional forest and paper associations around the world. For more information about the sustainability of the global forest and paper industry, visit icfpa.org.

New folio sheeter now produces press ready stacks without pile turning

Printed Specialties increases production with a new eCon folio sheeter from BW Papersystems. Printed Specialties produces printing and paperboard packaging for the retail, electronics, and food, health and beauty industries. They are a family-owned folding carton business that provides high-value, multiple color retail packaging. Printed Specialties has two facilities in Carrollton, GA, USA and have been there since 1982. One facility converts large rolls to sheets, and the other manufactures the final product.

Recently, Printed Specialties purchased a new eCon folio sheeter from BW Papersystems to replace an aging, outdated machine that was not meeting their current production needs. The eCon sheeter is a machine champion for an affordable price. It’s a dual rotary sheeter, with world-leading knife technology that provides 1,000 gsm capacity, on machine blade sharpening, low power consumption and best speed curve. Printed Specialties needed a machine that was easy to maintain and produced press ready stacks without pile turning.

During discussions about the machine, representatives realized their two companies shared like-minded values. BW Papersystems strives to build a better world through business, and Printed Specialties strives for customer satisfaction through quality, security, speed to market, and cost leadership. Together they share an expectation of quality, and superior service.

“BW Papersystems exceeded our expectations for delivery, installation, training and start up. The eCon sheeter is top-notch in terms of design, performance and ease of operations,” said Greg Smith, president of Printed Specialties. Max Rawson, sales leader for BW Papersystems said, “It was a pleasure to work with the team at Printed Specialties, they are dedicated to serving their customers, and I know the eCon sheeter will provide the quick delivery they need.”

ABOUT BW PAPERSYSTEMS

BW Papersystems incorporates nine of the strongest brands in the industry: BW Bielomatik, Curioni, JAG SYNCHRO, Kugler-Womako, MarquipWardUnited, SHM, VortX, WillPemcoBielomatik and Wrapmatic. Market leading technology is available for folio-size, cut-size and digital-size sheeting and packaging of paper, board and other materials, plus stationery, passport production, RFID processing, Book-on-Demand finishing and specialized paper converting applications.  For the corrugating industry, we offer full corrugators, rotary die cutters, flexo folder gluers and starch mixing systems. bwpapersystems.com

ABOUT BARRY-WEHMILLER

Barry-Wehmiller is a diversified global supplier of engineering consulting and manufacturing technology for the packaging, corrugating, sheeting and paper converting industries. By blending people-centric leadership with disciplined operational strategies and purpose-driven growth, Barry-Wehmiller has become a $2-plus billion organization with 11,000-plus team members united by a common belief: to use the power of business to build a better world. CEO Bob Chapman shares the story of the company’s transformation in his new book, Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family. To learn more, go to www.barrywehmiller.com

Valmet will supply an off-machine coater rebuild for Hansol Paper Co., Ltd., at its Shintanjin site in South Korea. The target of the rebuild is to convert the paper mill for thermal paper production, and to increase production and market share of high quality thermal grades. Today the off-machine coater is producing coated wood-free paper grades. The mill will gradually decrease the portion of printing papers and other low-profit products. The start-up of the rebuilt machine is scheduled for 2018.

The order is included in Valmet's second quarter 2017 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The value of an order of this type is typically EUR 10-20 million.

OptiCoat Layer curtain coating station

"The making of thermal paper is quite challenging. Thermal coating color is very expensive and requires very sensitive drying. Valmet has a long history of providing successful thermal coating machines - our technology and process knowhow is on a very good level. The references and the knowhow about thermal process convinced Hansol Paper to choose Valmet", says Senior Sales Manager Pekka Jernberg from Valmet.

Technical information about the delivery

Valmet's delivery for the off-machine coater will include a new OptiCoat Layer curtain coating station, which gives a very good coverage even with thin layers, thus the amount of expensive thermal coating color can be kept low. The delivery includes also two calenders, a reel and coating air dryers. The capacity and the temperatures of the air dryers have been carefully calculated and optimized for high quality thermal paper. The delivery will also include a supply system for the curtain coater unit.

The 5,300 mm wide (reel) off machine coater will produce fine paper and thermal grades. The design speed for the new parts is 1,500 m/min. After the rebuild, the thermal paper production capacity of Hansol Paper will be approximately 320,000 tonnes/year.

Information about the customer Hansol Paper

Founded in 1971, Hansol Paper is a part of Hansol Group and it is the largest Korean paper maker. It produces a variety of products including printing and writing paper, carton board, fine paper, thermal paper and other specialty paper at its Janghang, Daejeon, Cheonan and Shintanjin mills. Hansol Paper announced its merger with Hansol Artone Paper at the beginning of 2017. The company is aiming for global markets.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has successfully started up another tissue machine supplied to the Hengan Group, China, thus once again demonstrating ANDRITZ’s strong market position on the Chinese tissue market and confirming its excellent relationship with the Hengan Group.

High-quality tissue rolls produced on ANDRITZ tissue machines supplied to the Hengan Group “Photo: ANDRITZ”..

The PrimeLineTM W8 tissue machine started up at Hengan’s Chongqing mill is the 13^th ANDRITZ tissue machine supplied to the Hengan Group. It has a design speed of 2,000 m/min and a width of 5.6 m. The machine is equipped with an 18-foot steel Yankee for energy-efficient drying and safe operation. The scope of supply also included the complete stock preparation plant with ShortFlow concept, which minimizes both the investment costs and energy consumption as well as ensures high flexibility for grade changes. The entire automation system was also supplied by ANDRITZ.

The Hengan Group was established in 1985 and is – with around 30,000 employees – one of the leading Chinese manufacturers of hygiene and sanitary products.

ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER is a leading global supplier of complete plants, systems, equipment, and comprehensive services for the production and processing of all types of pulp, paper, tissue, and cardboard. The technologies cover the processing of logs, annual fibers, and waste paper; the production of chemical pulp, mechanical pulp, and recycled fibers; the recovery and reuse of chemicals; the preparation of paper machine furnish; the production of paper, tissue, and cardboard; the calendering and coating of paper; as well as the treatment of reject materials and sludge. The service offering includes system and machine modernization, rebuilds, spare and wear parts, on-site and workshop services, optimization of process performance, maintenance and automation solutions, as well as machine relocation and second-hand equipment. Biomass, steam, and recovery boilers, as well as gasification plants for power generation, flue gas cleaning plants, plants for the production of nonwovens, dissolving pulp, and panelboard (MDF), as well as recycling plants are also part of this business area.

Smurfit Kappa is well on its way to meeting its ambitious 2020 sustainability goals, according to its tenth annual sustainability report which was released today. In the decade since it started formally measuring its sustainability impact, Smurfit Kappa reached full Chain of Custody certification for its entire raw material supply chain. At the same time it has cut CO₂ emissions by 23% and the quality of its discharge water improved by 32%, both on track for its 2020 target of 25% and 33% respectively.

Smurfit Kappa’s sustainability report, which measures year-on-year progress with a focus on five priority areas (Forest, Climate Change, Water, Waste and People), shows that over the past ten years the packaging giant has also achieved a significant reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill and has invested €60 million in water treatment plants.

Smurfit Kappa is also celebrating over ten years of investment in social and scientific projects with the aim of supporting the communities in which it operates. Over €30 million has been invested in projects ranging from providing improved facilities and play therapy at a school for children with disabilities in Italy, to working with Colombian universities to study and protect the flora and fauna in the company’s forests.

“Smurfit Kappa is playing its part in creating a sustainable future by building a profitable business based on sustainable principles. We will continue to pioneer innovative ways to be sustainable to create value for both our customers and shareholders,” said Tony Smurfit, Group CEO of Smurfit Kappa. 

Steven Stoffer, Group Vice President of Development, with responsibility for sustainability within Smurfit Kappa, said: “Compared to other packaging materials, paper is the most sustainable, therefore sustainability is within the very DNA of our company. These latest results are a testament to the contribution everyone at Smurfit Kappa makes to reach our ambitious goals. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made over the past decade, and very pleased to be on track to meet our 2020 sustainability goals.”

Key findings from the 2016 report include:

Forest

• Over 90% of packaging supplied to customers is Chain of Custody certified

Climate Change

• 22.9% reduction of fossil CO₂ emissions per tonne of paper produced (against 2005 baseline)

Water

• Completed mill-specific water risk assessments in eleven paper mills
• 31.9% reduction in relative amounts of COD in discharge water (compared to 2005)

Waste

• 13.3%  reduction in waste sent to landfill

People

• Health and Safety: Reduced the Lost Time Accident (LTA) frequency rate by 10% in 2016
• Implemented over 1,000 follow-up actions as a result of the MyVoice employee survey

Click here to download the 2016 report.

Paper Prime, a company belonging to the Trevipapel Group, and Toscotec announce the successful start-up of the new TM1. The installation and commissioning were performed according to the scheduled time and the start-up went very smoothly.

Toscotec’s turn-key project for TM#1 includes a stock preparation plant for dry virgin pulp, AHEAD-2.0S tissue machine with Steel Yankee Dryer TT SYD-16FT, machine auxiliaries including Milltech Gas fired Hood, steam & condensate and dust removal system, electrification starting from medium voltage cabinets  & control system, additional plants and complete engineering and erection activity. A three unwind stand rewinder TT WIND-H completes the supply.

“This start-up is a good example of what the two teams can achieve thanks to the efficient combination of Toscotec’s latest technology and excellent team work. We finalized the installation and commissioning in time and only two weeks after start-up the new Toscotec AHEAD-2.0S has achieved the operating speed of 2,000 mpm. It has been a pleasure to be a part of PaperPrime's project and we wish them good luck for their new business." says Marco Dalle Piagge, Sales Director of Toscotec S.p.A.

Located in Lousã, district of Coimbra, Portugal, Trevipapel S.A also has 2 converting plants strategically located in the center of the country, where are converted 20.000 tpy, serving the internal market and exporting its Joker brand products to Spain, central Europe, Africa and South America.

About Toscotec

Toscotec is a turnkey supplier to the global tissue industry. Since 1948, Toscotec offers complete production lines, plant retrofits, turnkey projects, and individual machineries.  Headquartered in Lucca, the nerve center of the Italian paper district, with offices and service centers in China and North America, the Group serves all the leading paper producers with customized solutions, leveraging on the experience gained in more than 60 years of activities. Key to the Group’s success is the engineering and R&D department, run by a team of highly qualified engineers. Read more at www.toscotec.com

Trevipapel, S.A

Established in 1999 with the objective to convert part of the products sold by the company Socigene, Trevipapel S.A. has grown from a small private company into one of the leading manufacturer providers of professional hygiene products (AfH) in Portugal. www.trevipapel.com

Tieto has signed a three-year contract with SCA, Europe's largest private forest owner, to handle SAP Application Lifecycle Management Services for its forestry business area. The deal means Tieto will be responsible for application management and support.

"We are extremely pleased that SCA Forest Products has entrusted us with the management of their extensive SAP environment. Tieto takes great pride in helping the forest industry meet the challenges brought on by digitalization and we are excited for the opportunity to work with SCA over the coming years," says Christer Lindqvist, Customer Executive for forest industry Sweden at Tieto.

Under the contract, Tieto will provide application management within five major areas, including Incident Management, Problem Management, Event Management, Change Request Management and Change Control Management.

Tieto will also support the implementation of Digital Core S/4HANA and increase the use of automatization and insights to business processes through SAP Solution Manager, while the use of offshore delivery centres is expected to help SCA cut costs. The contract also includes a framework agreement for further deals during the three-years period.

Tieto has 20 years of SAP experience and offers several specialised solutions for the forest and paper industries.  

“This deal confirms Tieto’s position as a leading partner to the forest industry in the Nordics. Our aim is to help SCA follow industry best practices and at the same time ensure business continuity and lowering application maintenance costs,” says Christer Lindqvist. 

For more information about SAP S/4HANA:  https://campaigns.tieto.com/sap-solutions/sap-transformation

About SCA
SCA is Europe’s largest private forest owner, encompassing some 2.6 million hectares of forest land, and produces forest products with a strong environmental profile. Operations are based on in-depth customer insight, high innovative ability and a sustainability perspective at all levels. SCA sells paper for packaging and print, pulp, solid-wood products and renewable energy. www.sca.com

About Tieto
Tieto aims to capture the significant opportunities of the data-driven world and turn them into lifelong value for people, business and society. We aim to be customers’ first choice for business renewal by combining our software and services capabilities with a strong drive for co-innovation and ecosystems. www.tieto.com

BillerudKorsnäs has selected AFT (Aikawa Fiber Technologies) to supply a compact POM System for all three layers of their new 550,000 tonnes per year board machine at the Gruvön mill in Sweden.

According to Timo Koivisto , Vice President, Process and Equipment Solutions for AFT, “Compact and highly efficient, POM^® paper machine wet end and headbox screening will deliver superior cleanliness in a compact package. The simple POM System, with its small footprint, has become the de facto alternative to traditional complex approach flow, eliminating capital and high operating costs.”

The order includes a complete POM System for all three layers and headbox screening, including:

• 3 - POMix stock processors
• 9 - POMp degassers
• 3 - POMLock drop legs
• 11- MaxFlow Headbox screens
• Cascade cleaning system, process pumps and auxiliaries plus associated basic engineering.

The system will come on stream in early 2019, coinciding with the start-up of BillerudKorsnäs’ new board machine.

The BillerudKorsnäs’ board machine at the Gruvön site is the company’s largest investment ever, one of the largest in Sweden in recent years. The investment of SEK 5.7 billion includes the construction of the new board machine at the Gruvön site and rebuilds in the existing pulp mill. The board machine’s annual capacity of 550,000 tonnes will make it one of the largest of its kind in the world. The machine will produce liquid packaging board, cartonboard, food service board and liner.

AFT is a global supplier specializing in recycled fiber stock preparation, screening, refining and paper machine approach flow. With over 110 years of experience in manufacturing and supplying tailored solutions, AFT helps to improve performance with trademarked advancements: Finebar- ultra low intensity refining, Powerwave- energy efficient screening, MaxiPulper- advanced pulping technologies, POM Systems and more.

BillerudKorsnäs experienced a major breakdown in the digester in the semi-chemical pulp production line in Gruvön. The pulp line supplies the fluting machine PM6 with pulp and consequently no fluting from PM6 can currently be produced. The breakdown of the pulp line does not have an impact on the integrated chemical pulp mill, neither does it impact the production of kraft paper, liner or liquid packaging board at the mill.  

“At this point in time it is not possible to estimate the financial damage and consequences on customer deliveries, but it will have a significant impact on the current quarter financials. We will return with additional information when we know what the impact will be,” says Per Lindberg, CEO of BillerudKorsnäs.

BillerudKorsnäs provides packaging materials and solutions that challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future. We are a world-leading provider of primary fibre based packaging materials and have customers in over 100 countries. The company has 8 production sites in Sweden, Finland and the UK and about 4 300 employees in over 13 countries. BillerudKorsnäs has an annual turnover of about SEK 22 billion and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. www.billerudkorsnas.com

Valmet will deliver dewatering equipment and an automatic pulper feed system to Gruvön pulp and paper mill in Sweden. The order is part of the investment in a new board machine and rebuild of the existing pulp mill at the Gruvön site. The whole investment is the largest in the history of BillerudKorsnäs and one of the largest in Sweden in recent years.

The order was included in Valmet's first quarter 2017 orders received and the value of the order will not be disclosed. The start-up of the new equipment is planned to first quarter 2019.

BillerudKorsnäs is investing in Gruvön mill to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions for food and beverages globally.

"Valmet's automatic pulper feed system, including bale storage, destacking and dewiring for baled pulp, will make the bale receiving line process efficient and safe, ensuring a good area working environment. With the new automatic system, based on Valmet's proven Bale handling with RoboSafety(TM) technology, BillerudKorsnäs will ensure the stock feed for the new board machine with a minimum of operator intervention," says Per Jangdal, Sales Manager at Valmet. 

"To adapt pulp production to the new requirements, TwinRoll presses will be placed in close vicinity to the new board machine stock preparation. Our presses will wash the pulp one last time before it moves to the new board machine," says Patrik Lidbäck, Sales Manager at Valmet.

Valmet announced earlier in May 2017, that Valmet will supply an upgrade of the evaporation plant at BillerudKorsnäs Gruvön pulp and paper mill.

About the customer BillerudKorsnäs

BillerudKorsnäs is a leading company within renewable packaging materials. Together with their partners, they create sustainable packaging solutions. The company has about 4,200 employees and eight production units, one of which is the Gruvön mill. BillerudKorsnäs head office is located in Solna, Sweden.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.