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Deformations on the surface of a Yankee cylinder reduce the productivity of a tissue machine and impair the quality of the tissue paper. However, these manifestations of wear, which result primarily from continuous doctoring, are inevitable. With the OTR Precise Voith is offering tissue manufacturers a technology for reliably identifying these problem areas. Early detection of surface defects can extend the service life of the Yankee cylinder and is a means of achieving better quality and higher productivity in tissue manufacturing.

  • Early detection of problem areas
  • Basis for higher machine productivity
  • Improved tissue quality

voithVoith installs the OTR Precise system during a scheduled machine shutdown and afterwards the measurements are conducted during normal operation of the Yankee. With the help of a precise tension measurement and 3D measuring process the system eliminates the influences of vibration, to produce a topographical map of the Yankee cylinder surface, whose precision is setting a new benchmark for the industry. By comparing the target state of the crown profile with its actual state, normal and abnormal deformations such as areas of wear can be interpreted. This data forms the basis for precise planning of maintenance cycles. Initiating countermeasures in this way extends the life of the cylinder. In addition, the analysis enables an optimum CD moisture profile to be produced and as a result, tissue quality is improved and machine efficiency increased.

Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and is one of the leading partners and pioneers in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-conserving products to reduce the use of energy, water and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

For 150 years, Voith’s technologies have been inspiring customers, business partners and employees around the world. Founded in 1867, Voith today has around 19,000 employees, sales of €4.3 billion and
locations in more than 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe. Being a technology leader, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive.

Vinda Paper Zhejiang fired up two Toscotec supplied tissue machines, TM 3 and 4, at its Longyou mill in Zhejiang province. The mill successfully achieved start-up according to schedule and thus increased its production capacity by 60,000 tons/year.

2017 07 24 100312

The new AHEAD-2.0M tissue lines are designed for the production of premium quality tissue products, including toilet paper and facial tissue. Vinda Zhejiang’s new mill currently has four Toscotec’s tissue machines, two AHEAD-1.5M fired up in 2014 and the new AHEAD-2.0M. In view of the superior performance of the first two, the Vinda Group chose to invest in Toscotec’s top-of-the-line tissue machines. The AHEAD-2.0M advanced technology delivers top quality products, in line with Vinda’s highest quality standards, and guarantees the lowest possible energy consumption, thanks to a comprehensive energy saving concept, the TT DOES solution (Drying Optimization for Energy Saving).

“I was proud to see another Toscotec’s tissue machine start up at Vinda’s mill. Under the expert operation of Vinda Zhejiang’s technicians, the new AHEAD-2.0M lines will perform to meet the customer’s expectations. We also expect to achieve yet again great results in terms of reductions of the energy cost.” said Marco Dalle Piagge, Toscotec’s Sales Director.

About Toscotec

Toscotec is a turnkey projects supplier to the global paper industry. Since 1948, Toscotec offers complete production lines, plant retrofits, turnkey projects and individual machineries. The Group serves all the leading paper producers with customized solutions, leveraging on the experience gained in more than 60 years of activities.      

At the beginning of March, Mondi hosted the closing event of a research project called FLIPPR (Future Lignin and Pulp Processing Research) at its headquarters in Vienna. The event marked the end of a collaborative research programme examining bio-refinery issues. FLIPPR’s main objective was to identify future business areas for companies in the fields of lignin and fibre utilization.

Research results benefit customers
2017 07 24 095942As a supplier, Mondi is determined to offer sustainable solutions, environmentally sound packaging and uncoated fine paper grades while minimising the amount of fossil-based chemicals in its products. Leo Arpa, Head of R&D Paper provides the following forecast: “Creating value from natural resources is one of the key challenges for Mondi’s R&D teams. Our participation in FLIPPR will enable us to build the next generation of pulp-based bio-refineries and thus develop new and improved bio-based products requiring less raw material and energy.”

Mondi will be part of FLIPPR² which started in April 2017 and is building on the research and activities from FLIPPR. FLIPPR² has the main objective to further develop the most promising findings from FLIPPR.

Thomas Timmel, director of the FLIPPR project, commented: “Projects such as FLIPPR, in which fundamental research is aligned with the needs of the industry, combine the development of advanced technical solutions – in this case based on cellulose and lignin – with an ecological and economical perspective. The project has delivered new and exciting findings relating to applications and analytical methodologies.”

CEO Per Lindberg comments on the development during Q2 2017:

“The market for sustainable packaging materials and solutions remains very encouraging. We delivered a stable result in the second quarter, despite the pressure from costs of external factors and the major disruption at Gruvön, which was communicated in May.

billkorlogoLooking ahead, we see that the path we have chosen is the right one. Markets are performing strongly over the short term, and in the long term the trend points to companies being ambitious in their sustainability efforts both in their business operations and their products. The prospects for growth are good.”    

THE RESULT

We delivered solid operating profit of SEK 489 million. Production was relatively stable and we had planned maintenance shutdowns at three of our production units over the quarter, which cost SEK 25 million more than we had estimated. In addition, we had SEK 25 million in costs for the shutdown of the pulp line for the fluting machine at Gruvön, which we communicated separately, as well as additional costs related to Rockhammar of approximately SEK 30 million. Our results were also negatively affected by increased costs of deliveries due to the strike at the Port of Gothenburg.

The business areas showed stable performance over the quarter on a strong market and we see some positive development in local prices. Consumer Board is showing volume growth of around 6% compared with the first half of last year.

MARKET OUTLOOK

The strong performance in the market by all business areas is expected to continue over the next quarter. The outlook is good and there are opportunities for further price increases, particularly in the Packaging Paper and Corrugated Solutions business areas.

Primary fibre-based material with high sustainability performance is our core business, but alongside this, our solutions-based offerings are growing rapidly. This is being driven by both demand for a comprehensive offering in which the material is a key component, and by other types of solutions and packaging services. We are seeing a trend of packaging gaining an increasingly important role in many brand owners’ efforts to make their products more competitive. The sustainability performance of packaging is particularly important. This continues to give us great confidence in our products and our development.

STRATEGY

We are continually reviewing and updating our growth strategy, but our chosen approach remains in place and we are firm in our belief in our clear focus on the effectiveness, sustainability and innovation of both new materials and new solutions and offerings. Achieving long-term growth requires resources and investments, along with a balance between a strong proactive approach and a focus on the right initiatives.

Packaging generates significant value for virtually all product value chains, and BillerudKorsnäs aims to shift its position forward in these chains. These efforts have created opportunities to develop new end-to-end solutions together with other companies such as our cooperation with Bosch on Axello Zap. This solution, which has only been in place for a year, is an example of where we see growing interest in end-to-end solutions with the potential to replace conventional packaging with more sustainable options. Also, it recently won a prize at Packaging Europe’s Sustainability Awards in the Bio-based Packaging category.

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

Since January, papermakers around the globe have been able to purchase Voith products and services quickly and easily around the clock in the Voith Paper Webshop. But the new online platform offers more than just an easy way to purchase replacement parts. It also enables all information about a machine, from the original delivery to the order history and operating instructions, to be viewed at a glance.

Ordering matching replacement or wear parts for paper machines that have tens of thousands of technical components can often be very timeconsuming and is therefore a significant cost factor. Even if the machine documentation has been scrupulously kept, the ordering process often has to be preceded by extensive research with the manufacturer. It is estimated that searching for the required components can take up to 30 percent of the time needed to prepare for maintenance work.

2017 07 24 094813Fewer incorrect orders and faster processing thanks to Voith Paper Webshop: Alain Gafner, Maintenance Manager at Perlen Papier AG (middle), and Christian Stocker, Team Leader Technical Purchasing at Perlen Papier AG (right) talk about more efficient ordering processes with Michael Thoma, Director Global E-Business Solutions Voith Paper (Ieft).

Initial customers, such as Perlen Papier and Papierfabrik Palm, were the first to gather experience with the platform during a test phase. On the basis of their experience Voith continued to refine the platform, focusing on making it more user-friendly.

  • Readily accessible, clearly structured machine Information
  • Order tracking and integration into customer ERP System simplifies planning and implementation
  • Perlen Papier and Papierfabrik Palm among the first satisfied customers

For example, customers can opt to search for the spare parts they need using a clearly arranged tree structure or the order number, which may also be a customer-defined internal part number. "A search based on our own part numbers makes the order process much simpler and helps us to avoid ordering the wrong parts," says Christian Stocker, Team Leader Technical Purchasing at Perlen Papier. In the meantime, the Swiss paper manufacturer is ordering around 90 percent of its replacement parts from the Voith Paper Webshop.

A few clicks are all it takes to access prices, delivery times and availability. For Michelle White, Senior Purchaser for the UK at Papierfabrik Palm, the Voith Paper Webshop has meanwhile become one of the most important platforms used by the company: “The Webshop shows me all information on component specifications and sizes – and also, exactly where the part is located in the machine." She believes that the benefits of the Voith Paper Webshop are much greater than those of other online shops she is familiar with.

"Thanks to order tracking the person placing the order can see exactly when a part arrives at the plant, allowing for highly accurate scheduling of maintenance works. Being able to see the current availability of parts also allows paper manufacturers to maintain a leaner spare parts inventory," explains Michael Thoma, Director Global E-Business Solutions Voith Paper.

A seamless integration of the Webshop into the customer's ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system allows ordering and order processing to be realized effectively without system interruptions. As a result, ordering history and tracking are rendered transparent for both parties, the ordering process is easier to plan and is much simplified for all participants.

Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and the leading partner and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-conserving products to reduce the use of energy, water and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

For 150 years, Voith technologies have been inspiring its customers, business partners and employees all over the world. Founded in 1867, Voith today has around 19,000 employees and earns 4.3 billion euros in sales. It has locations in more than 60 countries and is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe. As a technology leader, Voith sets standards in the energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive markets.

Verso Corporation (NYSE: VRS) has just announced plans to permanently shut down the No. 3 paper machine and associated equipment at its Androscoggin Mill in Jay, Maine, reducing annual coated paper production capacity at the mill by approximately 200,000 tons.  The shutdown will be effective August 1 and is expected to be complete by the end of the third quarter of 2017.  The No. 3 paper machine and a recovery boiler and digester that support it were idled in January of this year in response to declining customer demand that resulted in more coated paper capacity than could be filled.  Most products made on the No. 3 paper machine were transitioned to lower-cost machines in other Verso mills. 

verso logo 2017"Verso is leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to move the company toward sustained profitability in a market where customer demand for our graphic paper products continues to decline," said Verso Chief Executive Officer B. Christopher DiSantis.  "Consistently matching the supply of our graphic paper products with customer demand for them, dramatically reducing our costs and rapidly diversifying our product portfolio into growing markets are essential keys to Verso's future success, and we're relentlessly pursuing all three across the company.  Although the footprint of the Androscoggin Mill is getting smaller, we continue to take steps to position the facility as a leading producer for the growing specialty papers market."

The permanent shutdown of the No. 3 paper machine and associated equipment will impact approximately 120 employees at the Androscoggin Mill.  Employees affected by the shutdown will receive severance in accordance with Verso's severance policy and Maine state law.   Verso's Human Resources team will immediately begin scheduling individual meetings with these employees to provide support and detailed information on severance and related issues.

"While permanently closing this capacity is the right strategic decision for Verso as a whole, we are mindful of the effects this action will have on the people at the Androscoggin Mill who are directly affected, and we are committed to treating them with fairness, dignity and respect during this difficult time," DiSantis said.  "On behalf of the entire Verso team, I want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to them for their dedicated service and many contributions to the mill and to our company."

About Verso

Verso Corporation is the turn-to company for those looking to successfully navigate the complexities of paper sourcing and performance.  The leading North American producer of printing and specialty papers and pulp, Verso provides insightful solutions that help drive improved customer efficiency, productivity, brand awareness and business results.  Verso's long-standing reputation for quality and reliability is directly tied to our vision to be a company with passion that is respected and trusted by all.  Verso's passion is rooted in ethical business practices that demand safe workplaces for our employees and sustainable wood sourcing for our products.  This passion, combined with our flexible manufacturing capabilities and an unmatched commitment to product performance, delivery and service, make Verso a preferred choice among commercial printers, paper merchants and brokers, converters, publishers and other end users.  For more information, visit us online at versoco.com.

ÅF has acquired Eitech’s automation business, thereby strengthening our range of services in the field of automation for industrial clients throughout Sweden. This acquisition is part of ÅF’s strategy to meet the strong demand in this area.

af logo newEitech’s business currently offers automation services to customers in automotive manufacturing, the pulp and paper industry, mines and steel mills, as well as infrastructure and energy companies. Eitech works with customer’s such as ABB, Teracom, Olofsfors, Trafikverket and Wipro. Eitech has specialist competence in automation and at the same time a large proportion of project commitments. This complements ÅF’s current business and creates opportunities to continue to commit to large projects.

“We are pleased to welcome Eitech’s automation specialists to our organisation. The acquisition will further reinforce our position in the fields of industrial digitalisation, automation and robotics. We look forward to working together and to exchanging expertise and experience,” says Jonas Gustavsson, President and CEO of ÅF.

“In ÅF, the automation division will find an owner with high ambitions and the potential to develop the business. At the same time, ÅF is considered to be an attractive workplace that offers engineers excellent development opportunities, something that has been an important aspect in our decision to choose ÅF,” explains Olle Backman, CEO of Eitech.

Eitech’s automation business has an annual turnover of approximately SEK 90 million and 42 employees based in Umeå, Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg.

The company will be consolidated from 1 September 2017 and integrated with ÅF’s Industry Division.

Corporate Communication
ÅF AB (publ)

ÅF is an engineering and consulting company for the energy, industrial and infrastructure markets, creating progress for our clients since 1895. By connecting technologies we provide profitable, innovative and sustainable solutions to shape the future and improve people's lives. Building on our strong base in Europe, our business and clients are found all over the world.

ÅF – Innovation by experience

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l. has just announced it will again raise prices for paper-based tubes and cores, effective from shipments beginning on 24th July 2017.

IMG 4444"Prices of coreboard continue to rise, driven by fundamental changes in recovered paper markets. As this trend continues, we are forced to keep pace and apply a further increase to our tubes and cores," said Karsten Kemmerling, Director of Sales and Marketing - Tubes and Cores, Europe. "We continue to invest in our operations to generate manufacturing productivity, but this will not cover the significant increase in material costs. The outlook for the second half of this year could well be a further tightening of material availability and inevitably further price increases for our base raw material."

Sonoco Alcore S.a.r.l. is wholly-owned by Sonoco (NYSE:SON) and operates 29 tubes and cores plants and four paperboard mills in Europe.

Source: Sonoco Products Company via Globenewswire

In the background of increasingly uncertain global markets, European production of paper and board demonstrated resilience in 2016. This not only continues the trend of recent years but exceeds the performance of other key paper-producing regions including the United States and Canada.

cepi logoEuropean consumption of paper and board has exhibited a rise for the third consecutive year, growing by 0.3% in 2016, driven by stronger demand for certain categories of paper products particularly sustainable packaging, hygiene and speciality papers. The rise in consumption has also had a knock-on effect on imports into CEPI countries which rose by 4.5% in 2016 (7.2% of total European paper consumption). Despite this trend and increased competition globally the industry remains a net exporter, exporting approximately 21% of its production.

On another positive note a 2.7% increase was witnessed in pulp production putting a halt to recent years of decline. This was buoyed by an increase (17.8%) in the export of market pulp to non-CEPI countries, particularly Asia (20.8% increase).

Utilisation of paper for recycling has remained relatively stable as in previous years exhibiting a slight increase in 2016.  The collection of paper for recycling has also moved in the right direction, displaying a modest increase of 1.0%. At the same time, exports of paper for recycling have increased by 5.6% the majority of which reached Asian markets (91.7%).

Additional information:

CEPI’s key statistics, audited by Deloitte, are the primary publication of reference for the most up-to-date statistics on European industry production and market developments. The statistics are a compilation of data received by CEPI members (national associations with pulp and paper companies as members) under the auspices of CEPI’s Statistics Network. Some additional sources, such as Eurostat, have been used where necessary and relevant.

Extra statistical information is accessible to members on CEPI’s Members Area and to non-members by subscription. To subscribe for our extensive statistics offer for non-members please visit our website here.

About CEPI:

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) is the pan-European association representing the forest fibre and paper industry. Through its 18 national associations CEPI gathers 495 companies operating more than 900 pulp and paper mills across Europe producing paper, cardboard, pulp and other bio-based products. CEPI represents 22% of world production, €81 billion of annual turnover to the European economy and directly employs over 175,000 people. 

The EU has decided to launch investigations against Turkey for breach of EU-Turkey Customs Union and WTO rules confirming the validity of a complaint lodged by the European paper industry.

cepi logoCEPI, the independent voice of the paper industry in Europe, presented a trade complaint (Trade Barrier Regulation (“TBR”)) to the European Commission on the 24 April 2017. The complaint concerned the unfair non-automatic import licensing system established by Turkey concerning, inter alia, EU exports of certain varieties of paper including office paper, books, envelopes and paper used for direct mail marketing (otherwise known as uncoated wood free (“UWF”) paper). This is both the first time a TBR complaint has been launched in almost ten years and the first time CEPI as an industry association has lodged a trade complaint.

"Today’s launch of this investigation is an indictment of the Turkish authorities’ reluctance to maintain a level-playing field when it comes to free trade. Turkey should withdraw, in the spirit of the EU-Turkey Customs Union and its WTO commitments, any unfair trade barriers” say Sylvain Lhôte, Director General at CEPI.

The unfair non-automatic import licensing system puts at risk over €150 million worth of EU exports of these varieties of paper. At a time when global free trade is under increasing pressure the European paper industry urges the Turkish authorities to stand on the side of free trade. The paper industry already exports 22% of its entire produce outside the EU and will continue to remain an advocate for free trade and take a firm stance where this is put at risk.

What can be expected next? Within a five to seven month period the Commission will now engage in a detailed investigation of the concerns raised by CEPI resulting in a report which may warrant the launch of WTO proceedings.

Background to the trade complaint: Following an inconclusive safeguard investigation on UWF imports in 2014-2015, Turkey extended in 2016 an existing import licensing system which targeted €150 million of EU exports of UWF paper products. The Turkish non-automatic import licensing system with regard to UWF paper is based on an arbitrary price threshold and creates a significant and unfair obstacle to EU-Turkey trade. As such, the contested system poses a clear violation of WTO and EU-Turkey Customs Union Agreement.

Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union: the link to the publication can be consulted here.

About CEPI:

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) is the pan-European association representing the forest fibre and paper industry. Through its 18 national associations CEPI gathers 495 companies operating more than 900 pulp and paper mills across Europe producing paper, cardboard, pulp and other bio-based products. CEPI represents 22% of world production, €81 billion of annual turnover to the European economy and directly employs over 175,000 people. 

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