International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an upgrade order from Sappi North America for a high-capacity debarking line and woodyard equipment to be installed at Sappi’s Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine. The new line will further reduce wood losses and enhance the mill’s reliability and performance. Commissioning of the new line, which has a design capacity of 300 t/h of hardwood chips and 270 t/h of softwood chips, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017.
Over 100 HHQ-Chippers have been sold worldwide since being introduced to the market in 2001. The delivery to Sappi Somerset includes an extra-large (XXL) size chipper. This order is the second order for ANDRITZ in North-America in 2016 for a high-capacity debarking line with HHQ chipping technology.
ANDRITZ’s scope of supply includes upgrade of the log infeed, delivery of a new 38-m long debarking drum with energy-efficient steam de-icing, an extra-large (XXL) HHQ-Chipper with ANDRITZ TurnKnife and ChipperEKG condition monitoring systems, installation of a new scalping screen, and upgrade of the chip handling equipment. ANDRITZ will also deliver an advanced Automation & Industrial Internet package, including optical systems for scanning wood, chips, and bark to optimize the debarking and chip production processes, as well as data acquisition and analysis tools to improve the mill’s operational performance.
ANDRITZ and Sappi North America have had a good business relationship for many years. Recently, ANDRITZ completed a successful project to convert the Somerset Mill’s lime kiln from oil to gas firing, which resulted in significant savings in energy costs for the mill.
About The ANDRITZ GROUP
ANDRITZ is a globally leading supplier of plants, equipment, and services for hydropower stations, the pulp and paper industry, the metalworking and steel industries, and for solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial sectors. The publicly listed technology Group is headquartered in Graz, Austria, and has a staff of approximately 25,700 employees. ANDRITZ operates over 250 sites worldwide.
About ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER
ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER is a leading global supplier of equipment, systems, and services for the production and processing of all types of pulps, 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 board; the calendering and coating of paper; as well as treatment of reject materials and sludge. The service range includes modernization, rebuilds, spare and wear parts, service and maintenance, as well as machine transfer 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 panelboards (MDF), and recycling plants are also allocated to the business area.
About Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated Printing Papers, Specialised Cellulose, Release Papers and Specialty Packaging – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high quality Coated Printing Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Specialised Cellulose used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods, and one of the world's leading suppliers of Release Papers with our Ultracast, PolyEX, Classics and Neoterix lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. OurSpecialty Packaging products, such as LusterPrint and LusterCote, represent an important asset in the food packaging and labeling industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.
Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 13,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.