Last year, Södra decided to invest in an additional CLT facility at Värö and aims to become a leader in the Nordic region. Project planning and procurement is ongoing and Södra has now selected Ledinek as the supplier of a new production line – from intake to pressing.

The new facility will be established at the combined plant in Värö, adjacent to the pulp mill, the sawmill and to Södra’s first CLT facility. Ledinek also supplied the production line for the first plant.

“We selected Ledinek because it supplies a system solution that provides security for us and for our customers. Lessons learned from the existing production line have been taken into account in the procurement of the production line for the new and larger facility. The production line will feature state-of-the-art technology and a carefully planned layout to ensure an efficient process with high productivity,” said Krister Norberg, Head of Production.

A new CLT facility with a capacity of approximately 100,000 cubic metres is an important step in being competitive in an expanding market. Demand is substantial and interest in building with timber is growing considerably.

Södra offers building systems and products such as building components and fasteners, as well as new digital services to simplify and gain better control over the construction process. The focus is on driving the development of timber-based solutions in the construction and residential sectors, and thereby creating opportunities to make a climate-conscious choice in the housing market. 

Valmet will supply new reel and winding technology and surrounding equipment for Metsä Board Kyro mill in Finland. In the rebuild, new reel and winder with an automatic transfer rail connection will be installed to modernize the board machine KK 1. The start-up is scheduled for the second half of 2021.

The order is included in Valmet's orders received of the second quarter 2020. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The total value of an order of this type is typically around EUR 10-20 million.

After finalizing the deal (from left): Ari Kiviranta, Mika Sainio, Jarno Lehtonen, Marko Heikkilä (all from Metsä Board), Marko Korpinen and Sami Anttilainen (both from Valmet).

“Metsä Board’s Kyro mill produces high quality coated folding boxboard and the new eco-barrier paperboard. We wanted to modernize the boardmaking finishing area and eliminate bottlenecks to meet the capacity needs of today and the future. Another important factor was reducing the risk of board caliber loss. Valmet’s reeling and winding solutions have features that fit this purpose well,” says Jarno Lehtonen, Project Manager, Metsä Board.

“In addition to Valmet’s technology, there were other important factors for getting this project. Our local presence and high expertise level in project management and production support with strong training offering will secure fast startup without any disturbance in Kyro’s supply chain,” says Marko Korpinen, Product Sales Manager, Valmet.

Established in 1978, Gulf Paper Manufacturing was the first company to start manufacturing paper in the Gulf region in 1981. Owned by two families of Kuwaiti entrepreneurs, it operates three production lines at its Mina Abdullah paper mill in Kuwait: PM1 produces packaging grades, mainly Fluting medium, Test liner and white top liner, using 100% recycled paper; PM2 manufactures tissue from 100% virgin pulp; the third is a tissue converting line.

Its current capacity is 70,000 tons, with 70% of its packaging grades being destined for export to GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and chiefly Saudi Arabia, and the domestic market accounting for approximately 30% of its business.

Established in 1978, Gulf Paper Manufacturing was the first company to start manufacturing paper in the Gulf region in 1981. Owned by two families of Kuwaiti entrepreneurs, it operates three production lines at its Mina Abdullah paper mill in Kuwait: PM1 produces packaging grades, mainly Fluting medium, Test liner and white top liner, using 100% recycled paper; PM2 manufactures tissue from 100% virgin pulp; the third is a tissue converting line.

Its current capacity is 70,000 tons, with 70% of its packaging grades being destined for export to GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and chiefly Saudi Arabia, and the domestic market accounting for approximately 30% of its business.

In December 2019, Toscotec completed a major rebuild of its PM1 dryer section. We asked Mr. Ghaleb Al Hadhrami, Gulf Paper Manufacturing Projects & Development Manager, to talk about what they achieved with this rebuild.

Will you please tell us about yourself and your work at Gulf Paper Manufacturing?

I graduated in Paper Technology Engineering in 1981. Two years later, I joined Gulf Paper Manufacturing as a production trainee. In the following years, I held several roles at Gulf Paper until I was promoted Production Manager in 1987. During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, I worked as Production Engineer for Fine Group in Al Bardy Mill, Egypt and then in Nigeria for Bel Papyrus, which operated a Toscotec tissue machine. Finally, in May 1993 I went back to Gulf Paper as Production and Maintenance Manager. In 2003, the company purchased Ameer Paper Mill in Jebel Ali, Dubai. I managed this project as Project Manager first, then as Managing Director, in addition to my responsibilities at our Kuwait factory. Since 2016, I have been holding the position of Projects and Development Manager for both paper mills.

In 2019, Gulf Paper placed an order with Toscotec for a major rebuild of its PM1. What was the reason behind this investment? And why did you select Toscotec?

We had 4 main reasons to invest in this rebuild. First and foremost, we aimed to increase production. Secondly, we wanted to improve the quality of the fluting and test liner we were manufacturing. Thirdly, we wanted to reduce downtime and maintenance costs to a minimum. And finally, we wished to do a major upgrade of PM1 in order to equip it with state-of-the-art technology.

We chose Toscotec because they were the first paper machinery manufacturer to introduce steel dryers, and then steel Yankee dryers, on the market. They have installed TT SteelDryers all over the world and have successfully proven the advantages of this technology compared to cast iron cylinders. At present, they are the supplier with the most extensive experience in the design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of steel dryers.

Why did you choose Toscotec as your supplier?

We chose Toscotec as supplier of the whole mechanical project because of their good reputation in the market, high equipment quality, their commitment, competitive prices and strict project guarantees. I am extremely satisfied with the format of the supply including the erection from the same company. I would chose it again in the future and I would recommend Toscotec to my contacts in the paper industry.

Focusing on the project, what did you achieve with this rebuild?

First, in terms of time schedule, the machine downtime was implemented precisely according to the GANTT project timetable that Toscotec provided at the beginning. In the end, PM1 was started up ahead of schedule.

Second, in terms of our targets, within two months from start-up, the production increased by 15% and we expect to achieve an increase of over 20% within the next few months after removing the stock preparation bottlenecks we currently have.

Third, the dryer section efficiency we achieved with the new TT SteelDryers and the steam & condensate removal system is higher than we predicted.

Finally, we registered a significant improvement in product quality, particularly in the moisture and basis weight profiles, as well as the final hand feel.

Are you satisfied with the new silent drive configuration?

We are very satisfied with it! PM1 is now running very silently, without noise or vibration.

What about energy efficiency: did you achieve a reduction of your energy consumption?

Yes, after the rebuild, we witnessed a significant reduction of our energy consumption figures. In particular, we cut down the electric power consumption in the drives by 35% and the diesel consumption in the steam boilers by 15%.

How would you describe the cooperation with Toscotec?

Toscotec team proved to be highly skilled and very cooperative. They were very committed throughout the entire project and were able to take fast decisions and come back with responses to our problems. We felt they had a good understanding of our needs and factored those in effectively in planning and follow-up phases.

During the erection, the onsite team was very professional and hardworking. They ensured the completion of commissioning and start-up in time and up to our quality standards. Finally, after start-up, Toscotec supported us to achieve stable operations in a very short time.

We asked Mr. Ghaleb Al Hadhrami, Gulf Paper Manufacturing Projects & Development Manager, to talk about what they achieved with this rebuild.

Will you please tell us about yourself and your work at Gulf Paper Manufacturing?

I graduated in Paper Technology Engineering in 1981. Two years later, I joined Gulf Paper Manufacturing as a production trainee. In the following years, I held several roles at Gulf Paper until I was promoted Production Manager in 1987. During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, I worked as Production Engineer for Fine Group in Al Bardy Mill, Egypt and then in Nigeria for Bel Papyrus, which operated a Toscotec tissue machine. Finally, in May 1993 I went back to Gulf Paper as Production and Maintenance Manager. In 2003, the company purchased Ameer Paper Mill in Jebel Ali, Dubai. I managed this project as Project Manager first, then as Managing Director, in addition to my responsibilities at our Kuwait factory. Since 2016, I have been holding the position of Projects and Development Manager for both paper mills.

In 2019, Gulf Paper placed an order with Toscotec for a major rebuild of its PM1. What was the reason behind this investment? And why did you select Toscotec?

We had 4 main reasons to invest in this rebuild. First and foremost, we aimed to increase production. Secondly, we wanted to improve the quality of the fluting and test liner we were manufacturing. Thirdly, we wanted to reduce downtime and maintenance costs to a minimum. And finally, we wished to do a major upgrade of PM1 in order to equip it with state-of-the-art technology.

We chose Toscotec because they were the first paper machinery manufacturer to introduce steel dryers, and then steel Yankee dryers, on the market. They have installed TT SteelDryers all over the world and have successfully proven the advantages of this technology compared to cast iron cylinders. At present, they are the supplier with the most extensive experience in the design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of steel dryers.

Why did you choose Toscotec as your supplier?

We chose Toscotec as supplier of the whole mechanical project because of their good reputation in the market, high equipment quality, their commitment, competitive prices and strict project guarantees. I am extremely satisfied with the format of the supply including the erection from the same company. I would chose it again in the future and I would recommend Toscotec to my contacts in the paper industry.

Focusing on the project, what did you achieve with this rebuild?

First, in terms of time schedule, the machine downtime was implemented precisely according to the GANTT project timetable that Toscotec provided at the beginning. In the end, PM1 was started up ahead of schedule.

Second, in terms of our targets, within two months from start-up, the production increased by 15% and we expect to achieve an increase of over 20% within the next few months after removing the stock preparation bottlenecks we currently have.

Third, the dryer section efficiency we achieved with the new TT SteelDryers and the steam & condensate removal system is higher than we predicted.

Finally, we registered a significant improvement in product quality, particularly in the moisture and basis weight profiles, as well as the final hand feel.

Are you satisfied with the new silent drive configuration?

We are very satisfied with it! PM1 is now running very silently, without noise or vibration.

What about energy efficiency: did you achieve a reduction of your energy consumption?

Yes, after the rebuild, we witnessed a significant reduction of our energy consumption figures. In particular, we cut down the electric power consumption in the drives by 35% and the diesel consumption in the steam boilers by 15%.

How would you describe the cooperation with Toscotec?

Toscotec team proved to be highly skilled and very cooperative. They were very committed throughout the entire project and were able to take fast decisions and come back with responses to our problems. We felt they had a good understanding of our needs and factored those in effectively in planning and follow-up phases.

During the erection, the onsite team was very professional and hardworking. They ensured the completion of commissioning and start-up in time and up to our quality standards. Finally, after start-up, Toscotec supported us to achieve stable operations in a very short time.

Augmented reality, a team of online experts, and the Tissue Performance Center for real time monitoring and technical support to the lines

The power of technology and human ingenuity allows solving problems thousands of kilometers away, without moving engineers nor tools, with the recourse to remote assistance and augmented reality. Fabio Perini has been working for a long time at solutions for remote and real time assistance to monitor information about the status of the lines, as well as for intervening in a punctual, timely manner. These solutions are proving particularly effective in circumstances like the present one.

“In these days of emergency, – Oswaldo Cruz Junior, Fabio Perini S.p.A. CEO, comments – Fabio Perini is able to offer concrete and effective support to its customers, to guarantee their operational continuity: we have in place already an outstanding infrastructure for remote connectivity and we can count on our global presence and on the know-how of all our teams around the world".

The Tissue Performance Center is a state-of-the-art technological environment where experienced technicians, with the support of the company's data scientists, continuously collect and analyze customer data to provide information on the status of their machines and suggest improvements to maximize the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of their production lines.

A direct connection to the customers' machines makes the Tissue Performance Center's work proactive by predicting potential downtime. Thanks to the visualization of the operating parameters, the online team of experts provides an assessment of the health status of the lines and highlights any anomalies. Periodically, the customer also receives a "medical record" on the production status of the connected lines and identifies, together with Fabio Perini's converting experts, what improvements can be implemented.

"At Fabio Perini we have more than 10 people who provide assistance to over 60 customers who are sharing with us the data of 1000 machines – Gianfranco Agnusdei, Fabio Perini S.p.A. Global Customer Service Director, comments – Whenever we find anomalies, we immediately contact our customers, help them identify the causes, find appropriate solutions and thus reduce costly downtime. In the future we could also offer a predictive maintenance service: this will allow us to anticipate and thus further improve performance".

The technical support is complemented by the TeamViewer Pilot, an augmented reality technology that allows viewing machines remotely to evaluate problems and suggest appropriate solutions. Through a video streaming directly from the camera of the smartphone and tablet, in real time, Fabio Perini technicians, also through 3D markers and indications applied to the real environment, are able to observe any problem and are able to guide the customer to a complete and rapid solution of the problem, anywhere in the world.

Cepi, the Confederation of European paper industries and its members across Europe, strongly support the initiative of Pascal Canfin, Chair of the Environment Committee at the European Parliament, to launch a European alliance for a Green Recovery. Cepi joins 180 political decision-makers, business leaders, trade unions, NGOs, and think tanks who have come together to create the alliance.

In the face of the coronavirus crisis, the biggest challenge Europe has faced in peacetime, with devastating consequences and a shock to the economy tougher than the 2008 crisis, Ministers from 11 countries, 79 cross-party MEPs from 17 Member States, 37 CEOs, 28 business associations representing 10 different sectors, trade union confederation representing members from 90 national trade union organisations and 10 trade union federations, 7 NGOs and 6 think tanks, have committed to working together to create, support and implement solutions to prepare our economies for the world of tomorrow.

This first pan-European call for mobilisation on post-crisis green investment packages will work to build the recovery and transformation plans which enshrine the fight against climate change and biodiversity as a key pillar of the economic strategy.

Sharing the belief that the economic recovery will only come with massive investments to protect and create jobs and to support all companies, regions and sectors that have suffered from the economy coming to a sudden halt, the alliance commits to contribute to the post-crisis investment decisions needed to reboot and reboost our economy.

Covid-19 will not make climate change and nature degradation go away. The fight against this crisis will not be won without a solid economic response. The alliance commits to participate in the fight and the victory of these two battles simultaneously, and by doing so, being stronger together.

About Cepi: Cepi is the European association representing the paper industry.

We offer a wide range of renewable and recyclable wood-based fibre solutions to EU citizens: from packaging to textile, hygiene and tissue products, printing and graphic papers as well as speciality papers, but also bio-chemicals for food and pharmaceuticals, bio-composites and bioenergy.

We are a responsible industry: 92% of our raw materials are sourced in Europe and certified as sustainable, 91% of the water we use is returned in good condition to the environment. We are the world champion in recycling at the rate of 71,6%. At the forefront of the decarbonisation and industrial transformation of our economy, we embrace digitalisation and bring 20 billion value addition to the European economy and €5.5 billion investments annually.

Through its 18 national associations, Cepi gathers 500 companies operating 895 mills across Europe and directly employing more than 180,000 people.

Kimberly Clark Products Malaysia, Kluang Johor Mill: A.Celli concludes the scheduled upgrade of the TM2 Tissue Line with a new off-line shaft puller and a new set of expandable spool, in combination with the upgrade of the rewinder slitting unit

After the upgrade of the TM1 rewinder and other tissue line equipment, A.Celli Paper’s Customer Service team installed and successfully concluded the upgrades on the TM2 tissue line.

The intervention entailed updating the core handling system downstream the TM2 pope reel with the supply of the A.Celli off-line shaft puller. Since this an automated process, it allows the customer to improve and accelerate the shaft extraction from the mother roll and to improve KC Products Malaysia personnel safety. The rebuilding of the TM2 line has been completed with the upgrade of the Rewinder slitting section with a modern and efficient knives system.

A.Celli Paper worked in close contact with the customer, finding the optimal solution for a light-impact modification with a short shutdown time. The new configuration kept into consideration the convenience of the operations that had to be carried out on one hand and the needs of KC Products Malaysia on the other, in order to obtain the best results in terms of efficiency.

The customer was very appreciative of the project, acknowledging the high level of professionalism of A.Celli Paper’s Customer Service team and its ability to find functional, practical and intelligent solutions through engineering and design analyses.

A.Celli Paper is capable of offering prompt and effective consultancy in-line with any type of investment and production demand.

Contact us for a consultancy or a dedicated project.

LD Celulose S.A. new dissolving pulp plant will produce 500,000 tons per year. The completion of the project is scheduled for 2022.

LD Celulose S.A., a joint venture between Duratex and Lenzing group, awarded Pöyry, part of AFRY, with an EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management) assignment for the BOP (Balance of Plant) of the plant that will have the capacity to produce 500,000 tons of dissolving pulp per year and will represent an investment of US $ 1.3 billion. The services provided by Pöyry, part of AFRY, include interconnections between all process areas, turbo generators and steam distribution systems, the water cooling center and other complimentary systems.

Pöyry has been working as LD Celulose´s partner already, before the joint venture was formed, being responsible for conceptual and basic engineering development, detailed infrastructure engineering projects, external logistics studies and composing area projects, as well as supporting the project's environmental licensing process.

Luís Künzel, CEO of LD Celulose S.A. emphasizes that the new dissolving pulp plant will bring a positive socioeconomic impact throughout the region. “Our intention is to benefit the municipalities that comprise the hub, providing opportunities in various sectors. We are committed to working with the best environmental practices, and Pöyry's expertise and ability to provide sustainable engineering solutions make it the ideal partner to lead this process, from the initial stages of the project” states Künzel.

“We are very proud to have been awarded this important assignment, which reflects the solid evolution of this trusted partnership, and leading solutions for generations to come”, says Fábio Bellotti da Fonseca, President of Pöyry in Brazil.

The LD Celulose new plant will be installed in Duratex's forest area, located in Triângulo Mineiro (MG), and all production will be destined for exportation, supplying Lenzing group's operations in Europe and Asia.

Valmet will supply the 300th Valmet Paper Lab automated board and paper testing laboratory to Papierfabrik Palm's (Palm) Aalen-Neukochen mill. In total, Valmet will deliver three Valmet Paper Labs to the company’s Descartes mill in France and Wörth and Aalen-Neukochen mills in Germany. Valmet Paper Lab delivers accurate and rapid measurement results that are used either as a quality stamp for the end-product or for the board machine operation optimization.

The two Valmet Paper Lab systems were included in Valmet's orders received of the fourth quarter 2019 and one is included in the first quarter 2020. The systems will be delivered during the year 2020. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The Valmet Paper Lab systems will be equipped with a large scope of measurements for the board application quality stamp.

Valmet Paper Lab is extending the scope of Palm Aalen-Neukochen mill where Valmet will also supply a containerboard machine (PM 5) with extensive packages of mill-wide automation and services.

Valmet Paper Lab is an automated board and paper testing laboratory

“Palm Group has awarded Valmet by selecting us as the supplier of their end-product quality analyzer. We have a long cooperation with Palm Group, and it is great to see that we can keep on helping them to move their performance forward, both technology and product support wise. It is a significant milestone that the 300th Valmet Paper Lab unit will be delivered to the site where Valmet also supplies the world’s largest containerboard machine,” says Bogdan Pavlovic, Business Manager, Board and Paper Analyzers, Valmet.

Technical details about the delivery

Valmet Paper Lab is a modular and scalable automated paper testing system for grades of paper and board. With the widest selection of industry-standard tests on the market, reporting can detail over 400 properties. The testing system is based on several decades of automated paper testing experience with 300 units delivered to paper and board mills around the world.

Valmet Paper Lab provides an easy-to-learn and intuitive tool for paper and board property testing which together with Valmet’s Industrial Internet remote support can take the automated laboratory’s performance to a new level.

Information about the customer Papierfabrik Palm

Palm is one of the leading companies in the European paper industry and Germany's largest family-owned business in the paper industry. The Palm Group is divided into the paper division with its 5 paper mills for the manufacture of paper and the packaging division with 28 corrugated cardboard plants. The third pillar of Palm's operations, which encompasses the purchasing of raw materials for all its papers, and corrugated boards made from 100% recycled paper are joined under the umbrella of Palm Recycling consisting of two recycling companies. The plant in Aalen-Neukochen is the origin and the head office of both the Palm Group and Papierfabrik Palm.

Read more about Valmet Paper Lab: https://www.valmet.com/paperlab

James Cropper, one of the world’s most innovative papermakers, remains operational and vows to protect its staff and customers, during the current Coronavirus pandemic.

The Kendal based, family business, is continuing to manufacture high-quality paper and highly advanced non-woven material products for a wide range of customers, including many in the packaging and medical industries.

In the light of the Coronavirus pandemic the business has adapted its operation processes in order to fulfil customer orders and field incoming enquiries, while also moving swiftly to protect its 600 employees and the wider community.

Steve Adams, Managing Director, James Cropper Paper, says: “By adhering closely to government guidelines, the Kendal mill is operating with a number of new measures in place to protect the safety of our staff and the local community. 

“Anyone who can work at home is doing so. The majority of our office staff are now working from home, including the sales and marketing, technical, finance and human resources teams. Most of those still on site are directly involved in or supporting the manufacturing and distributing of our products.

“We are limiting the number of people on site and adhering to strict social distancing throughout the mill. In the occasional cases whereby staff need to work closer than two metres apart, they are provided with highly effective FFP3 masks with respirators.”

To ensure further safeguarding, 42 additional hand sanitising stations, disposable gloves, alcohol wipes, disinfectant sprays and other cleaning materials have been made accessible throughout the mill, with clear guidelines about when people should use them.

The procedure for incoming deliveries has also been changed to ensure interaction between drivers and staff is minimised.

Steve added: “We are monitoring the situation closely and following advice provided by government and Public Health England. Should we need to, we have plans in place to make further changes to our operations.

“We’d like to thank our staff for their support and take this opportunity to reassure our loyal customers, who are also navigating their way through this difficult time, that we’re still operating and here to support them.”

Valmet and Orora Limited have signed a multi-year Mill Maintenance Outsourcing (MMO) agreement to continue taking care of the site maintenance of Orora’s Botany B9 board making line in New South Wales, Australia.

In addition to the MMO agreement, Valmet and Orora have signed a Performance Agreement targeting clear and systematic production and maintenance improvements. Both agreements include Valmet Industrial Internet (VII) solutions to provide a live link between customer and Valmet experts for process optimization. The value of the agreements will not be disclosed. The renewed MMO agreement will be effective as of July 1, 2020.

“Valmet is one of our key performance development partners, supporting B9’s operation and improvement since the start up in 2012. We have worked collaboratively since then with progressive improvements and achievements in key areas such as productivity and cost reduction. This is the second renewal of our MMO and Performance Agreements and we look forward to further success in our cooperation with Valmet. Our objective is to ensure the B9 facility becomes an industry benchmark in all areas of efficiency and cost,” says Craig Nicol, General Manager Operations, Botany Mill.

“We are fully engaged and integrated into the B9 Operations team and have been working side by side to deliver progressive development since the machine’s start-up. The renewal of the MMO agreement is the best acknowledgement for the achievements over the years together with Orora. We’re delighted to be able to share the journey forward with the B9 team and to help continuously optimize the performance of our teams and our equipment and processes,” says Jaegen Peet, Director, Australia and New Zealand region, Valmet.

The long-term relationship further strengthened by Performance Agreement

Valmet has previously supplied the complete B9 containerboard line to Orora, started up in 2012. After the start-up, Valmet took full responsibility of the establishment of maintenance operations, site maintenance services including utilities and management of specific improvement projects.

The ongoing Performance Agreement was renewed for a second time in 2019 with targets and objectives focused on cost outperformance and targeted machine efficiency improvements. The results of the collaboration have been positive considering the previous annual production record was exceeded in 2019 and a new 24-hour production record was set in mid-January 2020.

The Performance Agreement includes access to the Valmet Customer Portal, that will provide an interface for both parties to easily and quickly access visualized data and VII solutions. Although Valmet’s remote services have been utilized since the machine’s start-up, the Valmet Performance Center will now offer the customer a new channel to reach Valmet’s specialists for remote support and case studies. The new agreement also includes comprehensive and expanded automation services.

About Orora Limited

Orora Limited is a public listed company, offering a range of tailored packaging and visual communication solutions. The business employs more than 6,800 people in seven counties. Orora is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Located in Botany, New South Wales, Orora’s Botany Mill produces high quality recycled packaging paper, which is then primarily converted into corrugated board by Orora’s Fibre Packaging businesses.

As announced, Japanese company Nippon Paper Group has signed an agreement with Orora to acquire its paperboard fibre-based packaging business in Australia and New Zealand. The agreement involves Nippon Paper’s consolidated subsidiary Australia Paper (AP). The transaction is expected to be finalized around the end of Q1 2020.