International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from MOPAK Kağıt Karton, Turkey, to rebuild paper machine PM3 at its mill in Dalaman, Turkey. With this rebuild, which is the first part of a multi-stage project, the capacity of the mill will be increased to 500,000 t/a. Start-up is scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

Production will be converted from coated board grades to lightweight coated and uncoated White Top Testliner with high strength and gloss values, as well as coated board and gray board, using 100% wastepaper or partially wastepaper. In addition, PM3 will be able to produce virgin pulp-based light/heavy coated and uncoated board as well as offset printing papers. The machine has a working width of 4.34 m and a design speed of 600 m/min.

After the rebuild, production at the Dalaman mill will reach up to 500,000 t/a of different board grades. Photo: ANDRITZ

Mr. Ruhi Molay, Managing Director of MOPAK Kağıt Karton, says: “The upgraded PM3 offers us a new dimension. The rebuild will not only increase our capacity, but also our flexibility as we will be able to offer board grades for a broad range of applications.”

The Mopak Group, which began paper production 94 years ago, is one of the largest paper and cardboard manufacturers in the Middle East and the Balkans today and a leading supplier to the Turkish paper and cardboard sector.

emtec Electronic represented at key European paper symposium

In line with this year's theme "Advances in paper and board production," emtec Electronic is presenting the ACA Ash Content Analyzer, TSA Tissue Softness Analyzer, EST 12 as well as the CAS touch! and the FPA touch! at the 29th International Munich Paper Symposium from 18^th to the 20^th of March.

The ACA, Ash Content Analyzer from emtec Electronic, measures minerals and fillers in paper and board. With this innovative technology, non-destructive measurements within 30 seconds are possible for the first time. The innovative laboratory device replaces the traditional combustion method with the latest X-ray technology and thus enables measurements of the total mineral filler content as well as the percentage of individual filler components in paper and board. The disadvantages of combustion, such as time-consuming test procedures and dependence on the moisture of the sample, are no longer an issue with the ACA Ash Content Analyzer.

In addition, emtec Electronic will present its specialized portfolio of testing devices designed for a relaible and fast quality assurance as well as the optimization of production and converting processes and by this the quality of the finished product, such as the TSA - Tissue Softness Analyzer, the CAS touch! - Charge Analyzing System, the FPA touch! - Fiber Potential Analyzer or the EST 12 - emtec Surface and Sizing Tester. Participants and visitors are invited to bring their own samples and test them live on site.

"I am looking forward to the exchange with our existing customers and new interested parties. Being close to our customers and understanding their daily challenges is the key to the further development of our products," says Stefan Rübesam, Area Manager at emtec Electronic, who will be attending the symposium on site.

The International Munich Paper Symposium is targeted at the paper and board manufacturing and converting industry and their suppliers.

More information about the International Munich Paper Symposium can be found on their website: https://paper-online.de/de/imps-2020

From July 2019 to February 2020, Toscotec successfully completed two customized rebuilds at Lucart Diecimo tissue mill. The two rebuilding solutions included the replacement of PM5 and PM6’s existing Yankees with Toscotec’s second-generation Steel Yankee Dryers, complete steam and condensate systems, as well as the installation of a TT SuctionPressRoll.

This is yet again another major achievement in the strong and long-lasting cooperation between Lucart and Toscotec. Over the last ten years, Toscotec supplied to Lucart Group one complete tissue line, two slitter rewinders TT WIND, and various tailor-made rebuilding solutions on six different tissue machines in Italy and France.

The Lucart Group are pioneers in sustainability and they continuously uphold the highest standards of energy efficiency and specific energy consumption in their production processes to promote fair and sustainable development in our shared environment.

Lucart has tapped Toscotec for its efficient drying solutions, in particular TT SYD and its energy recovery-oriented system design. The extraordinary energy saving advantages that TT SYD delivers, on a potentially infinite number of cycles over the course of its life, save a significant amount of energy and operating costs. Toscotec’s energy recovery equipment, chiefly heat exchangers, are a key part of TT SYD’s steam and condensate system in that they contribute to achieving the highest possible level of thermal energy efficiency.

“Based on the high quality of the work done on PM5 and PM6, Toscotec confirmed its leadership in the construction and installation of steel Yankee dryers. We are very satisfied with the achieved performances, as well as the time schedule and project management of these rebuilds. The work team and the constructive collaboration have been an important key to the success of the projects.” said Eng. Franco Pasquini, Lucart’s Chief Technology Officer.

Valerio Volpi, Toscotec’s Project Manager of Lucart’s PM5 and PM6 rebuilds, says: “Our highly qualified Italian technicians worked with Lucart’s experts as one team. We were right on schedule according to the agreed timetable and the two TT SYDs performed well from the first hours of operation. This is a shared achievement for the Lucart-Toscotec team.”

About Lucart

Lucart, a leading company in Europe in the production of tissue products for daily use (toilet, kitchen, napkins, tablecloths, handkerchiefs etc.), airlaid products, and MG paper was founded in 1953 by the Pasquini Family.

The company's production activities are distributed over 3 Business Units (Business to Business,

Away from Home and Consumer) operating in the development and sales of products with brands such as Tenderly, Tutto, Grazie Natural and Smile (Consumer area), Lucart Professional, Tenderly Professional, Fato and Velo (Away from Home area).

Lucart’s production capacity is 395,000 tonnes/year of paper on 12 continuous machines. Its

consolidated turnover will amount to more than €500 million, with more than 1,500 employees in 9 production plants (five in Italy, one in France, one in Hungary and two in Spain) and a Logistics Centre in Italy. Since 2018, Lucart has been part of the CE100 network, the pre- competitive innovation program designed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to give organizations the opportunity to develop new opportunities and achieve their circular economy goals as quickly as possible.

The Sappi Technical Innovation Awards take place annually across Sappi’s global businesses. Started in 2000, the awards programme is aimed at recognising and celebrating the best technical innovation within Sappi. The awards also help drive the creation of sustainable solutions within Sappi, paving the way for the next generation of people, sustainable products and processes.

The award allows Sappi’s mills to demonstrate technical innovation in action across a range of projects. Nominations for the awards need to demonstrate technical innovation, economic impact, market leadership value, product/process impact and customer satisfaction.

From left to right: Steve Binnie (Sappi Group CEO), Rainer Lex, Daniel Müller, Paul Post, Lukas Rebernig, Jürgen Lind and Berry Wiersum (Sappi Europe CEO)

The awards which are run globally include regional finals in Europe, North America and South Africa, culminating in a global final.

Sappi Europe announced the winner of its European Technical Innovation Award (TIA) in Vienna on the 2 March 2020. Sappi’s Ehingen Mill in Germany was the winning team with innovative solutions created by a team spanning sales, technical marketing, technology and production who created a range of innovative solutions.

Sappi Southern Africa will host its awards on 11 March 2020 and Sappi North America on 4 March 2020. The Global final this year will be held on 4 May 2020 in Belgium.

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) to supply a complete recovery island for its mill in Mondipatti Village, Tamil Nadu, India. Start-up is scheduled for early 2021.

ANDRITZ recovery island with evaporation plant, recovery boiler and white liquor plant “Photo: ANDRITZ”.

The ANDRITZ scope of supply includes:

• A HERB recovery boiler with a capacity of 950 tds/d on EPC basis, with a provision for upgrade to 1,100 tds/d in the future

• An evaporation plant with a capacity of 260 t/h on EPC basis, which will concentrate black liquor to a final dry solids content of 75%

• A white liquor plant containing
  • A recausticizing plant (2,600 m³/day white liquor production) on EPS basis
  • A lime kiln (250 t/d) on EPC basis.

This investment is part of TNPL’s mill expansion plans to further strengthen its position in the printing and writing paper segment. TNPL is a leading producer of paper and board based on bagasse – a sugar cane residue. The mill’s “Unit II” produces multi-layer coated board for use in pharmaceutical, health care, food, cosmetics and consumer packaging applications.

The recovery island to be supplied by ANDRITZ incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, thus ensuring highest energy efficiency and optimum environmental protection. ANDRITZ HERB recovery boilers maximize the use of thermal energy while efficiently recovering cooking chemicals. The latest ANDRITZ technology for evaporation plants ensures optimum reuse of condensates with minimum energy consumption, while the white liquor plant will recycle and reuse the mill’s process streams in order to minimize waste.

Four-day conference complements the three-day exhibition showcasing the products and services of over 150 suppliers and manufacturers

In less than a week, Tissue World Miami 2020 will open with conference sessions from March 10-13 and an extensive trade show running March 11-13 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Tissue World Miami is North America’s largest and exclusively dedicated tissue manufacturing gathering.

The event brings industry professionals from across the tissue supply chain together for four days of insightful conference sessions and a three-day tradeshow with over 150 fantastic exhibitors from across the globe.

Get your free visitor ticket to guarantee access to:

• Free-to-attend tech talks (March 12) on the show floor, discussing the latest innovations and solutions to new and familiar challenges in our industry.
• An opportunity to network at happy hour sessions on the show floor on March 11 and 12.
• The Tissue World matchmaking app that provides a platform to organize those all-important meetings and facilitate catching up with familiar faces in the industry.
• Source and evaluate new products and services from world-class exhibitors.

Industry Leaders Headline Conference Lineup

Conference keynote speaker is none other than Kimberly-Clark’s Group President Kim Underhill. Kimberly-Clark personal-care products are used by a quarter of the world’s population every day in 175 countries around the world.

Joining Kim Underhill for a casual yet wide-ranging “Fireside Chat" will be founder of Blue Earth Network, Udaiyan Jatar. Blue Earth Network trains, develops and supports leaders in discovering, inventing and scaling innovation and brands that transform business and society.

Pulp is the single most costly element of tissue, and Marina Negrisoli of Suzano Papel e Celulose anticipates the cycles to come that can make the difference between healthy profit and life-limiting losses. Headquartered in Brazil, Suzano is the largest pulp and paper company in Latin America, with presence in over 80 countries.

Walmart’s Sam’s Club — who wouldn’t want to know what that massive consumer tissue product developer has in mind? Ivo Kool, senior products development manager, is on the program to discuss the latest trends in consumer paper products from both the demand and supply sides.

Recruiting and retaining the talent to run 21st century tissue mills can be an all-consuming challenge. Heidi Brock, President and CEO of American Forest & Paper Association brings paper and other industry expertise to this vital subject.

And no Tissue World Miami conference would be complete without the man who knows the tissue universe better than any other: Esko Uutela, Principal, Tissue, at RISI. He’ll be looking at shifts in quality and trade barriers driving change in North America.

There is limited availability of conference tickets, so make sure to get yours soon to avoid disappointment.

For more information about Tissue World Miami 2020, visit:

Registration: https://registration.n200.com/survey/12ejeykp4edbp?actioncode=PRS2

Exhibitor List: https://exhibitors.informamarkets-info.com/tissue-world-miami-2020/

Conference Sessions: https://www.tissueworld.com/miami/en-us/conferencesessions

Conference Brochure: https://www.tissueworld.com/miami/en-us/Conference/Conference-Brochure

Effective February 28, 2020, Solenis signed an agreement to acquire the paper business of ChemSystems, a division of AECI Ltd. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020.

Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, ChemSystems produces and supplies specialized chemical solutions for water intensive industries, including the pulp, paper and tissue manufacturing industries in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Until this acquisition, the business was Solenis’ pulp and paper specialty chemical distributor in Africa.

“This is an excellent opportunity to continue to consolidate our channel to market after the recent successful merger of BASF’s Paper and Water Chemicals business with Solenis.” said John Panichella, president and CEO, Solenis. “We have had an exceptional working relationship with ChemSystems for many years and this acquisition will allow Solenis to directly provide value to pulp, paper and tissue markets in South Africa.”

Mark Dytor, Chief Executive, AECI added, “Through ChemSystems, we have partnered with South Africa’s pulp and paper customers for many years.  Excellent relationships have been developed and I am certain that these will be enhanced further by Solenis.”

Resolute Forest Products Inc. has just announced that its board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to 15% of the company's common stock for aggregate consideration of up to $100 million. Repurchase transactions will be funded using the company's sources of liquidity.

"Having recently exhausted our previous repurchase program, it is appropriate to introduce a new program to be ready to act opportunistically to return capital to shareholders when conditions are right," said Yves Laflamme, president and chief executive officer. "We believe that proper capital allocation is a top priority and that it must be done in a disciplined manner. Accordingly, we intend to strike a balance between value-creating opportunities such as high-return projects with opportunities to return excess capital to shareholders."

Under the new share repurchase program, the company is authorized to repurchase from time to time shares of its outstanding common stock on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in the United States. The timing and amount of stock repurchases will depend on a variety of factors, including the market conditions as well as corporate and regulatory considerations. The share repurchase program may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time, and the company has no obligation to repurchase any amount of its common stock under the program. The repurchase program has no set expiration date. The company intends to make all repurchases in compliance with applicable regulatory guidelines and to administer the plan in accordance with applicable laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, has designed the Arctic Blue Gin package with an impressive holographic design inspired by the Northern Lights. Arctic Brands Group, the Finland-based spirit company, tasked Metsä Board to design the dramatic package using MetsäBoard Pro FBB Bright lightweight folding boxboard.  

Metsä Board designed the package structure, the original graphics, and the embossing. The Northern Lights image was created by printing on top of Envirofoil®, a plastic-free, holographic metallization effect designed by the paper converter, Hazen. It uses 1% of the aluminium of traditional foil laminates– making it economical and environmentally friendly.  

“We wanted to convey an image of a clean, crisp winter’s night highlighted by the flaming exotic Northern Lights,” says Mark Beamesderfer, Packaging Services Director Americas, Metsä Board. “Producing such highly challenging print requires a lot from the material. Smoothness and stiffness is required, so the paperboard properties had to offer a uniform smooth surface, crease and fold exceptionally well, and provide economic and environmental superiority.”

Voith introduces UpElement to its expanding portfolio of tissue press fabrics. The modular treatment increases efficiency by achieving significantly faster startup times. Through an optimized surface enhancement UpElement improves dewatering properties during startup. As a result, manufacturers benefit from a higher production yield over the run of one felt cycle.

Smooth performance during startup is crucial for maximum efficiency in tissue production. With UpElement Voith offers an innovative solution that is specially tailored to meet these production challenges. As part of the Voith’s Element-Series of add-on solutions, the modular treatment complements the manufacturer’s existing press fabrics portfolio for tissue, and thus fits in well with the PressMax AdvancedPRODUCTS.

The modular treatment UpElement enables faster startup times and higher production gains.

Faster startup time, stable operating conditions
Due to their unique technology, the felts have a higher saturation capability during startup which ensures optimal dewatering of the paper web. UpElement makes startup up to 50 percent faster compared to standard press fabrics, without compromising operational stability or long-term performance.

Higher production yield with each Voith felt
By reaching full machine speed significantly faster, UpElement not only keeps energy consumption to a minimum, but also delivers notably higher production output per felt: Depending on the operating setup, UpElement can increase output by an additional 100,000 € worth of saleable product per year. In this way, a quick return on investment can be expected.

“UpElement has proven itself in several trial runs resulting in immediate repeat orders from international tissue manufacturers,“ says Susanne Klaschka, Global Product Manager Press Section, Voith Paper. “We are proud to provide customers with yet another innovative solution to make tissue production even more efficient, more profitable and more sustainable.”

For more information about UpElement please visit: www.voith.com/fabrics

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of € 4.3 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services, components and products on the market and offers paper manufacturers solutions from one single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations takes papermaking to the next level and facilitates resource-conserving production. With its Servolution concept, Voith offers its customers tailored service solutions for all sections of the production process. Voith Papermaking 4.0 ensures that equipment is optimally connected, while the secure use of generated data enables paper manufacturers to improve plant availability and efficiency.