GrandBay Papeles Nacionales has selected Toscotec for the turnkey supply of a new AHEAD 2.2 tissue line (PM5) at its Pereira production base in Colombia. This is Toscotec’s second project with GrandBay who is currently installing a complete AHEAD 2.2L tissue line at GrandBay Papelera Internacional in Guatemala. The new PM5 in Colombia is scheduled to start up in 2024.

The AHEAD 2.2 machine has a sheet trim width of 3,600 mm, a design speed of 2,200 m/min and an annual production capacity of over 40,000 tons. Designed to deliver the highest drying efficiency with the lowest possible energy usage, it features TT NextPress latest shoe press generation, a third-generation design TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer with patented heads insulation system, and high efficiency TT Hood. 

The turnkey supply includes the complete stock preparation system, Toscotec’s patented TT SAF^® DD (Short Approach Flow system with Double Dilution), fiber recovery and water clarification systems, the complete tissue line with electrification and controls, as well as dust and mist removal systems. A full service package complements the turnkey scope with erection and supervision, training, commissioning, and start-up assistance. 

GrandBay and Toscotec’s teams at contract signature (from left to right): Alexander Schuler, GrandBay COO; Gabriele Romanini, Toscotec Sales Manager; Alberto Matos, GrandBay Project Engineering Manager; Carlos Martin, Toscotec’s agent; Alejandro Piedrahita, GrandBay Papeles Nacionales Operations Director; Marco Dalle Piagge, Toscotec Sales Director; Ricardo Martin, Toscotec’s agent; Luis Henao, GrandBay Technical Manager; Juan Andres Mesa, GrandBay Production Manager.

Cesar Solano, Chief Executive Officer of GrandBay Group, says, “Continuing to grow with the market, satisfying the needs of the consumers with products of the best quality and accompanying the growth of our clients are guiding principles of our vision, which are supported by investment in the best technology.”

Alexander Schuler, Chief Operation Officer of GrandBay Group, says, “We selected Toscotec for this important project in Pereira, because we have seen firsthand their ability to manage complex projects in Latin America. The turnkey supply gives us the highest performance guarantees for success.” 

Gabriele Romanini, Toscotec Sales Manager, says, “The configuration of Papeles Nacionales’ new line is state-of-the-art. It features Toscotec’s first-in-class energy efficient technology including the winning combination of our upgraded TT NextPress shoe press technology and Steel Yankee.”

About GrandBay Papeles Nacionales S.A.
Papeles Nacionales operates a tissue mill in Pereira (Colombia) and is part of the GrandBay Group, a leading Latin American company established in 1953 and dedicated to the manufacturing, converting and sales of personal care and home products of premium quality, with presence in more than 25 countries in Central America, the Andean and Caribbean region. 

For more information, please contact:
Romanini Gabriele, Sales Manager, Toscotec Tissue division, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Martin Krengel, CEO, WEPA group is confirmed as keynote speaker at Tissue World Düsseldorf in March. Martin joins an impressive line-up of tissue producers, industry experts and business leaders from Essity, Star Tissue, Fisher International, Hawkins-Wright Ltd, Kesko Group and many more. The agenda for the event’s world-renowned conference is now live at https://www.tissueworld.com/dusseldorf/en/conference/conference-sessions.html. 

Tissue World runs from 28-30 March 2023 and returns to Europe for the first time in four years at new venue Messe Düsseldorf. The only dedicated event for tissue manufacturers and suppliers in central Europe will bring together thousands of industry professionals for three days of trading, learning, and networking. Registration is now open with early bird available until 27 February for the exhibition and conference.

The Tissue World Düsseldorf exhibition runs along-side the conference and offers visitors the opportunity to discuss new business strategies, source products and make business connections with over 110 exhibitors showcasing the very latest products, services, and technologies the tissue industry has to offer. Exhibitors already confirmed include Infinity Machine & Engineering, Gambini, Firefly, Optima Nonwovens, Klippans Bruk, Aktul Kagit, Körber Tissue, Valmet, WEKO Weitmann & Konrad, Pulsar Engineering.

The conference theme is ‘The Roadmap, the Riskmap: Plotting a course for tissue in uncertain times’ and features panel discussions and senior management symposium (SMS) sessions that aim to provide answers to some burning questions including: 

• What are the sustainable business drivers for effective strategy and financial stability?
• How can innovation mitigate against risk?
• What are the industry’s sustainable options to be prepared for an uncertain future?
• How can the industry pivot to deal with rising energy prices and what support exists to ride out these turbulent times?
• What new trends are emerging that will shape the future of the tissue industry post-pandemic?

The agenda also features carefully curated technical sessions, focusing on fresh innovation from tissue making through converting via all the processes and materials which count towards the competitive manufacture of world-beating tissue products.

Martin Krengel, CEO, WEPA Group said “I'm really looking forward to the conference and meeting the many people from the industry live on site. It’s a great opportunity for me to share experiences with our partners and discuss the future of the industry.”

Tom Hill, Event Director, Informa Markets, said “We are so excited to bring the Tissue World exhibition and conference to Germany for the first time. This will be the first European event since 2019 and with such precarious times we feel it is more important than ever to bring the industry together to tackle the global issues we are facing. We are thrilled to welcome Martin Krengel as keynote to what is shaping up to be an unmissable conference that will provide answers to some of the burning questions our industry has right now.”

Registration for the three-day exhibition is open now with early bird ticket prices available. You can register here.

Exhibition Pass: €25

• 3-day exhibition access
• Converse with 125 exhibitors
• Network with the global tissue industry
• Exclusive hotel & accommodation offers
• Access to happy hour & networking sessions
• Access to show floor tech talks

Conference Pass: €1295 (Early Bird €895, available until 27 February 2023)

• 3-day Conference access
• Access to keynote address
• Access to technical sessions
• Access to Tissue World exhibition
• Access to happy hour & networking sessions
• Access to show floor tech talks
• Exclusive hotel & accommodation offers

Sulzer has been named a 2023 Top Employer in Brazil, China, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, demonstrating its commitment to best HR policy and people practices globally. The Top Employers Institute surveyed five key countries for Sulzer, also rating and independently auditing them against an international standard. Sulzer scored an average of 85% across the board, with an exemplary 95% in Sustainability.

Designed to positively impact the global employee experience at work, Top Employers Institute rates applicant companies in a number of HR domains. These cover topics such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Learning, Wellbeing, Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion and more. Following extensive assessments, Sulzer achieved a remarkable average score of 85% across its five certified country locations. In the area of Sustainability, the company’s strategic commitment to enabling sustainable practices is notably reflected in its exemplary score of 95%.

“We strive to make a difference at Sulzer, and we empower our employees to do so,” said Executive President Suzanne Thoma. “We are committed to do everything we can to offer our employees a safe, inclusive and meaningful work environment in which we can thrive.”  

Issued by the Top Employers Institute, Top Employer recipients are surveyed, rated and independently audited against an international standard. Sulzer scored an average of 85% across the board, with an exemplary 95% in Sustainability.

Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink says: “This year’s Top Employers have shown that they care for the development and well-being of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work. We are proud to announce and celebrate this year’s group of leading people-oriented employers: the Top Employers 2023.”

Sulzer is a global leader in fluid engineering and chemical processing applications. We specialize in pumping, agitation, mixing, separation, purification, crystallization and polymerization technologies for fluids of all types. Our customers benefit from our commitment to innovation, performance and quality and from our responsive network of over 180 world-class manufacturing facilities, engineering and service centers across the globe. Sulzer has been headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, since 1834. In 2021, our 13’800 employees delivered revenues of CHF 3.2 billion. Our shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: SUN). www.sulzer.com

The shift away from single-use plastics continues as USA-based manufacturing venture SustainaPac LLC joins PulPac’s growing licensee network. Employing the Dry Molded Fiber technology, SustainaPac intends to establish itself as a source of highly economical natural fiber, single-use food service packaging products for the growing North American QSR sustainability market. 

As the packaging industry works to balance environmental concerns with business performance, product sustainability is key. The Dry Molded Fiber technology, invented, owned and licensed by PulPac, enables the replacement of multiple single-use plastic products with sustainable fiber-based alternatives at commercial scale – setting a new standard for sustainable packaging. The highly economical dry fiber forming technology allows for fiber products produced in North America to be reasonably competitive on a cost basis with like plastic products.

SustainaPac intends to build a series of Dry Molded Fiber production facilities across the USA making fiber drink cup lids, hinged containers, bowls, trays, and related products beginning with a dedicated high volume fiber hot and cold drink cup lid plant in Jacksonville, Florida.   

Cup lids, trays, and cutlery made using the Dry Molded Fiber technology.

Les Schaevitz, SustainaPac CEO commented, “North American QSR’s are clamoring for economical, domestically produced, compostable fiber products to replace their single-use plastic packaging where appropriate, and SustainaPac with PulPac fiber forming technology will be out front meeting that demand.”

Sanna Fager, PulPac Chief Commercial Officer commented, “Time is increasingly becoming the most important factor in dealing with environmental challenges. Now is the time for action. Together with converters like SustainaPac stepping up to the plate, we can accelerate the shift towards sustainable fiber-based packaging and away from single-use plastics. Next generations deserve new generations of packaging where sustainability is just a given.”

About SustainaPac
SustainaPac LLC is a USA based manufacturing venture dedicated to satisfying the growing demand by the  North America QSR and food service industry for economical, domestically produced, high quality, natural fiber-based food service packaging products. Using the next-generation Dry Molded Fiber forming technology by PulPac AB of Sweden instead of conventional wet pulp molding, SustainaPac will compete effectively on a cost and performance basis (without PFAS) with domestic plastic and with Asian produced fiber products. SustainaPac’s high output US fiber forming plants will serve both as custom contract manufacturing sites for the food service packaging industry and to produce SustainaPac proprietary fiber-based food service packaging products.  For additional information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About PulPac
PulPac provides the packaging industry with a groundbreaking manufacturing technology for the making of economical, high-performance fiber-based packaging and single-use products. By pioneering the technology of cellulose molding PulPac enables their customers to replace single-use plastics with sustainable and cost competitive natural fiber alternatives globally. For additional information about PulPac, please visit www.pulpac.com or follow us on social media

Dry Molded Fiber
The Dry Molded Fiber process, invented and internationally patented by PulPac, is a manufacturing technology designed for the emerging circular economy.  By leveraging globally available, affordable, and renewable commodity cellulose fiber, Dry Molded Fiber technology allows for the production of high performance fiber-based packaging with highly competitive unit economics. Dry Molded Fiber also saves significant amounts of valuable water resources and energy, resulting in up to 80% lower CO2 footprint compared to alternatives.  Dry Molded Fiber processing is up to ten times as efficient as conventional fiber molding processing first used over 100 years ago.

Valmet will deliver a fiber fractionation system to Sichuan Tianzhu Bamboo Resource Co., Ltd in the Sichuan Province in China to improve mill efficiency.

The order is included in Valmet's orders received of the fourth quarter 2022. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The project is scheduled to be executed in the fall 2023.

“Sichuan Province has abundant bamboo resources. To improve the operating efficiency of our Tianzhu mill and the use of fibers by paper producers, we target to use advanced technical solutions in fiber fractionation. Valmet is known as the leading supplier for the pulp, paper and energy industries. After comparing several proposals from different suppliers, Valmet’s solution fully met our requirements. Tianzhu mill takes this cooperation as an opportunity to further strengthen the partnership. I believe that this project will lead to our success in the bamboo industry,” says Gao Yanren, General Manager, Sichuan Tianzhu Bamboo Resource Co., Ltd.

“Valmet has strong expertise in the fiber screening technology. The goal is to increase the customer’s mill efficiency with minimal investment costs. The fractionating treatment of bamboo fibers separates fibers to different lengths, providing greater economic value. Valmet's fiber screening technology can play a fundamental role in supporting the sustainable development of the Taison Group,” says Fu Xuebing, Senior Mill Sales Manager, China South Region, Valmet.

Technical information

Valmet's delivery consists of a fractionator screening system including screens, engineering, installation and start-up support.

About Taison Group

Sichuan Tianzhu Bamboo Resource Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of Shanghai Taison Pulp (Group) Co., Ltd. Taison Group, based in Shanghai, China, is an international enterprise integrating forestry, pulp-making, plastic packaging, timber processing, real estate and trading.

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions we serve an even wider base of process industries. Our 17,500 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers’ performance forward – every day.

The company has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved when the flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. The combined company’s net sales in 2021 was approximately EUR 4.5 billion based on the respective company figures.  

Valmet’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.     

Follow us on valmet.com

Custom corrugated boxes and fiber tubes protect products and the environment and build brand image

By Cheryl Smith

The subject of packaging and shipping solutions has become an increasingly popular topic of conversation within businesses and among the public.

Before and during the pandemic, the rapid expansion of e-commerce has fueled demand for packaging, while labor shortages and shipping constraints have also made it harder to produce and deliver the containers used to ship and store everything from food and consumer goods to machine parts.

At the same time, consumers are increasingly aware of the need for more sustainable packaging. According to McKinsey & Company, 55% of US consumers are extremely or very concerned about the environmental impact of packaging. They are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products, and they express a desire to buy additional sustainably packaged products if more of them were available and better labeled to indicate green packaging.

As a result, businesses have responded in three important ways.

First, they have turned to suppliers that have a proven track record and ongoing capability of delivering packaging solutions when needed to ensure that the right shipping container is available when product comes off the production line.

Environmental Sustainability

Second, the demand for corrugated cardboard boxes and fiber tubes expands as consumers, government regulators, investors and employees push for environmentally friendly alternatives to plastics. Boxes and tubes are made from plant-based materials which can be sustainably harvested and replanted, and many boxes and tubes are manufactured from 100% recycled material.

The disposal of these paper-based packaging solutions is also far more sustainable. In 2021, 91.4% of corrugated cardboard was recycled compared to only 6% of the 40 million tons of plastic waste generated in the US. Moreover, the paper is biodegradable and does not contain any toxic chemicals or heavy metals, and therefore the small percentage of scrap or used boxes and tubes that do end up in a landfill will decompose without harming the environment. In fact, boxes and tubes buried in the earth will compost in a couple months, adding nutrients back into the soil.

Custom Packaging Solutions

The third reason for the increased interest in custom boxes and fiber tubes is their versatility and adaptability to perfectly fit the specific requirements of each application to achieve the optimal balance between the crush strength and weight/thickness to reduce the cost of materials and shipping.

Custom packaging comes in many shapes, sizes, and strengths to contain and protect products for storage or transport. The packaging should be designed to fit the product, rather than the other way around.

A perfect fit means eliminating the waste, reducing environmental impact and costs of producing, handling, and disposing of excess packaging and unnecessary void fill material — and of damaged product. The right fit also means higher packing density for more energy-efficient transport and more space-efficient storage.

Custom boxes and fiber tubes also enable important marketing advantages over stock packaging. Graphics and information can be printed on the interior and exterior surfaces to increase brand awareness and support point-of-purchase campaigns.

The two major categories of custom, sustainable packaging are corrugated boxes and fiber tubes. Both categories have the environmental benefits of fiber material, and both are extremely customizable to meet specific application requirements.

Custom Corrugated Boxes

Custom corrugated boxes can be designed in any desired size and in a wide range of board thickness. Designers utilize software to optimize the shape and size of the box to efficiently and safely package the product(s) contained within, and to ensure the boxes can be stacked securely on a pallet, without wasted space.

Boxes hold items wrapped with protective packaging or surrounded with void fill material for safe shipment. They can be sealed, closed, and stacked in a warehouse or shipping container.  Some specialty boxes ship hazardous materials or insulate products from excessive heat or cold.

Box types include Die Cut, Full Overlap Slotted Container (FOL), Full Telescopic Design Container (FTD) and Overlap Slotted Container (OSC). A variety of wax and varnish coating options are available. Additional customizations include partitions, eyelets, transparent windows, and die cut foam inserts

Fiber Tubes

Fiber wound tubes are also customized depending upon the specifications and requirements of each customer and applications. They are typically made of cardboard, but they can also be reinforced with other materials for added strength and resilience. Paper or paperboard sheet layers are wound together and bonded with an adhesive to form strong, hollow, and usually cylindrical shapes. Fiber wound tubes provide an excellent strength-to-weight ratio and are used in applications requiring high bend strength, crush resistance, and dynamic strength.

Tubes are available in various sizes; length, inside diameter, and wall thickness can be customized to fit specific products. The wall thickness of the tube can vary depending on the number of layers wrapped during manufacturing. The innermost layer or ply - the liner -, and the outermost layer - the wrap -, can consist of different materials (foil, film, etc.) or specialized paper. The specialized paper and materials can provide water resistance, graphics or labeling, or a specific color.

Tubes Serve as Containers and as Paper Cores

The high strength of fiber tubes makes them well-suited to two very different uses — as an exterior container for a very wide range of products or as the interior core around which sheets of material are wound.

As a container, tubes protect a wide variety of products during shipment, protecting them from damage, including long, heavy items such as pipes and baseball bats, and fragile items such as fishing poles. Tubes are often a good alternative to shipping items in a box with protective packaging or void fill. The range of applications is quite extensive, from small tubes with film barriers for potato chips to large tubes used to form concrete pilings.

Paper cores typically fall into two subcategories: In industrial applications, webs or sheets of flexible material (plastic film, paper, foil, textiles, etc.) are wound around paper cores with thick walls. These tubes function as a machine element and facilitate loading of the large rolls. The other subcategory is a thinner-walled variety of tube used for the packaging and dispensing of retail products, such as the core of aluminum foil, plastic wrap, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, as well as adhesive tape and labels.

Protect Products and the Environment

Custom boxes and tubes are more effective at protecting products than stock boxes, and they have far less impact on the environment compared to plastic packaging. A custom packaging solution means a perfect fit for your product, with less waste and more efficient packing and transport, resulting in cost savings, as well as a distinctive image that enhances brand image and supports marketing campaigns.

Asia Symbol (Guangdong) Paper, China has successfully started up its tissue production line delivered by ANDRITZ for its mill in Xinhui district, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, China.

The complete line order includes the stock preparation system with low-consistency refiners, a PrimeLineTM W 2000 tissue machine and the automation system. The tissue machine has a speed of 1,900 m/min and a width of 5.65 m and produces high quality tissue in the range of 11 – 42 gsm. It is equipped with a PrimePress XT Evo shoe press, a PrimeDry Steel Yankee and a steam-heated PrimeDry Hood ST to enable energy efficient tissue production.

To speed up the process of production, both ANDRITZ and Asia Symbol’s team collaborated closely and dedicatedly during the whole stage of installation and commissioning. As a result,
the first paper on reel was achieved 16 days ahead of schedule.

Steven Hung Ching Lung, General Manager of Asia Symbol (Guangdong) Paper Co., Ltd, says: “With the new TM13 we enter the tissue business. It is essential for our expansion strategy to provide our customers with high-quality tissues that have minimum impact on the environment. We have a vast experience in the production of high-quality printing and writing papers. Now we want to achieve the same success with ANDRITZ in the tissue market.”

Successful start-up of ANDRITZ tissue production line at Asia Symbol (Guangdong) © ANDRITZ

Asia Symbol (Guangdong) Paper is a leading manufacturer of printing and writing paper in China. The company is part of the RGE Group, a global player focused on sustainable pulp and paper production.

ANDRITZ GROUP
International technology group ANDRITZ offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries and end markets. ANDRITZ is a global market leader in all four of its business areas – Pulp & Paper, Metals, Hydro, and Separation. Technological leadership, global presence and sustainability are the cornerstones of the group’s strategy, which is focused on long-term profitable growth. The publicly listed group has around 27,900 employees and over 280 locations in more than 40 countries.

ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER
ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper provides sustainable technology, automation, and service solutions for the production of all types of pulp, paper, board and tissue. The technologies and services focus on maximum utilization of raw materials, increased production efficiency, lower overall operating costs as well as innovative decarbonization strategies and autonomous plant operation. Boilers for power generation, flue gas cleaning systems, various nonwoven technologies, panelboard (MDF) production systems, as well as recycling and shredding solutions for numerous waste materials also form a part of this business area. State-of-the-art IIoT technologies as part of Metris digitalization solutions complete the comprehensive product offering.

Stora Enso has completed the divestment of its Nymölla paper production site in Sweden, and all related assets to Sylvamo, a US-based global producer of uncoated paper. The divestment announced on 15 September 2022 was closed today after regulatory approvals. The enterprise value of the transaction is approximately EUR 150 million.

The Nymölla site’s capacity is 485,000 metric tonnes of woodfree uncoated office papers, with Multicopy as the leading paper brand. Based on the 2021 figures, the divestment is expected to reduce Stora Enso’s annual sales by approximately EUR 290 million. Subject to closing date adjustments, Stora Enso will book a one-time disposal loss of approximately EUR 25 million (including currency translation adjustments) in its IFRS operating profit in the first quarter of 2023, as an item affecting comparability.

This transaction is part of the earlier announced plan to divest four of Stora Enso’s five paper production sites. In line with its strategy, Stora Enso’s focus is on long-term growth potential for its renewable products in packaging, building solutions and biomaterials innovations.

The divestment process continues for the remaining paper sites in Hylte and Anjala with no committed timeline for conclusion. The process has no immediate effect on Stora Enso’s paper operations which continue to serve their respective customers.

About Sylvamo
Sylvamo (NYSE: SLVM) is a global paper company with mills in Europe, Latin America and North America. It transforms renewable resources into papers that people depend on for education, communication, and entertainment. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Sylvamo employs more than 7,500 people. Net sales for 2021 were $3.5 billion. For more information, please visit sylvamo.com.

Recent releases about Stora Enso’s paper assets:

15 September 2022: Stora Enso has signed an agreement to divest its Nymölla paper site to Sylvamo
13 September 2022: Stora Enso has signed an agreement to divest its Maxau paper site to Schwarz Produktion
7 June 2022: Stora Enso assesses growth opportunities in recycled packaging materials with a conversion in Langerbrugge

29 March 2022: Stora Enso plans to divest four paper sites to focus on strategic growth areas

Renewcell has successfully produced its first fiber material with the ADuro textile fiber preparation system from ANDRITZ at its new site in Sundsvall, Sweden. Renewcell applies the process to produce pure dissolving pulp from 100% textile waste. The product is finally transformed by Renewcell’s customers into new garments for the circular clothing industry. The plant in Sundsvall recently reached its Commercial Operation Date (COD) on October 31, 2022.

• ANDRITZ technology contributes to circular fashion with key solutions for production of pulp made from 100% textile waste
• ANDRITZ textile fiber preparation system lays the foundation for a pioneering recycling process developed by Renewcell

ANDRITZ installed a complete textile fiber preparation system based on shredding and separation technology. Shredders of the ADuro product line form the technological centerpiece of the system and shred used textiles in only one step, enabling a throughput of up to 60,000 tons of textile waste per year. In the subsequent separation stages, impurities such as buttons and zippers are removed from the shredded textiles.

Different shredders of the ADuro product line from ANDRITZ © ANDRITZ

Since 2016, Renewcell and ANDRITZ have been working together on the development of Renewcell’s textile recycling process at its test plant in Kristinehamn, Sweden, and now also on their first commercial textile recycling plant in Sundsvall.

Renewcell was founded in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2012 and specializes in recycling textiles with the vision of making fashion circular. Its recycling technology transforms used cotton and other cellulose fibers into a new raw material called Circulose^® pulp. The pulp is used to produce high-quality biodegradable viscose or lyocell textile fibers for the fashion industry.

ANDRITZ focuses on sustainable and state-of-the-art recycling solutions for pre- and post-consumer textile waste usage and collaborates with internationally renowned partners. ANDRITZ has always been a pioneer in providing industrially and economically viable solutions that bring the circular economy to the world of textile fibers. Read more: www.andritz.com/textile-recycling-technologies

ANDRITZ GROUP

International technology group ANDRITZ offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants, equipment, systems, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries and end markets. ANDRITZ is a global market leader in all four of its business areas – Pulp & Paper, Metals, Hydro, and Separation. Technological leadership, global presence and sustainability are the cornerstones of the group’s strategy, which is focused on long-term profitable growth. The publicly listed group has around 27,900 employees and over 280 locations in more than 40 countries.

ANDRITZ PULP & PAPER

ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper provides sustainable technology, automation, and service solutions for the production of all types of pulp, paper, board and tissue. The technologies and services focus on maximum utilization of raw materials, increased production efficiency, lower overall operating costs as well as innovative decarbonization strategies and autonomous plant operation. Boilers for power generation, flue gas cleaning systems, various nonwoven technologies, panelboard (MDF) production systems, as well as recycling and shredding solutions for numerous waste materials also form a part of this business area. State-of-the-art IIoT technologies as part of Metris digitalization solutions complete the comprehensive product offering.

SCA has acquired its first wind farm with the purchase of 36 wind turbines in Markbygden in Piteå municipality, northern Sweden. The acquisition is in line with the company’s previously stated goal of becoming one of the Sweden’s leading providers of fossil-free electricity generated by wind power. Twenty per cent of Sweden's installed wind power capacity is currently located on land owned by SCA. 

"This is an important first step for SCA, and we’re now considering options to upgrade the wind farm over time, so that each turbine multiplies the amount of power produced on land that is already in use," says Ulf Larsson, SCA President and CEO. 

The Skogberget wind farm was commissioned in 2014 and was acquired with the purchase of 100 % of the shares in Skogberget Vind AB from Enercon for approximately SEK 800 million. 

The park is located in Markbygden in Piteå municipality, which has been designated by the Swedish Energy Agency as a national interest for wind farms and consists of a total of 36 turbines with a total installed capacity of about 85 MW. The annual electricity production from the site is estimated at close to 200 GWh. 
 
Of the 36 wind turbines, 15 are located on SCA land. The remaining 21 wind turbines are operated under agreements with about 10 landowners that are valid until 2062. 

"The wind farm has great potential for increased electricity production through upgrading, so-called re-powering. Through re-powering, production capacity can be increased by replacing existing turbines with new ones with several times greater power per turbine," says Larsson. 
 
With today's transaction, SCA has initiated its Renewable Energy business area strategy to transform its wind power business model from being lease-based to also acquiring, developing, building, and managing wind farms on its own land.