International Paper Luiz Antonio, Brazil, have increased their dryness on PM LAN2 by 2.7%, operating the right combination of Voith products. As a result, PM LAN2 has reached record reel speeds of 1,180 m/min, exceeding previous speed by 10.4%. Consolidating those results, through process adjustments and machine crew development, will generate a potential production increase of 52 t/day.

In 2011, IP Luiz Antonio began the implementation of a project for optimizing press efficiency of PM LAN2. Voith had offered a complete press analysis with specialist measurement tools and knowledge to collect the necessary data. From the analysis results, a Voith press water balance was performed followed by engineering recommendations for fabric designs, roll cover material and surface geometry. The high water storage capacity of the Voith polyurethane covers along with the press felts resulted in a 2.7% increase in dryness from 41.12% to 43.85%.

IP Luiz Antonio produces uncoated woodfree copy paper on the 5.10 m wide PM LAN2, at an average speed of 1,110 m/min, helped by a combination of Voith products such as SolarFlow suction roll cover, PrintFlex V4L felts and G2000 press rolls together with PrintFlex S3 in the third press.

Product Manager Eurípedes L. Valadão Junior, IP Luiz Antonio, states: "This development was a clear demonstration that combined efforts between supplier and customer through motivated people are capable of breaking many paradigms, generating significant impact on efficiency and quality in the production process."