Displaying items by tag: omya

Omya and NewPage Corporation kicked off operations with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at the precipitated calcium carbonate plant located at the NewPage Escanaba paper mill site.

            The Omya plant brings seven new jobs to the community.

PCC is an essential raw material used in the papermaking process. It lends to key properties such as bulk, opacity, brightness and whiteness. PCC is manufactured using lime and carbon dioxide (CO₂).

The Escanaba mill previously purchased PCC from another supplier. With the PCC plant on-site, the mill saves on transportation costs. The lime needed for the PCC manufacturing process is purchased from the Upper Peninsula.

The environment also benefits from the on-site plant. Before the PCC plant was in operation, the CO₂ produced by the mill was emitted into the air and considered waste. The on-site plant uses CO₂ generated by the Escanaba mill in the process, reducing the environmental impact.

“We’re very pleased to see this PCC plant in operation at the Escanaba mill,” said NewPage Chief Executive Officer George Martin. “This plant is a step toward helping us achieve our long-term vision. The creation of this plant deepens our relationship with our strategic partner, Omya.”

Escanaba Mill Manager Roger Rouleau said, “By locating the plant here at the Escanaba mill, it’s not only mutually beneficial for Omya and NewPage, the improved economics and job creation help support the local economy.”

Tony Colak, CEO for Omya Region Americas said, “We are very excited to see this new PCC plant for NewPage Escanaba in operation. Most importantly, we are pleased to be a strategic supplier and partner with NewPage. The close collaboration between Omya and NewPage has resulted in this long-term commitment.”

Finch and Omya to expand process capabilities in the Glens Falls mill; business agreement expected to expand grade lines well into the future

Finch Paper, a dynamic uncoated paper company, has announced a long-term supply agreement with Omya, a leading manufacturer Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC).

The Finch mill, established in 1865, has a long history of manufacturing innovation. Its integrated infrastructure has allowed Finch to capitalize on integrated processes which in turn improves quality control and financial performance. Finch Paper was one of the first paper mills to construct its own PCC plant in 1984, and now looks to Omya’s technological advancements and process capabilities to accelerate their success in new markets.

Omya is a leading global producer of industrial minerals derived from calcium carbonate.

Paper being just one of their major markets, Omya operates nearly two dozen PCC plants in paper mills around the world. Finch Paper President and CEO Joseph Raccuia said “Omya has developed proprietary operating techniques that, combined with new investments we are making in our own plant, will take our operations to a whole new level.”

In a unique arrangement, the experienced team of Finch employees will continue to operate the PCC plant. Omya employees will be on-site on a regular basis, training the Finch Paper PCC team in these advanced operating practices. Omya Regional Sales Manager Tim Bradley said “Our organization is dedicated to finding solutions that increase the viability of the paper mills across the U.S.” The strategic partnership, built upon a mutual respect, is a key advancement within both companies’ business strategy.

“The Finch operators not only understand PCC, but also have an intimate knowledge of the papermaking process,” Tim Bradley said. “Their holistic approach is a definite advantage in terms of quality, speed and cost.”

Precipitated Calcium Carbonate is used to fill gaps between the fiber in a sheet of paper.

The “filler” contributes to important paper characteristics such as brightness, opacity, and bulk. PCC is formed by adding carbon dioxide gas to lime and water. Producing its own PCC is more economical for Finch than buying this ingredient, but also enables the company to capture and re-use 50 million pounds per year of carbon dioxide from its Power Plant rather than emitting the greenhouse gases into the air.

PCC can be formed in a variety of particle sizes with varying surface characteristics to produce specific paper properties. The collaborative effort of Omya and Finch will augment the mill’s ability to produce tailored solutions and further supports Finch’s growth in the emerging transactional-promotional and print-on-demand book segments.