Displaying items by tag: Toscotec

Graphic paper manufacturer Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine started up PM6 after a dryer section rebuild supplied by Toscotec at its Etival Clairefontaine mill in France. The machine produces graphic paper in the basis weight range from 60 to 100 gsm. 

The project was focused on PM6’s pre-dryer section for which Toscotec supplied TT SteelDryers designed for an operating steam pressure of 10 barg, as well as an upgrade of the machine frame. The associated services included the complete erection with supervision, commissioning, and start-up assistance. 

The rebuild has achieved the target of increasing PM6’s drying face length without changing the overall width of the machine frame. 

PM6’s dryer section at Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine’s Etival Clairefontaine mill in France.

Julien Courant, Production Engineer at Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine, says, “The project had a positive outcome. We have enhanced our paper quality by improving the moisture profile in cross direction.”

Giancarlo Gianlorenzi, Sales Manager at Toscotec, says, “Through the cooperation with a well-established player such as Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine, Toscotec strengthens its presence in the French market. We were very happy to support the mill in the coordination of the project. Based on our vast experience in dryer section rebuilds, we are well positioned to continue serving this market area effectively.”

About Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine
Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine is a subsidiary of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine group, which is comprised of over fifty companies and employs over 3,200 staff, including 580 people at Les Papeteries de Clairefontaine. They are a well-established market player and produce a wide range of office and graphic papers. 

Toscotec will supply a complete rebuild of PM1’s drying section to Rexcell Tissue & Airlaid at its Skåpafors mill in Sweden. Planned for the second half of 2024, the project aims to support Rexcell to achieve substantial energy consumption reductions as part of its strong commitment to sustainability. 

Energy Saving Customized solution
Toscotec will supply a customized solution designed to deliver substantial gas consumption reductions, as well as a significant increase in machine run-ability.
The scope includes a press section upgrade, a latest generation TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer with new steam and condensate system, and a high efficiency TT Hood with a complete air system. The latter features various steps of heat recovery and an advanced BMS (Burner Management System) to optimize combustion efficiency through precise control of the combustion air, where the burners are fit to make an efficient use of LPG first and biomethane in the near future. The hood plant is also equipped with TT Drying Equilibrium, a reliable system that automatically regulates the air balance in the hoods, thereby ensuring maximum drying efficiency, faster basis weight changes, and a production increase. 

Rexcell Tissue & Airlaid’s production facility at Skåpafors in Sweden.

Two-fold target
The rebuild aims to considerably reduce PM1’s thermal energy consumption through the use of state-of-the-art drying technology designed for energy efficiency, and to increase the machine speed and production capacity in the future. 

Lars Andersson, CEO at Duni Rexcell, comments, “At Rexcell we take global environmental challenges very seriously. As a part of Duni AB, we share the same vision to be Net Zero 2030 along with considerable energy reductions. This machine upgrade is a strategic investment that perfectly fits into this vision. Toscotec’s energy efficient technology will take us a step closer to realizing maximum energy savings and minimal material footprint.”

Riccardo Gennai, Sales Manager at Toscotec, says, “It is a pleasure for Toscotec to cooperate with Rexcell who is on track to operationalize its transition from fossil-based to fossil-free sources. By developing a customised solution for the new drying section of their PM1, we will ensure the highest possible energy efficiency, as well as substantial energy savings compared to the present configuration.”

About Rexcell Tissue & Airlaid AB
Rexcell, a wholly owned subsidiary of Duni Group, operates one of the most advanced paper mills in Europe for the production of specialised tissue. Located in Skåpafors, Sweden, the mill started production in 1898 with their first paper machine. Through continuous innovation, today Rexcell produces Airlaid, Tissue and Evolin products in a variety of colours.

Toscotec has renewed its sponsorship of Pianeta Terra Festival, a far-reaching dive into Sustainability running from 5^th to 8^th October in Lucca, Italy. Following the vastly successful first edition of 2022, the festival organizers, the publisher Laterza and its director, prominent plant neurobiologist and author Stefano Mancuso, have decided to focus this second edition on the theme of “The Network of Life”, i.e. the dense, ingenious network that binds together all living creatures.  

Sustainability is explored from a multidisciplinary perspective that spans across ecosystems, climate, new economic models, energy, agriculture, food, urban development, but also new political, social, philosophical, anthropological, and artistic visions. The festival sets out to disseminate knowledge and prompt conversations around the theme of Sustainability, as well as promote a deeper understanding of our close interdependence with Nature.

“We are happy to renew our support for Pianeta Terra Festival among the great anticipation we are witnessing of its return to Lucca this October” says Alessandro Mennucci, CEO of Toscotec. “We look forward to seeing the festival hit a new record-high in public turnout, with people from our province as well as visitors joining in and reverberating the discourse on this crucial subject.” 

The program of Pianeta Terra Festival is online: www.pianetaterrafestival.it  

Contact
Giulia Fabbri 
Sustainability & Communication Senior Manager 
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Shawano Specialty Papers, a division of Little Rapids Corporation, started up a TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer supplied by Toscotec at their paper mill in Shawano, Wisconsin, USA. It replaced an existing cast iron dryer on PM3. 

Technological advantages
(From left to right): Michael Drage, President of Toscotec North America, and Michael Bogenschutz, Vice President and General Manager of Shawano Specialty Papers in front of PM3 at Shawano facility in Wisconsin, USA. The new TT SYD has significantly increased PM3’s production capacity and is ensuring higher operation safety. Compared with the replaced cast iron Yankee, it is delivering substantial energy savings, which reduce the overall operating costs of the tissue machine. 

Indisputable market leadership 
Toscotec holds a large majority of the global market share of Steel Yankee Dryers boasting more than 260 TT SYD sold worldwide. Since its first Steel Yankee started up in 2000, TT SYD has been installed in every corner of the globe. It is now present in more than 45 countries across 5 continents, with a stronghold in Europe where it holds close to 95% of the market share. With this successful start-up, it strengthens its position in the USA as undisputed Steel Yankee market leader.

Michael Bogenschutz, Vice President and General Manager of Shawano Specialty Papers, says “Toscotec provided excellent technical support throughout the entire project. Start-up of the new Yankee went smoothly, and the dryer is performing well. We are experiencing lower energy consumption and are seeing the potential for increased production efficiency.”

Michael Drage, President of Toscotec North America, Inc., says, “Our latest-generation design Steel Yankee delivers the highest possible drying efficiency in the tissue industry, which is of course a deal breaker for any tissue producer. We are happy to see that with this TT SYD Shawano Specialty Papers has gained a key competitive advantage to support their growth in North America.”  

About Little Rapids Corporation
Founded by Charles Egan in 1947, it remains a family-owned business. The company’s core product lines serve the medical and beauty market segments, flexographic printing for a variety of packaging markets, and tissue, MG paper, and wet crepe paper for the specialty paper market. The company proudly employs over 450 people in its Green Bay and Shawano, Wisconsin locations. 

Toscotec will supply a forming section rebuild of PM2 to Gulf Paper Manufacturing at their Mina Abdullah paper mill in Kuwait. PM2 machine produces tissue from 100% virgin fibres, and it is scheduled for rebuild at the end of 2023. This is a repeat order for Toscotec who in 2019 successfully delivered a major dryer section rebuild of Gulf Paper’s packaging paper machine (PM1).

The project aims to improve PM2’s paper formation and basis weight cross direction (CD) control through an approach flow system upgrade and the installation of a state-of-the-art TT Headbox. The new headbox will be designed to match the high quality requirements for facial tissue in the Middle Eastern market.

Toscotec and Gulf Paper Manufacturing (GPM) at Paper One Show in UAE (from right to left): Marco Dalle Piagge, Sales Director Tissue Toscotec; Fabio Bargiacchi, Sales Manager Toscotec; Tareeq Al Moasherji, CEO GPM; Ghaleb Alhadhrami, Projects & Development Manager GPM; Ahmed Kasim, Plant Manager GPM; Enrico Fazio, Sales Director P&B Toscotec.

Ghaleb Alhadhrami, Gulf Paper Manufacturing Projects & Development Manager, says, “With Toscotec’s rebuild of our packaging paper machine in 2019, we achieved a substantial production increase, reduced sheet breaks by over 80%, and improved paper quality especially in the moisture profile and hand feel. We are confident that Toscotec will deliver on this new upgrade of our tissue machine as successfully as they did two years ago. This new headbox and approach flow system are also fit for a future rebuild into crescent former configuration.”

Fabio Bargiacchi, Sales Manager at Toscotec, says, “A rebuild is always a challenge, as it requires strong engineering skills, experience, and flexibility. We are delighted that our tailor made solution was selected for this project. Our technology will support Gulf Paper to improve product quality and strengthen their tissue business. Toscotec consolidates its position in the Middle East, which includes 4 projects for super-soft facial tissue production awarded over the last two years.”

About Gulf Paper Manufacturing
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. The company’s 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.

Contact
Fabio Bargiacchi
Sales Manager, Tissue division Toscotec
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Egyptian linerboard manufacturer ETAP started up PM2 at its Borg Elarab mill, following a press section rebuild successfully carried out by Toscotec. PM2 produces testliner, kraftliner, top kraftliner and white top in the range from 125 to 240 gsm. In 2018, the machine had already been modified by Toscotec who entirely rebuilt its Fourdrinier wire section in stainless steel.  

Toscotec successfully replaced an existing plain press in the first part of PM2’s press section with a new bi-nip concept press, which has achieved a two-fold target. First, the increase of post-press dryness; and second, an efficiency increase of the entire press section through a substantial reduction of paper breaks. 

Mohamed Ashour, Managing Director at ETAP, says: “On our second major rebuild with Toscotec, we are once again very satisfied with their ability to effectively manage the project from inception to completion. ETAP has increased its production capacity taking advantage of Toscotec’s advanced technology.” 

ETAP and Toscotec teams during the start-up of PM2 at ETAP mill in Egypt: (from left to right) Marco Del Chiaro, Project Manager Toscotec; Vedran Simic, Mechanical Supervisor Toscotec; Mohamed Ashour, Managing Director ETAP; Sameh Habib, CEO Chemitex Egypt for Trading & Agencies; Luca Nesi, Design Engineer Toscotec; Flavio Biondi, Automation Supervisor.

“ETAP is an important customer for Toscotec in Egypt and in the Middle Eastern market” comments Enrico Fazio, Sales Director Paper & Board division Toscotec. “We had a very positive cooperation four years ago, and we are very satisfied to carry on our collaboration with this project and to continue supporting them with Toscotec’s expert services in the future.” 

Sameh Habib, CEO at Chemitex Egypt for Trading & Agencies S.A.E., says, “The partnership with ETAP has been successful for over two decades and we are very proud to contribute again to ETAP’s growth by successfully landing their latest rebuild in collaboration with Toscotec. We look forward to more success with upcoming projects.”  

About ETAP
Established in 1990, ETAP is a family business that has grown to become one of the leading manufacturers of high quality linerboard in Egypt. Its production facility is located in Borg Elarab, Alexandria, where it operates two paper machines with an annual production capacity of approximately 120,000 tpy. Their product range includes top kraftliner and testliner1 that are distributed in the local and export markets. 

Contact
Enrico Fazio
Sales Director, Paper & Board division Toscotec
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Juthor Paper Manufacturing, part of MEPCO Group, has started up a complete tissue line including an AHEAD 2.2L tissue machine and two OPTIMA slitter rewinders supplied by Toscotec on a turnkey basis at its new tissue mill in KAEC, Saudi Arabia. With this start-up, MEPCO, a leading containerboard manufacturer, effectively enters the tissue market. 

The turnkey supply
The scope includes the entire tissue production line from cellulose bale handling to the wrapping and labelling of the finished wound jumbo rolls. The double-width AHEAD 2.2L line features a maximum design speed of 2,200 m/min and an annual production capacity of over 60,000 tons. It is equipped with a shoe press TT NextPress of upgraded design, a third-generation TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer, and high efficiency TT Hood-Multigen with integrated cogeneration air system. The two OPTIMA 2600L slitter rewinders ensure the preservation of superior bulk and softness. 

Efficient tissuemaking with a Combined Heat and Power production (CHP)
The AHEAD machine is perfectly integrated with the mill’s CHP system, in order to tap on its secondary heat production to meet the thermal energy needs of the tissue production line. The drying section of the machine uses the CHP-produced thermal energy to both generate steam to use in the Steel Yankee Dryer and to achieve the correct drying temperature of hot air circulating in the Yankee hoods air system. As a result, the tissue machine will rely entirely on the CHP system for paper drying and will not require any additional gas consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. 

Adel Alfar, Operations Director at Juthor, says, “Our partnership with Toscotec has been marvellously successful. Even though we faced some challenges during the pandemic, we have successfully managed to deliver the test run and the commercial launch according to the scheduled timeline very smoothly and efficiently, producing premium quality tissue products.”

Stefano Raffaelli, Project Manager at Toscotec, says, “We are extremely happy of the positive outcome of this project. With a strong commitment to the project’s targets, we have overcome the global logistical challenges encountered during the pandemic and kept our focus on our shared goal of putting this state-of-the-art tissue line into operation. We are confident that the mill will benefit from its superior efficiency and paper quality right away.”

About MEPCO
MEPCO is the leading vertically integrated paper manufacturer in the Middle East, offering a diverse range of containerboard and specialty paper products serving the packaging, construction, furniture, and paper core industries around the world. MEPCO supplies its products to the local Saudi market, as well as the GCC, Middle East and Africa. The Company’s innovative approach to doing business enables it to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits to Saudi Arabia. MEPCO is listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) under symbol ‘1202’. 

Toscotec has successfully integrated its spare and wear parts portfolio into the Voith Paper Webshop. Customers can now order products quickly and easily around the clock using the latest functions. The Voith Paper Webshop has been operating for over six years and is constantly advancing to increase user-friendliness. Since June, Toscotec has onboarded more than 20 projects covering 3 multinational corporations.

The Webshop ensures easy consultation: users can access all the information they need on spare and wear parts in just a few clicks. It also allows for integration into the mill’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system so that customers can use their internal codes when planning for and purchasing spares.

Toscotec’s Webshop team (from left to right): Lorenzo Bonino, Spare Parts Technical Coordinator; Lorenzo Melani, Documentation Technical Coordinator.

Lorenzo Bonino, Spare Parts Technical Coordinator at Toscotec, says, “On one single platform, customers can both access their technical documentation and purchase spare parts. Information is made available for an entire paper mill, so that the staff of that production site can find everything in one place: topic-based and E-learning training, maintenance and operation manuals, as well as spare and wear parts for all their Toscotec equipment.”

Lorenzo Melani, Technical Coordinator of Toscotec Documentation Department, comments, “The Webshop saves time to the technical and administrative staff who search and purchase spares. They can access it from pc or tablet, and it allows for a much more quick, easy and efficient way to perform these tasks.”

Contact
Toscotec Spare Parts department
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Toscotec has successfully launched a new digital online Training Center, which offers in-depth and continuously updated technical information and user-friendly education tools. The onboarding of 10 tissue producers was completed in only three months. 

Based on Voith’s web portal, the new Training Center has been fully developed and operationalized by Toscotec. The responsible team composed of Pietro Morrica (Training Technical Manager and Sales Support), Lorenzo Melani (Technical Coordinator), and Gabriele Belli (Technical Writer), answered a few questions to point out its key features.

What does the Training Center offer?
Pietro Morrica: First and foremost, it offers immediate access to a very comprehensive set of technical information anytime and on any device. It gives customers on-demand learning tools for their new technology so that they can promptly and independently learn about and resolve many problems that require expert knowledge to fix whenever they occur. 

Toscotec’s Documentation team (from right to left): Pietro Morrica, Training Technical Manager and Sales Support; Lorenzo Melani, Technical Coordinator; Gabriele Belli, Technical Writer.

What kind of training can you find in the Training Center?
Pietro Morrica: Both topic-based Training Presentations and animated E-Learning Video Procedures for all tissue mill equipment from Stock Preparation, Main Machine, Support Sub Systems, all the way through Finished Roll Handling after Rewinders. The topic-based Training Presentations gives easy to understand explanations of the technical and functional concepts of Toscotec’s supplied equipment, how to set up the equipment properly, so those concepts work during operation, as well as in depth mechanical and electrical maintenance details of the various systems. Let’s take for instance the Shoe Press, a user will find all information relating to its mechanical structure and working theory, the hydraulic P&ID diagrams with explanations of the lubrication system components and function, its DCS operation (the tilt and all settings and adjustments), troubleshooting guides, and so on. In brief, all things Shoe Press from any point of view are included and easily accessible. 

What about the E-learning part? 
Lorenzo Melani: The E-Learning part is specifically designed for maintenance purposes, as it uses both animations and recorded video/pictures of actual equipment to clearly show each step of various maintenance procedures of the complex electro-mechanical automation systems. Firstly, being web-based, it can be accessed from any kind of device - pc, tablet, phone, or even augmented reality glasses/visor – on the mill floor while directly in front of the equipment. Secondly, operators can watch the video procedure they need to perform while doing it; they can simply play and pause the procedure as they go along. Finally, it is custom and all-inclusive, in the sense that Toscotec will work directly with a customer to develop whatever they will need and give suggestions according to our experience so all the information they need will be there. Before, maintenance operators worked with static mechanical assembly drawings, which required experience and advanced mechanical skills but don’t offer any electrical and automation detail. Or they had static procedures that gave limited sense of exactly which actions are needed. With Toscotec’s E-Learning, we go from that level of abstraction and compartmentalized information to the reality of on demand, in the field, motion demonstrated, access to any information (mechanical, electrical, and control-related) in an easy to follow and immediate manner. 

What does continuous update mean and why does it matter?
Gabriele Belli: Toscotec custom develops the training using the project specific 3D drawings of its technology in order to guarantee that the information given matches the actual machine installed at the mill. For operators and maintenance personnel on site, it is vital that the user manual, the topic-based Training Presentations and E-Learning are spot on to what’s actually in front of them. We are in charge of continuous information updates in the Training Center, and it is a task we carry out daily. If there is an engineering change in the field, we can easily adjust the online material to match. So anytime someone goes online to view the information, the person is assured they are accessing the absolute latest and greatest design version.

Contact
Lorenzo Melani
Technical Coordinator, Documentation Department Toscotec 
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.