Displaying items by tag: pulp

Tuesday, 20 April 2010 11:05

Paper Excellence Acquires Mackenzie Pulp Mill

The Mackenzie pulp mill in British Columbia has been acquired by Paper Excellence B.V., for an undisclosed sum. The transaction secures the future of the mill which is expected to resume production of high quality NBSK pulp in the fall. The Mackenzie mill employs over 240 workers and will generate significant additional economic activity and jobs within the region.

Paper Excellence B.V. is a Netherland-based company associated with one of the world's largest pulp and paper producers of Asia Pulp and Paper brands.

This Mackenzie mill is the Paper Excellence Group's second acquisition in Canada. It currently owns and operates a pulp mill in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.

"We are very pleased to have a company like Paper Excellence establish itself in British Columbia," says Pat Bell, Minister of Forests and Range. "It already has experience in Canada with its mill in Meadow Lake and the company has maintained a high level of safe profitable production and regulatory compliance."

It took a concerted effort by a number of organizations and groups to get the mill to the point where it could resume production. Team Mackenzie of the Mackenzie Pulp Mill Development Corporation preserved the capacity of the mill to resume production. The Provincial Government worked with the District of Mackenzie to consolidate and reduce the debt of the mill.

"I want to credit the hard working public servants in the Rural BC Secretariat for the instrumental role they played in crafting a deal that will ensure hundreds of people in Mackenzie can head back to work," said B.C. Community and Rural Development Minister Bill Bennett. "It is personally gratifying to be able to help the District of Mackenzie at a time when the people of Mackenzie really need it."

The McLeod Lake Indian Band worked with the Ministry of Forests and Range to help secure the fibre needed to start the mill.

"We are very pleased that we have been able to work with the government and the community and be part of the effort to bring the mill back into production," says Chief Derek Orr of the McLeod Lake Indian Band. "By working together we can provide benefits for the entire region."

Also important was the negotiation of a new collective agreement with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP). The agreement preserves wages, benefits and pensions, while enabling the mill to reopen with significant cost reductions.

"This is very good news for our members and for the community of Mackenzie," says CEP Western Region Vice President Jim Britton. "We are extremely happy to see our members return to well paying jobs within the forest industry and that it looks like they have a future in this industry."

Published in North American News
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At Milan Design Week 2010, April 14-19 at Superstudio Piú, Swedish lighting company Wästberg will launch a lighting fixture made in DuraPulp and developed in close collaboration with Swedish forestry industry company Södra and Swedish architects and designers Claesson Koivisto Rune.

 

Last year Claesson Koivisto Rune and Södra developed the Parupu children's chair out of DuraPulp, thus proving it possible to make a real chair of paper. Now Claesson Koivisto Rune and Södra team up with Wästberg to challenge themselves even further: merging electricity, paper and light, using paper, not only as a component or for casing, but really fully integrated.

 

"Combining old wisdom with ground-breaking technology is elementary to Wästbergs philosophy" says Magnus Wästberg, founder and CEO of Wästberg. "Paper has been used throughout history for making lamp shades. Now we are using paper for the actual structure of the fixture adding advanced LED technology."

 

"One principal mission for Södra, together with innovative partners, is to develop and supply tomorrow's raw materials based on renewable forest resources", says Karin Emilsson, director of technology at Södra and head of Södra Innovation. "The DuraPulp lamp by Wästberg meets high customer standards of functionality and design although it's made out of a new totally renewable material."


Notes to editors:

DuraPulp


DuraPulp is made from selected pulp from Södra combined with PLA (Polylactic acid, a renewable biopolymer produced from starch). The two components in combination provide special properties that can be reinforced through hot pressing. DuraPulp is a material with high wet strength, high water resistance, high dimensional stability as well as high tensile strength and bending stiffness. DuraPulp is made from 100 per cent renewable fibres and is fully biodegradable.

 

Claesson Koivisto Rune w101

Material: DuraPulp, cast iron (base)
Light source: 5 W LED
Colour temperature: 3.000 K
CRI > 90

 

Wästberg

Launched in 2008, Wästberg lamps are now sold globally and have been honoured with more than 20 awards for design excellence, including 6 Good Design Awards, 4 red dot awards, Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany and an Elle Interior Design Prize. Wästberg is based in Helsingborg, Skåne, the southernmost part of Sweden.

 

Södra

Södra is a Swedish group with broad forestry operations and is a leading producer of pulp, wood products and bioenergy. The company, which is owned by 52,000 forest owners in southern Sweden, has 4,000 employees and sales of SEK 17 billion.

 

Claesson Koivisto Rune

Internationally renowned architectural office founded in 1995 by Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune. The office has also established itself as a successful design studio. Today, they work with more than 50 companies worldwide.

 

For further information, please contact:
Lotta Wästberg, Wästberg, +46 72 232 4010
Thérèse Thelin, Södra, + 46 730 345 125

Published in European News
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Monday, 12 April 2010 09:19

The New L&W Moisture Tester

Correct moisture content is of absolutely vital significance for all grades of paper. The accurate measurement values assist the machine crew in keeping an even and high product quality. Alternations, which influence the quality, are quickly traced before leading to waste and costly breakdowns. New L&W Moisture Tester is a high precision offline benchtop moisture meter for production control and verification of online systems.

The instrument is based on Lorentzen & Wettre’s microwave moisture sensors, known worldwide within the pulp and paper industry. It measures and calculates the moisture content and the dry basis weight of paper, paper board, corrugated board, dry pulp and other fibre materials.

The microwave technique gives reliable measurement values, independent of the grade produced, including waste paper. Measurement results are neither affected by curled materials, nor by an uneven surface or a multilayer structure.

The tester is fast and easy to use. L&W Moisture Tester measures the moisture content on a large and representative number of samples in just a few seconds so there is no need for time consuming and labour intensive gravimetric testing. The operator simply takes a sample from the machine, puts it on the balance for a few seconds and then moves it through the measuring gap.

With L&W Moisture Tester it is possible to check the moisture content in all stages in the process chain:
• pulp sheets before leaving the pulp mill
• incoming pulp sheets before processing in paper mill
• paper products in the converting plant

L&W Moisture Tester is also suitable for trouble shooting since it checks the online sensors if there is an out of specification indication.

“It is always with great pride we release a new product – but there is always an element of uncertainty as well as one can never anticipate the market reaction to newly developed instruments.
In this case the feed-back from the market has been quicker than ever and the initial interest has been overwhelmingly positive. We therefore expect quite a lot from our new L&W Moisture Tester – the latest of our instruments based on microwave technology.”, says Fredrik Bosröm, Vice President Marketing at Lorentzen & Wettre.

Media contacts:
Mr. Thomas Fürst, Product Manager, AB Lorentzen & Wettre, Sweden.
Phone: + 46 8 477 91 64 | Mobile: + 46 70 583 63 20 | E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mr. Fredrik Boström, Vice President Marketing, AB Lorentzen & Wettre, Sweden.
Phone: + 46 8 477 91 20 | Mobile: + 46 70 638 87 47 | E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in European News

Catalyst Paper announced that it will restart the second line of pulp production at its Crofton NBSK kraft mill in early May, taking advantage of a stronger market. The first line of pulp production was restarted in October 2009 following a seven-month curtailment of the entire kraft mill due to weak pulp demand and pricing.

“We have adequate fibre supply and sales to support the additional volume which allows us to take advantage of the current uptick in pricing,” said Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer. “We’ll run as long as the economics are positive and will be keeping a very close watch on the order file and inventory levels.”

Restart of Crofton’s second line of production will add 165,000 tonnes of pulp capacity on an annualized basis. All Crofton pulp mill employees who are currently on layoff will be recalled.

Catalyst Paper manufactures diverse specialty printing papers, newsprint and pulp. Its customers include retailers, publishers and commercial printers in North America, Latin America, the Pacific Rim and Europe. With six facilities located in British Columbia and Arizona, Catalyst has a combined annual production capacity of 2.5 million tonnes. The company is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada and its common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CTL. Catalyst is listed on the Jantzi Social Index® and is ranked by Corporate Knights magazine as one of the 50 Best Corporate Citizens in Canada.

For more information:

Lyn Brown
Vice-President, Corporate Relations
604-247-4713

Published in European News

In these difficult times, it is the primary goal of Munksjö Decor to remain a reliable supplier to our valued customers. However, as a result of the present situation, we will face volume and price pressures which unfortunately lead to higher costs that are beyond our control. This, combined with the price increases from the titanium dioxide suppliers, has significantly increased our costs.

Due to the extraordinary situation in the pulp market, we are forced to increase our prices by 12 €/100 kg effective April 1, 2010. In addition, future price increases may be necessary because of the
unpredictable pulp market. This increase is in addition to the planned price increase that will become effective on July 1, 2010. Of course, already realized price increases from this extraordinary announcement will be considered in the implementation of this increase.

Published in Financial News

2014 12 08 091144Alfa Laval – a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has received an order for an evaporation system to a pulp and paper mill plant in Malaysia. The order value is about 50 MSEK and delivery will be completed in 2011.

The Alfa Laval evaporation system will be used in a process to concentrate black liquor, a by-product from the pulp and paper production, for further re-use as fuel in the plant. In addition the steam, which is the result from the concentration process, will be condensed and re-used as water in the process thus further reducing the environmental impact of the plant.
“The new plant is designed to enable a higher concentration of the black liquor than industry average, which will result in a better quality of the fuel as well as more process water recovered for the plant. All in all, an environmentally sound solution”, says Lars Renström, President and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group.

Did you know… that the Alfa Laval process solution results in such high quality of the black liquor that it can supply the majority of the plant’s energy demand?

About Alfa Laval
Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling.
The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.
Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications.
Alfa Laval’s worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100 countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena.
Alfa Laval is listed on the Nordic Exchange, Nordic Large Cap, and, in 2009, posted annual sales of about SEK 26 billion (approx. 2.45 billion Euros). The company has 11 400 employees.
www.alfalaval.com

For more information please contact:
Peter Torstensson
Senior Vice President, Communications
Alfa Laval
Tel: + 46 46 36 72 31
Mobile: +46 709 33 72 31

Published in Asian News
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The newest member of BTG's Duroblade family delivers extra-soft, extra thick tissue in both wet and dry creping applications.

 

BTG's Duroblade-Velvet™ has been specially developed to meet the needs of mills working in one of today's fastest-growing, most competitive markets. As global demand for tissue continues to grow steadily, thanks to new applications in segments like personal care and household cleaning, consumers are constantly on the look-out for softer, more luxurious products.

 

BTG customers working with both wet crepe and dry crepe machines are already reporting significant benefits in trials of Duroblade-Velvet, in terms of both product quality and overall production costs. Two test-bed mills both improved tissue bulk without any other changes to their production process, with one of them also able to reduce their fiber costs without any loss of product quality.

 

In dry creping, a mill which was already using Duroblade-Softcrepe™ blades was looking to further improve blade lifetimes and chip-resistance, while boosting tissue softness. BTG field engineers conducted a comparative trial with Duroblade-Softcrepe and Duroblade-Velvet set at a 75° bevel, retaining the same basis weight of 14.2 g/m2 and the same process conditions. The result was an 8% increase in tissue bulk, with Duroblade-Velvet delivering sheet thickness of 117.3 against the Softcrepe blade's 108.4. Chipping was reduced, and the end product retained its exceptional hand feel softness.


Cut back on furnish costs

In addition to improving tissue quality, Duroblade-Velvet gives manufacturers the option of lowering the basis weight of the paper, for significant potential savings on furnish costs as well as the ability to increase machine speed to boost output.

 

For applications where higher bulk is not needed, setting a 5° sharper blade bevel can achieve the same bulk level with a finer creping structure – a useful option for further improving hand feel softness and smoothness without any loss of bulk.

btgart3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: BTG's new creping doctor: Duroblade-Velvet

Top-performing choice

Meanwhile, another BTG customer using a wet crepe machine to manufacture different towel grades (22-48 g/m2) and napkins (18-19.5 g/m2) wanted to retain the high bulk his products require while significantly improving blade lifetimes and quality consistency.

 

The mill manufactures towel grades using CTMP plus broke, and uses 100% virgin pulp for all other grades. Its regular 90° steel and long life creping blades could only deliver lifetimes of 6-12 hours, necessitating frequent blade changes and lost production time. Add to that the fact that the production process is a little different from a standard wet crepe application, and it was clear an innovative solution was called for.

 

BTG engineers' goal was to find a solution that could deliver at least 30 hours' blade lifetime, with high bulk, stable quality consistency, and good machine runnability. They chose to trial both Duroblade-Standard blades and Duroblade-Velvet blades in 90°, alongside the mill's standard steel blades – an inspired choice, since Duroblade-Velvet blades had not previously been used in wet creping.

 

The result: Duroblade-Velvet not only achieved 50 hours' blade life with very stable runnability, it delivered the best bulk results of all three blades tested, allowing the mill to reduce Basis Weight by 3% (1.3g), and to use 50% more broke in the mix without any loss of bulk compared with production using steel blades. That 3% reduction has resulted in huge savings on fiber costs – and one very happy customer.

Published in European News
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Friday, 26 March 2010 09:30

CTS Engtec gains Membership of Russian SRO

CTS has got a membership of SRO for practicing design activities in Russia. Scope of this engineering license covers company´s earlier Russian engineering licenses.

 

The earlier license obtaining practice has been changed at the end of year 2009 to a system where companies apply for membership of so called self-regulated organizations (SRO) which have been established especially for this purpose. Federal environment and technology organization Rostechnadzor has given for particular, non commercial organizations a right to grant certificates for practicing design activity in Russia.

 

The certificates can be granted without time limitations for activity for both domestic and foreign companies.

 

CTS Engtec has a lot of experience in the design of demanding paper, board and pulp mill projects as well as in the design of energy systems for paper, pulp and the mechanical forest industries in Russia. The company has an excellant technical knowledge of renewable energy sources e.g CHP- plants (combined heat and power) and bioenergy plants.

 

The company can provide Russian clients conceptual study, pre-study and pre-engineering, basic and detail engineering, environmental technology services, project management and maintenance engineering.

 

CTS's flexible organization and working methods are particularly adapted for implementing rebuild projects as well as green field mill projects in Russia and around the world.

Published in European News
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After extensive field testing in tissue mills, Metso is now delivering a new all-in-one sensor which measures tissue fiber weight and moisture simultaneously in the PaperIQ Select quality control system. The new sensor, called IQFiber, measures fiber weight and moisture on the same spot of paper using a multi-channel infrared detector. The need for a traditional basis weight sensor with a nuclear source has been eliminated. Therefore, the time and costs involved in nuclear safety training, nuclear licenses and specialized service and safety requirements have been eliminated.

IQFiber is installed in numerous tissue mills using virgin pulp or 100% recycled furnish. Users of the IQFiber sensor report lower maintenance and cleaning requirements, leading to increased productivity. Also, with more precise control over dry fiber weight, tissue makers have been able to reduce target sheet weight at the same quality, thereby saving valuable fiber furnish.

The speed of response and signal to noise ratio of the IQFiber measurement are significantly better than traditional nuclear sensors, making it most appropriate for the detection of transient or cyclical variations and allowing more precise control. The MD variability in the sheet is detected at a very fast 1 kHz sampling rate and the CD streak resolution is 5 mm. The signature frequency components of these fast-responding online measurements are determined by the spectral analysis capability built into the PaperIQ Select system. This high speed measurement analysis adds a significant troubleshooting capability to the system, making it possible to perform detailed online variability studies and to make process improvements.

For further information, please contact: Seyhan Nuyan, Director, Paper Applications, tel. +1 678 575 0448

Published in European News
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The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today released its 50th Annual Survey of Paper, Paperboard, and Pulp Capacity,  which reported that U.S. paper and paperboard capacity declined 2.5 percent in 2009 to 93.9 million tons. The decline took place against a backdrop of a severe global economic recession.  Paper and paperboard production is rebounding from the recession-induced lows reached in early 2009.

The Survey also reported that 14 U.S. mills were permanently closed in 2009, shutting down 16 paper and paperboard machines, and an additional 11 machines were permanently shut down at other mills.  Furthermore, several mills and machines have been indefinitely idled in response to weak market conditions, but have not been removed from the Survey base because they may be restarted at some future date.

According to data reported to the Survey, total paper and paperboard capacity is expected to decline 3.4% in 2010 and then remain essentially stable in 2011 and 2012.

The Survey reports U.S. industry capacity data for the years 2009 through 2012 for all major grades of paper, paperboard, and pulp, based on a comprehensive survey of all U.S. pulp and paper mills. Survey respondents represent about 90 percent of the U.S. industry capacity.

The complete Survey with detailed tables can be purchased for $1,650 by contacting Michelle Gaskins at AF&PA (202-463-5162, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).


For More Information:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in European News
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