On 17 October, Mikael Ankerfors obtained his licentiate degree with his thesis “Microfibrillated cellulose: Energy-efficient preparation techniques and key properties”, which summarizes the effects of research within this field at Innventia.

The forest industry is looking for new business opportunities and products, and nanocellulose is an exciting possibility. Nanocellulose, also known as microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), is a potential bulk product with possible uses including as a strengthening component in other materials, such as paper and bioplastics. It could also be used in a diverse range of applications such as barrier materials for packaging, food additives, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and electronics. At Innventia, research has focused mainly on the actual process – being able to produce nanocellulose in a way that is as energy-efficient as possible – and many advances have been made. Based on these research findings, a pilot facility was built in 2010 to produce nanocellulose in sufficient quantities for further development towards practical applications.

Mikael Ankerfors’ thesis describes three alternative processes for producing MFC, in which pulp fibres are first pre-treated and then homogenized using a high-pressure homogenizer. In one process, fibre cell wall delamination was facilitated with a combined enzymatic and mechanical pre-treatment. In the two other processes, this was done by introducing anionically charged groups into the fibre walls. All three processes are industrially feasible and enable production with considerably lower energy consumption – 91-98 percent lower – than that presented in earlier studies. By optimizing this pre-treatment, the quality – such as a film’s mechanical and optical properties and oxygen barrier – can be improved. The materials produced have been characterized in various ways, and it has been demonstrated that the MFCs produced are approximately 5-30 nm wide and up to several microns long.

Nanocellulose is an important part of Innventia’s research into material processes. Mikael’s licentiate thesis now provides a summary of various research collaborations in recent years.

“This work is an effect of international cooperation within projects financed by the EU and VINNOVA, as well as work within Innventia’s industry-financed Cluster Research Programme,” he explains.

“A great deal is being done by many different players, and I am delighted to be able to present a thesis summarizing some of what we can currently achieve when it comes to MFC.” “We hope that MFC will become a commercial product,” says Torgny Persson, Director of Business Area Material Processes at Innventia. “For example, Stora Enso is now investing in a pre-commercial production facility in Imatra. The research carried out together with the pilot facility is absolutely crucial in order for companies to make further progress.”

More than 300 clients gather in Lucca from all over the world

Italian paper machinery manufacturer Toscotec celebrated the sale of its 100th steel yankee dryer for tissue production with a ceremony held in its new factory unit at Marlia, Lucca last week.

It was the year 2000 when Toscotec delivered its first steel Yankee dryer – TT SYD – and in little over a decade the company has sold 100 units, establishing a firm position as the market leader for the technology. 50 different customers and 29 countries testify to this success.

Tissue analyst Esko Uutela, said in a speech during the evening that Toscotec holds more than 70 per cent of the world market for steel Yankees, a market which is set for steady growth, since the technology offers numerous advantages: most specifically safety and energy saving, both topics of the moment. In fact, more paper mills than ever have been considering the installation of the TT SYD, both for new paper machines and for retrofits, as the significant savings of this technology have gradually become more and more evident.

The celebration attracted more than 300 clients from all over the world. During the evening three companies received awards: the Italian tissue producer Eurovast, who installed the first TT SYD, the Chinese group C&S, who bought 10 steel Yankee dryers from Toscotec, and another leading Chinese group, Vinda, who signed the contract for TT SYD number 100.

The ceremony was held in a new building erected on the Toscotec production site. The new facility will be dedicated to the construction and assembly of Steel Yankees up to 22ft in diameter and 9m deckle.

The packaging operations that were divested on June 30, 2012, are reported for the current and preceding year only as a separate line item in the income statement – Net profit for the period from disposal group. Comments in this report are thus entirely exclusive of the packaging operations.

The formation of a joint venture in Australia/New Zealand through the sale of 50% of the shares and a deconsolidation of the operations from the start of the year constitutes the divestment that is referred to in this report. Figures for the preceding year have not been recalculated.

• Net sales rose 3% (8% excluding exchange rate effects and divestments) to SEK 61,963m (60,402)
• Operating profit excluding items affecting comparability rose 11% (13% excluding exchange rate effects and divestments) to SEK 6,224m (5,599)
• Items affecting comparability amounted to SEK -1,441m (-152)
• Earnings per share were SEK 4.09 (5.66)               
• Cash flow from current operations was SEK 5,607m (3,802)

(Table included in attached pdf download link provided below)
 
CEO’S COMMENTS
The acquisition of Georgia-Pacific's European tissue business was completed in July. The acquisition strengthens our product offering and geographic presence in Europe and will generate substantial synergies. The business has developed in line with or slightly better than the projections in the acquisition plan.

In accordance with our strategy to focus on more highly refined products in the publication papers business, in October we divested our 50% shareholding in Aylesford Newsprint, and during the same month we completed the upgrade of a newsprint machine in Sweden.

The hygiene operations are showing favorable growth and earnings performance. For Forest Products, weak demand, low prices and a strengthened Swedish krona have had a negative impact on profitability.

Consolidated net sales for the first nine months of 2012, excluding exchange rate effects and the divestment, increased by 8% compared with the same period a year ago. Net sales increased for the Personal Care and Tissue businesses by 11% and 12%, respectively, excluding exchange rate effects and the divestment in Australia/New Zealand. For Forest Products, net sales fell 7%. Operating profit excluding exchange rate effects, the divestment and items affecting comparability rose 13%. The Group's operating cash flow increased to SEK 7,198m (5,326), mainly owing to a lower level of tied up working capital, and a higher operating surplus.

Consolidated net sales for the third quarter of 2012, excluding exchange rate effects and the divestment, increased by 16% compared with the third quarter of 2011. Most of the increase is attributable to the acquisition of the tissue business in Europe and favorable sales performance for both the Personal Care and Tissue operations. Operating profit excluding exchange rate effects, the divestment and items affecting comparability rose 20%. Profit for Personal Care and Tissue rose 23% and 58%, respectively, while profit for Forest Products fell 57%.

Download the FULL REPORT HERE

Metso to deliver biofuel-fired boiler to Jönköping Energi in Sweden

Metso will supply Jönköping Energi’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Torsvik, Sweden, with a new biofuel-fired boiler. Jönköping Energi is expanding its CHP plant and the new unit will serve as a mid-load unit to meet the district heating and electric power needs of Jönköping municipality. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

The expansion and modernization of Jönköping Energi’s plant is a significant investment for the municipality of Jönköping as the existing boilers and related systems are in need of replacement and the new systems will enable replacing use of refined bio-fuels with use of primary biomass fuels. The new boiler utilizing bubbling fluidized bed technology (BFB) will mainly be fueled with wood chips, and Metso’s solution will offer considerable cost-efficiency benefits for the overall district heating and electricity supply of Jönköping municipality.

“This is an important contract for the continuation of the expansion project as well as its largest. We look forward to co-operating with Metso on this important project,” says Håkan Stigmarker, Managing Director of Jönköping Energi.

The expanded CHP plant will be commissioned during fall 2014. The order is included in Metso’s Pulp, Paper and Power third quarter 2012 orders received.

Technical information

The capacity of the new boiler will be 100 MW. The Torsvik plant will annually use roughly 550,000 cubic meters of forest fuels. It will produce approximately 340 GWh of district heat per year, corresponding to the heating needs of 17,000 single-family homes. The production of electricity will amount to 130 GWh/year, corresponding to the power consumption of roughly 25,000 households.

Jönköping Energi AB has 240 employees and is owned by the municipality of Jönköping. Jönköping Energi AB supplies electricity, heat, cooling, biogas and broadband to 55,000 customers in the Jönköping area, and has an annual net sales of about EUR 120 million.

AkzoNobel’s Supervisory Board this week received an update on the progress of CEO Ton Büchner’s recovery. Following a Supervisory Board meeting today, the company reported that medical specialists expect the CEO to fully recover and that it is anticipated that he will return to work sometime around year-end.

“We are pleased to report that the current treatment is effective and progress is being made. However, it is important that the full cycle of treatment is completed and a premature commencement of activities is avoided,“ said Karel Vuursteen, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. “We are glad that Ton is progressing and we look forward to welcoming him back to the company later this year. In the meantime, we have appropriate governance in place.”

The company’s temporary arrangements to accommodate Ton’s absence will remain in place. CFO Keith Nichols will continue to be the first point of contact and coordinator for the Executive Committee, while Antony Burgmans, member of the Supervisory Board, will remain on hand to offer advice and support to Keith and the Executive Committee.

AkzoNobel will announce its Q3 results for 2012 at 07.00 CET tomorrow. A conference call for analysts will be held from 09.00 until 10.30 CET. Supervisory Board member Antony Burgmans will answer questions relating to this announcement.

BTG Instruments – Committed to India

The Indian paper industry is an exciting place to be. With sustained GDP growth and a developing middle class, the demand for pulp and paper products in India is expected to grow at about 5.5% pa.

BTG is well-positioned to deliver solutions to this unique market. A key productivity driver is improved process control, and BTG Instruments have a strong team and comprehensive product portfolio to support this. BTG’s commitment to India is demonstrated by the opening of a new Service Center in Hyderabad in October. At the new facility BTG will provide full product repair, upgrade, service and training support to the growing number of local customers. Information on training programs planned will be available soon.

BTG sensors and analyzers have been installed on many new projects in India to complement a large, existing installed base. BTG engineers are pleased to discuss new solutions or upgrades for customer sites. A cost-effective consistency measurement, suitable for the lower grade recycled fiber used in many machines, the ACT-2500 provides excellent sensitivity in low shear force pulp. DIP yield optimization is a key KPI, and our TCR-series of optical total consistency transmitters, based on our Peak method, are ideal solutions for inline measurement of total consistency and ash in thick stock. The Mütek Particle Charge Detector is the benchmark for charge measurement at the paper machine and our wet end suite of laboratory analyzers are complimented by zeta potential, drainage, retention and freeness measurement.

The paper industry in India has a bright future and BTG is growing with it.

BTG Instruments welcomes visitors to stall no. E07 at Paper+ 2012, Codissia Trade Fair Complex, Coimbatore, India from November 24 – 26, 2012.

BTG – raising your productivity

Univar Inc., a leading global chemical distributor, has announced the opening of a new office in Vienna, Austria. Univar has been active in this market for 20 years, but this is the first time the company will have a local base, enabling it to work more closely with its Austrian customers and suppliers.

“We are well positioned in the Austrian market and have developed a good reputation over the years; we decided that now was the right moment to take the next step,” says Mirko Schnitzler, Univar’s regional vice president, central region. “We already have strong relationships here with a number of suppliers, but feel there is significant further potential for our business in this region.”

Austria is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita, with Vienna as its centre and the high-growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe at its doorstep. This not only gives Univar an opportunity to expand its European footprint but also enables new and existing customers in the region to benefit from Univar’s global supply reliability, deep market insight, expertise, and a dedicated local team.

To begin with, Univar’s product offering will focus mainly on the coatings, construction, food, pharmaceutical, detergents and personal care industries, but will look at other opportunities to expand as the business grows.

Heidenheim. With a symbolic first cut of the spade, Voith has marked the official start of the construction work of its new Training Center in Heidenheim. Together with the four best Voith apprentices who had also received awards from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Hubert Lienhard, Chairman of the Management Board of Voith GmbH welcomed representatives from politics and business for a celebration at the Ploucquet Areal. Among the guests were Thomas Reinhardt, Chief Administrator of the District of Heidenheim, Bernhard Ilg, Mayor of the city of Heidenheim, Helmut Althammer, President of the East Württemberg's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Eberhard Faecke, the architect of the new Training Center.

"Only when we build can we develop further, and only where we build are things moved on," said Dr. Lienhard in his speech. "The new building is yet another milestone in the 100-year tradition of apprenticeship schemes at Voith. Time and again has our company provided a fresh impetus to all issues of vocational training for young people." Job training and education are rated highly at Voith. At Heidenheim alone, the company currently trains about 180 young people in 13 different occupations. Worldwide, more than 1,200 apprentices and students are presently honing their career perspectives at Voith.

With a total investment of Euro 16 million for the new Training Center, Voith shows its commitment to the Heidenheim headquarters. The new building is to be opened in late 2013. The new Training Center, designed by the Leinfeld architect Eberhard Faecke, concentrates on transparency, functionality and inspiration. Due to the new location in the immediate vicinity of the company's head office, vocational training and further education are now also "optically" in focus. "With this groundbreaking ceremony, we are starting the construction work for a piece of the future of Voith right at our traditional headquarters. In doing so, we are laying the perfect foundation for the training of future apprentices," stated Dr. Lienhard.

Following the speech of the Voith CEO, Mayor Bernhard Ilg welcomed the guests and praised the concerted and decisive undertaking. "Heidenheim is currently in the public eye, because the town is developing at rapid speed. Never before have we seen so many investors in housing, trade and industry." Ilg expects that the Training Center will also have a positive impact on the town center, which is being further enhanced by projects such as the new library, a health center, a day nursery and a supermarket.

Brigl & Bergmeister is investing in a new Andritz film press for its site in Vevče, Slovenia.

On 11 October 2012 Brigl & Bergmeister commissioned Austrian company Andritz to build a film press for the PM5 at Papirnica Vevče in Vevče (near Ljubljana).

Brigl & Bergmeister – one of the world's leading producers of special papers for labels and flexible packaging – will thus increase annual capacity at the Vevče site by 20,000 tonnes, to 110,000 tonnes p.a. Moreover, by increasing and improving the initial coat in the paper machine, it will be possible to enhance product quality even further and offer new, innovative solutions for the packaging industry.

This is Brigl & Bergmeister's second major investment since it was acquired by paper trading group Roxcel last year. The first major investment was its acquisition of the ENAGES thermal energy recovery plant, which supplies power to Brigl & Bergmeister's site in Niklasdorf, Austria.