Displaying items by tag: valmet corporation

Mr. Xiangdong Zhu (B.Sc. (Eng.), MBA) has been appointed Area President of Valmet's China area as of 1 October, 2017. He will be a member of Valmet's Executive Team and report to President and CEO Pasi Laine.

Xiangdong Zhu is currently employed at Valmet as Vice President, Services in China. He has a long background at Valmet spanning in total 17 years in different management positions. During his career he has also worked in management positions at Stora Enso and Voith Paper in China. Xiangdong Zhu has gained wide experience from the businesses and customer industries that are at Valmet's strategic core - large process technology projects, automation and services to pulp, paper and energy industries. He has a good track record in managing and developing local teams and competences as well as in growing a profitable business.  

"It is a pleasure to welcome Xiangdong Zhu to our Executive Team to develop Valmet's China operations and customer relations further. He has a good background in versatile line management positions, strong experience from our core businesses and an excellent China market understanding," says Pasi Laine, President and CEO of Valmet.

As announced in July, Mr. Aki Niemi, the current Area President, China will start as Business Line President, Services at Valmet as of October 1, 2017.

Xiangdong Zhu's CV

Xiangdong Zhu has been appointed China Area President as of October 1, 2017. Prior to that he has been employed as Vice President, Services, China at Valmet (2013-2017), Vice President, Automation at Voith Paper China (2011-2012) and Vice President, Capital Sales and Application at Voith Paper China (2012-2013). Mr. Zhu has worked in many management positions at Valmet Automation in China: Country Manager (2007-2011), Sales Director (2004-2006) and Sales Manager (1998-2003).  Mr. Zhu worked as Department Manager, Automation and Electrification at Stora Enso (Suzhou) Paper Co. Ltd (1992-1998) and as Engineer in Suzhou Signal and Communication Department of Shanghai Railway Bureau (1989-1992). Mr. Zhu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Automation and Master of Business Administration degree (MBA).

Valmet will start a reshaping of its internal Information Technology (IT) services to improve the operations' efficiency and business focus. The set of actions to be taken include a business transfer agreement signed with CGI. Under the agreement Valmet's internal IT Service Desk, end user support and most infrastructure services, including server management, workstation management and end user computing, will be moved from Valmet and their current partners to CGI.

The transfer agreement concerns 58 current Valmet IT employees globally, who will be offered to transfer to CGI or its partner with similar terms. The transfer is targeted to become effective on October 1 and the full transfer project is to be closed by the end of March 2018.

This reshaping of Valmet's IT services will allow more resources to focus on developing digital capabilities that support the future development of the company. Valmet IT's focus will be shifted from running current services to developing new competences and services. A global IT platform will be created to ensure a harmonized way of working, and additional focus will also be put on more effective IT services and supplier management.

 "With these actions we will improve the performance and efficiency of our internal IT operations. Our IT resources will be able to increase focus on building the competences and ways to operate necessary for Valmet's future development. Transferring the IT infrastructure services, including service desk, after a thorough evaluation process to CGI is one of the key steps to enable this transformation," says Janne Puustinen, Vice President, Information Technology, Valmet.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work closely with our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Read more www.valmet.com, www.twitter.com/valmetglobal

CGI is one of the largest IT and business process services providers in the world. Founded in 1976, it has some 70,000 professionals and hundreds of locations worldwide. CGI had a revenue of CAD 10.7 billion in 2016.

Valmet will supply an upgrade of the washing process area for Stora Enso's Heinola fluting mill in Finland with the TwinRoll Evolution wash press (TRPE). The upgrade will improve the Heinola's Neutral-Sulfite Semi-Chemical (NSSC) line washing, which will result in a better product quality and strengthened competitive position.  

The order was included in Valmet's first quarter 2017 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The installation is scheduled to start up during spring 2018.

"This will be the first fifth generation Valmet TwinRoll wash press delivery to Finland. The press will give more flexibility in production and ensure an improved washing of the NSSC pulp before the board machine, and in that way, improve the quality of the final product," says Lari Lammi, Senior Process Manager at Valmet.

"We want to improve the pulp washing efficiency with moderate washing water volumes. A TwinRoll Press showed to be a compact solution when the alternative washers were more in numbers or bigger in size. We are waiting the start-up with great interest to see the TwinRoll Press operation and washing efficiency," says Timo Riuttanen, Process Development Manager at StoraEnso Heinola mill.

Information about Valmet's delivery

The scope of delivery includes the Valmet Twinroll evolution wash press (TRPE) with basic engineering, training and site services as well as spare parts. The TRPE wash press features displacement washing and pressing to 30-32% consistency at 2.5-10% feed consistency. The TRPE wash press is ideal for applications where high washing efficiency and capacity are required.

Information about the customer Stora Enso and Heinola fluting mill

Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets. Stora Enso group has some 25,000 employees in more than 35 countries, and is publicly listed on the Helsinki and Stockholm stock exchanges. The sales in 2016 were EUR 9.8 billion, with an operational EBIT of EUR 191 million.  

Heinola Fluting Mill produces semi-chemical (SC) fluting which is used as a raw material in the corrugated board industry. The SC fluting produced at Heinola mill in Finland has been developed especially for demanding circumstances and tough requirements.

There are approximately 230 employees at the Heinola Fluting Mill. The Mill is an integrated pulp and board mill, and the annual production capacity is 300 000 tons of fluting.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

On Thursday May 4 Valmet Tissue Technology Center celebrated its thousandth external customer pilot trial in Karlstad, Sweden.  The very special occasion was celebrated together with the Tissue research cluster managed by RISE, who are conducting development work together with the Valmet R&D team.

The thousandth customer tissue trial were celebrated by the whole Valmet and RISE team

Valmet's Tissue Technology Center has a long history of being a base for Valmet's tissue technology research and development, as well as for joint development with customers. Many of the world's leading tissue producers have utilized this unique resource to develop and verify their products and processes, during the years.

"We are proud to announce the historic milestone of 1,000 pilot trials together with customers. Counted in trial days this results in well above 3,000 days of pilot machine operations. All these days and all great cooperation with tissue and paper producers from all over the world, as well as partner suppliers to the tissue industry has given us tremendous knowledge, experience and insights in the tissue making process. We are excited to continue this journey together with our customers," says Karl-Johan Tolfsson, Manager of Valmet Tissue Technology Center.  

Valmet Tissue Technology Center is a unique resource for cultivating and realization of ideas, innovations and verifying new technologies. It plays a significant role in Valmet's own tissue technology development but it is also utilized by our partners and customers to improve their product quality and machine performance and find the best solution for their requirements.

Eduardo Izquierdo, Director at FPC, part of the Tissue research cluster is checking the paper quality together with Karl-Johan Tolfsson, Manager of Valmet Tissue Technology Center

Valmet's own R&D centers and pilot machines form the backbone of the company's research and development work. Altogether, Valmet has 16 R&D centers and pilot facilities located in Finland, Sweden and Portugal.  Valmet's research and technology development work aims to ensure an advanced and competitive offering of technologies and services for current and future customers, enhance raw material efficiency, and promote the use of renewable raw materials.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Valmet has opened its new regional office in Mexico City to serve its customers. The opening ceremony of the office was held in February 2017. The inauguration event was held at the Residence of the Ambassador of Finland in Mexico

"Valmet has had business dealings with Mexico already for many years and this latest step is the proof of how interesting the Mexican market currently is", said the Finnish Ambassador Roy Eriksson in his speech.

Kari Lindberg, Jukka Tiitinen, José Rivera, Dave King and Charles Farmer cutting the ribbon at the new Valmet office

Valmet is aiming to be close to its customers and growth markets, and opening an office in Mexico is a good example of getting closer to local customers. Last year Valmet opened new offices also in Chile and Vietnam. Besides this, Valmet will open a new services center in Indonesia this year. Valmet is aiming to provide significant customer benefits by utilizing our full offering of process technology, automation and services, and by continuously developing our local and remote services.

Valmet entered the Mexican market in 1954, when the first Valmet paper machine was commissioned. Today, substantial amount of all tissue and paper and packaging board in Mexico are produced by machines supplied by Valmet. Valmet's offering in Mexico also covers automation and services.

"We have worked diligently to earn the trust of our clients over these many years. What comes to the future of Valmet in Mexico, we feel there are many opportunities for us", stated Dave King, Area President, North America, Valmet.

Valmet currently has over 120 service centers, 88 sales offices, 34 production units and 16 R&D centers around the world. In addition, Valmet's experts are close to customers also with the help of Industrial Internet and remote connections.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Valmet has been included in the Ethibel Sustainability Index (ESI) Excellence Europe for 2017. The index contains 200 of the European stock listed companies that display the best performance in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Ethibel is constantly looking out for companies which may be eligible for ethical investments and to be included in its ethical investment register. From the investment register 200 of the best companies are selected to the Ethibel Sustainability Index. Main areas of assessment are human capital, environmental management, market ethics, governance, social impact and human rights. The assessment is based on external information sources such as sustainability reporting and company web sites.

"The inclusion in the Ethibel Sustainability Index further strengthens Valmet's position as one of the global sustainability leaders. For investors Valmet's inclusion in this index provides further assurance of the company as an ethical investment target. In its assessment, Ethibel is using only external information sources, and thus the inclusion in the index is also a recognition for Valmet's transparent and comprehensive reporting and communications around sustainability," says Anu Salonsaari-Posti, SVP, Marketing, Communications and Sustainability at Valmet.    

In 2016, Valmet was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World and Europe indices for the third consecutive year with a record high result, and in the CDP Climate A-list for its actions and strategy to mitigate climate change.  

About the Ethibel Sustainability Index Excellence Europe
The Ethibel Sustainability Index Excellence Europe includes the 200 best performing European companies in the field of corporate social responsibility. The analysis is based on research carried out by the rating agency Vigeo Eiris. Ethibel actively promotes socially responsible investing and corporate social responsibility on the financial markets. Read more

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Valmet will supply a new winder for Shandong Chenming Paper Ltd. at its Zhanjiang site in Guangdong province, China. The board machine BM 4 producing folding box board (FBB) will be equipped with a new winder to increase winding capacity. The new winder will be started-up in 2018.

The order is included in Valmet's first quarter of 2017 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The value of orders of this type and scope is typically around EUR 5-10 million.

Technical details about the delivery

Valmet's delivery for BM 4 includes a high-capacity OptiWin Drum two-drum winder. The winder is easy to operate, has excellent web separation and its set changes are reliable and fast.

"The high-capacity winder with the latest two-drum technologies is designed for the widest and fastest paper and board machines. This is the third winder with same modern sub-floor concept for Shandong Chenming. The customer has been very happy with the previous two. In this winder model, the winding drums are located below floor level and special attention has been paid to the dynamical behavior of the winder ensuring excellent runnability," comments Senior Technology Manager Jaakko Haapanen from Valmet.

9,620 mm wide (trimmed web width) BM 4 produces folding box board grades with a basis weight range of 175-450 g/m². The design speed for the winder is 3,000 m/min. The daily production is about 1,670 tonnes.

Information about the customer Shandong Chenming Paper Ltd.

Founded in 1958, Chenming Group is one of the leading enterprises in papermaking industry. The group's annual pulp and paper capacity is 8.5 million tonnes with a wide variety of pulp, paper and board grades. Its production sites are located in the provinces of Shandong, Guangdong, Hubei, Jiangxi and Jilin.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Valmet will supply three board machine rebuilds in North America. The customers remain confidential. The goals of the rebuilds are e.g. to increase production and the use of recycled and non-bleached fibers. The start-ups of the rebuilt board machines are scheduled for 2017 and 2018.

The orders are included in Valmet's fourth quarter of 2016 orders received. The value of the orders will not be disclosed. The combined value of these types of orders is typically valued at EUR 20-30 million.

"Due to large installed base of paper and board machines in North America and their ageing technology, the need for machine modernizations is quite constant. In number of cases, important reason for the modernizations is to increase energy and resource efficiency. This is also linked to the growing trend of lightweighting in board production. Additionally our customers want to increase the use of recycled and non-bleached fibers," comments Sales Director Jari Siitonen from Valmet.

All together these three deliveries will include modifications to two stock preparation systems and a modification to approach flow system, a number of modifications to the wet ends of the board machines, including a new headbox, and a rebuilt forming section, a new press section, a press section rebuild and modifications to two dryer sections.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2015 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Valmet will supply Cheng Loong Binh Duong Paper Company with key process technology for its new BM 1 containerboard machine to be located in the company's Ben Cat mill in Binh Duong Province in Vietnam. Valmet's delivery includes a headbox, forming and press sections, a winder and quality measurement system.

The order is included in Valmet's third quarter 2016 orders received. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The value of an order of this type is typically EUR 15 - 20 millions.

Cheng Loong decided to invest in this new recycled containerboard mill and box plant aiming to tap into Vietnam's growing packaging demands. The start-up of the greenfield machine is scheduled for the beginning of 2018.

"The containerboard market is growing globally driven by increasing e-commerce and new packaging applications. Valmet has developed a number of excellent solutions to meet the market needs. Energy efficiency, high board quality and very good productivity are among the most important highlights of Cheng Loong's board machine," says Jari Vähäpesola, President of Paper Business Line, Valmet.

Technical details of the delivery

Valmet's delivery for the new containerboard machine will include equipment for approach flow system, a new OptiFlo Fourdrinier headbox to ensure higher productivity, OptiFormer Hybrid forming section with blade technology and a center-roll based OptiPress press section with modern shoe press technology for high dryness to improve energy efficiency. Forming section is equipped with a VacuMaster high-vacuum suction box to significantly improve dryness, thus, energy efficiency. OptiWin Drum two-drum base winder has a high capacity to meet the production needs of BM 1 and it is also easy to operate. The delivery will also include Valmet IQ quality measurement system (QCS) to optimize production process and to maximize production.

"Cheng Loong wanted to have a reliable supplier with high-level technology for its greenfield machine. Technology-wise, a headbox, forming and press sections are key solutions in order to secure high energy and production efficiency in containerboard manufacturing. A reliable winder with high capacity is essential for such a containerboard machine. With earlier successful deliveries to Cheng Loong (the latest in Taiwan), Valmet has proven to be able to respond to Cheng Loong's needs," comments Petteri Soini, Senior Sales Manager of Valmet.

The 6,250 mm wide (wire) BM 1 will produce recycled fluting with a basis weight range of 90 - 180 g/m² at maximum speed of 1,000 m/min. The annual production of BM 1 is 260,000 tonnes.

Information about the customer Cheng Loong Binh Duong Paper Company

Cheng Loong Binh Duong Paper Company is part of Cheng Loong Corporation, which was established in 1959. The company has four paper mills, seven box plants and a business form plant. It has also established manufacturing and sales sites in China, Vietnam, Japan, and the United States. Its annual production capacity is 2.12 million metric tonnes in paper and paperboard and nearly 2 billion square meters in converting products.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2015 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Hengan's 19^th tissue machine, an Advantage DCT 200HS tissue line supplied by Valmet, successfully started up in August at the company's mill in Wuhu, Anhui province in China. The installation and commissioning were performed in record time and the start-up went very smoothly. The new tissue machine adds another 60,000 annual tons of tissue products to Hengan's current production of more than one million tons per year.

PM 19 is Valmet's fifth tissue machine delivery to Hengan. The previous four Valmet Advantage DCT machines are located at Jinjiang, Changde and Weifang mills and were installed in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. Currently the installation of a sixth Valmet delivered tissue machine PM 20 is ongoing, and it will start up later in 2016.   

 "Joint effort and great work from the joint Valmet and Hengan team ensured a successful start-up of our new PM19 at exactly 10:48, August 8. The new machine will raise Hengan Group's total production capacity to 1,080,000 annual tons of tissue and reduce the current production shortage," saysCui Jiantong, Project Manager, HenganGroup

"This start-up is a good example of what can be achieved by the efficient combination of the well proven Valmet Advantage DCT technology and excellent team work.  Thanks to very good and transparent cooperation and joint efforts from the teams involved, we finalized the installation and commissioning in record time. It has been a pleasure to work with Hengan's project and production team and we are looking forward to next start-up," says Svenerik Olsson, Director, China Tissue Business from Valmet.

Technical information about the delivery

Valmet's scope of delivery comprised a complete tissue production line featuring stock preparation systems, Advantage DCT 200HS tissue machine and an automation package from Valmet with Valmet DCS and QCS process control system. The tissue machine has a width of 5.6 m and a design speed of 2,000 m/min and is equipped with OptiFlo headbox and cast alloy Yankee cylinder. The machine is also featured with the well proven Advantage tissue technology including gas heated AirCap hood, WetDust dust system and a SoftReel P reel. Basic engineering, installation supervision, training, start-up and commissioning were also included in the delivery.

Information about the customer Hengan

Hengan International Group Company Limited is an investment holding company mainly engaged in the trading of personal hygienic products. The Company and its subsidiaries are principally engaged in the manufacturing, distribution and sale of personal hygiene products, including sanitary napkins products, disposable diapers products and tissue papers products, food and snacks products and others in the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and certain overseas markets.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Valmet's vision is to become the global champion in serving its customers.

Valmet's services cover everything from maintenance outsourcing to mill and plant improvements and spare parts. The strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bio-energy production. Valmet's advanced automation solutions range from single measurements to mill wide turnkey automation projects.

Valmet's net sales in 2015 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.