below please find a selection of the latest news from the world of pulp and paper. And don't forget to visit our new LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. We look forward to a lively exchange.

ipw news

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC), part of Barry-Wehmiller, welcomed 70-plus customers, suppliers and area supporters to its new Packaging Innovation Center on April 26 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tour and overview presentation.

Direct thermal (DT) linerless labeling products help customers to reduce their packaging footprint and is in high demand in the packaging value chain. Sustainability and efficiency benefits of using linerless are significant as linerless brings up to a 40 percent reduction in material usage compared to traditional labelling technologies. DT linerless market has seen approximately 15 percent year-on-year growth in recent years.

Renowned Indian board producer B&B Triplewall Containers Limited has chosen to partner with Voith with the order of a BlueLine OCC stock preparation and advanced approach flow system for its Krishnagiri PM 1. With a capacity of 250 tons per day, the new stock preparation line will consistently supply high-quality OCC pulp for the production of stable container board.

Andritz will present its comprehensive service portfolio for sustainable paper production at the Zellcheming trade show from June 29 to July 1, 2022, in Wiesbaden, Germany. In addition to applications in fiber preparation, the focus will lie primarily on the full product portfolio for machine clothings and roll service.

The impact evaluation of a fire that broke out on Saturday May 7 at Valmet’s Rautpohja factory site in Jyväskylä, Finland, is ongoing. The fire, which started at a workshop during a roll test and caused minor injuries to one employee, was fully extinguished over the weekend. The official investigations by the authorities are ongoing at the factory site.

Knowing the particle charge and the zeta potential of pulp suspensions is key to determining the right amount of additives needed in the wet end of the paper making process. Precise testing systems, such as the CAS touch and FPA touch from Emtec Electronic GmbH, allow manufacturers and chemical suppliers to achieve greater control over the chemical consumption and thus also over the quality of the final product. Emtec will be onsite at PulPaper in Helsinki from June 7-9, 2022.

In anticipation of iT's Tissue 2022, Körber Business Area Tissue is organizing a special edition of the Tissue Innovation Days on 19 May, where customers and partners can discover the Körber ecosystem. During these sessions, dedicated to the new “one-stop-shop“ philosophy, Körber will reveal the advantages of the system that is capable of integrating all the technologies involved in the tissue converting process, from raw material to finished product and distribution logistics.

Metsä Group has been selected as the most startup-friendly company in Finland in 2021. The award is presented by the entrepreneurial and startup community Tribe Tampere. “Metsä Group has actively developed its cooperation with the startup field, most concretely by establishing the innovation company Metsä Spring about four years ago. We are very grateful and proud that our determined contribution has led to this recognition,” says Erik Kolehmainen, who is responsible for Corporate Venturing operations at Metsä Group.

BW Flexible Systems, a Barry-Wehmiller Packaging Systems company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Frank to the role of Vice President of Operations. As a member of BW Flexible Systems’ executive leadership team, Frank will direct leadership for the engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and field service teams across the company’s global locations. Frank has been with BW Flexible Systems for 15 years. He began his tenure with the company as Director of Supply Chain and was most recently Vice President of Customer Service.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered a catastrophic humanitarian crisis with lives being lost and thrown into turmoil, properties and infrastructures destroyed, and millions of livelihoods being threatened every day. It is our duty as humans to provide support and assistance as best we can to the citizens of Ukraine in their deepest time of need.

This new initiative, Print Against War, is calling upon printers and converters, publishers, influencers, and suppliers to the printing and packaging industry to join forces to support their colleagues during this incredibly difficult time. Beyond the war in Ukraine, the organization’s goals extend to an ongoing ability to help restore the socioeconomic fabric of printing in any region affected by war.

UPM Raflatac, supplier of innovative and sustainable labeling materials, announced the UPM Raflatac OptiCut™ Direct Thermal (DT) Linerless product line has been qualified on the new Epson OmniLink^® TM-L100 liner-free compatible thermal label printer. This will enable Epson and UPM Raflatac to offer improved linerless label performance for OmniLink TM-L100 users in the hospitality segment.

Valmet will supply a fine paper making line with stock preparation and an extensive scope of automation to Asia Symbol (Shandong) Pulp and Paper in Rizhao, Shandong province, China. The new high-capacity fine paper making line will be designed to produce top-quality woodfree uncoated paper (WFU) grades. The start-up of the new production line PM14 is scheduled for 2023.

ABB has been awarded a new contract by long-term customer, sustainable packaging company DS Smith, to fulfil a vision of highly automated, connected, and secure operations at their Kemsley Mill in the UK. The Kent mill is the “second largest recovered fiber-based paper operation in Europe”, boasting an annual production capacity of over 840,000 tons.

Mondi has highlighted the power of packaging in creating a more sustainable homecare industry. Thomas Kahl, Head of Sustainable Packaging Solutions FMCG & Industrial Channels at Mondi Flexible Packaging, addressed industry leaders at the Smithers International Cleaning Products Conference in Prague on 29 and 30 March 2022 and discussed the ways in which packaging can help manufacturers become more proactive in their approach to the environment.

To further drive the company's growth, the Polish nonwovens manufacturer EcoWipes has commissioned Voith and Trützschler Nonwovens with the delivery of a second carded/pulp (CP) system at the Nowy Dwor site in Poland. The first CP line, which was also supplied by Voith and Trützschler Nonwovens, has been a great success thanks to the increasing demand for environmentally friendly hygiene wipes on the international markets.

International technology group Andritz has received an order from Papierfabriek Doetinchem, Netherlands, to upgrade the wet sections of its PM1 and PM3 special paper machines. The start-ups are scheduled for 2022. The aim of the investment is to improve the paper quality and provide the basis for a possible capacity increase. Andritz will deliver ModuScreen HB dilution headbox screens, PrimeFlow AT headboxes with PrimeProfiler F dilution control, and pumps for both machines.

bio-fibre news

Fibre Circle, the producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for the South African paper and paper packaging sector, has appointed Edith Leeuta as chief executive officer effective 1 May 2022. “The Fibre Circle Board is delighted to welcome Edith to the team,” says Dinga Mncube, chairman. “Her vision, drive, passion for the environment and experience are what Fibre Circle needs to ensure that our children inherit a better environment.”

One immediate impact of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions by Western countries has been a dramatic reduction in exports of forest products from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The total exports from these three countries were valued collectively at 17 billion dollars in 2021. In addition to the sanctions, the Russian forest industry will struggle to source parts, equipment, and finance, which will force even non-sanctioning countries, such as China, to adapt to changes in trade flows.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö reinforces its commitment to the PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) industry worldwide by launching its biggest-ever global range of sustainable release papers for silicone coating. The expanded and harmonized range contains three main product families, and offers release papers based on sustainable, renewable fibers, spreading from 41 g/m² up to 215 g/m². Products feature various technologies and finishes to match any release liner application, even the most demanding and specified one.