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Below please find a selection of the latest news from the world of pulp and paper.

Walki Group has entered into a license agreement with Smart Planet Technologies, for the use of Earth Coating™ in a number of next generation environmental packaging applications. Earth Coating™ is a plastic reduction technology providing superior performance and improved recyclability for all types of plastic, paper, and paperboard packaging applications.

Valmet and Fabio Perini have established an Industrial Internet ecosystem partnership to strengthen collaboration in the tissue industry. The target is to allow tissue producers and converters to work together more efficiently, and to exchange knowledge and resources for the benefit of their customers. The partnership combines Valmet's comprehensive tissue making technology and process optimization know-how with Fabio Perini’s strong expertise in complete solutions for converting and packaging machines as well as in the converting process and technology. The two companies’ solid expertise combined with data from tissue mills and converting plants will provide a new dimension to tissue mill optimization.

Giuseppe Campanelli (photo) has been appointed President, Minerals Services business area and a member of Metso’s Executive Team from January 2, 2020 onwards. Previously he has been a member of the Minerals Services business area management team heading Professional Services. Kalle Sipilä has been appointed President, Pumps business area and a member of Metso’s Executive Team from January 2, 2020 onwards. Previously he has been operationally in charge of the Pumps business area in addition to his role as head of Finance and Business Control of the Minerals Services business area.

Feldmuehle GmbH, European specialty paper manufacturer, has successfully completed the self-administration insolvency proceedings that began at the end of 2018. After the unanimous approval of all creditors on December 16, 2019 to the insolvency plan submitted by the management, the competent court in Pinneberg suspended the insolvency proceedings on January 2, 2020. The insolvency proceedings are now over.

Metsä Tissue, part of Metsä Group, has agreed to divest its napkin business to keeeper Group, which is part of Mutares Group. The transaction includes the real estate, machinery and equipment and warehouses at the Stotzheim mill in Germany as well as the Fasana and Mondial brands. As a result of the transaction, the mill’s personnel is planned to be transferred to the new owner as existing employees.

Valmet’s Nomination Board proposes to the next Annual General Meeting, which is planned to be held on March 19, 2020, that the number of members of the Board of Directors for the term expiring at the close of the Annual General Meeting 2021 will be seven, and that

• Aaro Cantell, Pekka Kemppainen, Monika Maurer, Mikael Mäkinen (photo), Eriikka Söderström, Tarja Tyni and Rogerio Ziviani are re-elected as Board members,
• Mikael Mäkinen is re-elected as the Chairman of the Board and Aaro Cantell as the Vice-Chairman of the Board.

Technology Group Voith is planning on acquiring 90 percent of the shares in Toscotec S.p.A. A corresponding purchase contract was signed on Dec. 20, 2019. Both parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Toscotec S.p.A. is a global supplier of systems, products and services for the paper industry with headquarters in Lucca, Italy. Its focus is on tissue machines for manufacturing sanitary products such as paper towels, paper napkins, or toilet paper. The closing of the transaction is anticipated to occur at the first half of 2020 and is subject to regulatory approvals and meeting of other usual closing conditions.

Metso’s valve business, future Neles Corporation, has signed a distribution agreement with Axel Larsson Maskinaffär AB in Sweden. It will help to further expand the coverage of Metso’s valve offering in all customer industries in Sweden, especially in the energy and mining sectors. The agreement will be effective from February 1, 2020.

Metsä Group’s Pro Nemus visitor centre in Äänekoski has won numerous international design awards. The most significant of these, the ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’ award, was granted in Berlin in October 2019. In addition, the visitor centre won gold in the prestigious German Design Awards competition for excellent communications design, and silver in the European Design Awards competition. The visitor centre has also been featured in several distinguished design publications in the United States and Europe.

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from Bracell to supply energy-efficient and environmentally friendly pulp production technologies and key process equipment for Bracell’s Project “STAR” in Lençóis Paulista, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Start-up is scheduled for the third quarter of 2021. Award of this contract to ANDRITZ was announced in July 2019, however the name of the customer remained confidential at that time.

Metso’s valve business, future Neles Corporation, will establish two new service centers in Lisbon, Portugal, and in the Mulhouse area, France, to increase its valves’ service availability and presence close to customers. Service centers offer valve repair services as well as predictive maintenance services, e.g. digitalized process diagnostic services and shutdown planning, to help customers to increase their plant reliability.

Melker of Sweden manufactures and sells outdoor equipment, such as longboards, kayaks and paddleboards. The company – a new member of the Paper Province cluster – has a strong sustainability pathos and wants to manufacture products with the least possible environmental impact. So they experiment extensively with natural materials in their manufacturing and their goal is to eschew traditional plastic materials.

It’s a proven fact: the biodegradability of Walki’s Bioska films are among the fastest on the market. The Finnish environment Institute (SYKE) has conducted studies to measure the biodegradability of bio-based and biodegradable plastics. Walki Plastiroll´s Bioska films were one of those plastics that had the fastest biodegradability.