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

ipw news

Following the news that Smurfit and WestRock are in talks for a potential merger, Benher Gracio, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view: “A potential merger of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock will see the emergence of a top global paper and packaging player with strong operational synergies, as the two companies have identical business models.”

Fedrigoni has contracted ABB to install its L&W Lab Management System (LMS) at its new RD&I facility in Verona to optimize efficiency and reduce lab procedure time. The Fedrigoni Innovation Center, a very important milestone in the Group’s growth journey, will officially open at the beginning of 2024. The 3,000 sqm space will consist of four closely complementary areas: the RD&I department, the FedLab (incubator of new ideas), the Customer Experience Centre and the Customer Academy (internal and external training).

Shawano Specialty Papers, a division of Little Rapids Corporation, started up a TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer supplied by Toscotec at their paper mill in Shawano, Wisconsin, USA. It replaced an existing cast iron dryer on PM3. The new TT SYD has significantly increased PM3’s production capacity and is ensuring higher operation safety. Compared with the replaced cast iron Yankee, it is delivering substantial energy savings, which reduce the overall operating costs of the tissue machine.

Alongside digital and partly fully automatic testing solutions for the accurate determination of zeta potential and cationic demand, the German manufacturer emtec Electronic presents the redesigned TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer at Booth 161 from October 11-13 at the MIAC 2023 in Lucca, Italy.

Dissolving pulp producer Sappi Saiccor signed a three-year service contract with technology group Andritz for two recovery boilers operating at the mill in Umkomaas, South Africa. The two Andritz boilers producing 230 tph of steam at 490°C and 86 bar have been operating since 2008 and 2021 respectively. The service agreement will help the Saiccor mill maintain safe and efficient operation while improving the reliability and availability of the boilers.

Solenis, global producer of specialty chemicals, recently implemented its SmartWash data-enhanced chemistry control solution to help a Nordic kraft pulp mill decrease costs and improve sustainability for its brownstock washing process. The customer produces pulps in their integrated mill, where top-class raw materials are needed to make high-quality end products for users requiring high levels of stability and printability. The fiber line where the SmartWash technology is being used produces both bleached softwood and hardwood pulps and has an annual capacity of >300,000 tons.

UPM Raflatac is extending the scope of its CarbonNeutral^® certified labeling materials to cover the entire lifecycle emissions of a label. This allows its customers to offer their printed and converted labels as CarbonNeutral^® product certified. The development builds on UPM Raflatac's Life Cycle Assessment service, Label Life, which recently received a new certificate of validity from international assurance service provider Dekra.

Valmet will deliver an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for the recovery boiler in Shandong Huatai Paper’s 700,000 tonnes chemical pulp project in Shandong province, China. The delivery is scheduled for January 2025. The order is included in Valmet’s orders received of the third quarter 2023. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

Dr. Martin Siebert takes over the position of Technical Manager at Drewsen Spezialpapiere as of 01 September 2023. Dr. Siebert, who has been working for Drewsen as a Project Engineer since 01. October 2017, will use his expertise to further advance the technological development and innovation of the company. This appointment underlines the commitment to promoting talented young leaders.

At the end of April, Voith unveiled a completely new disruptive concept for paper manufacturing in collaboration with hygiene and healthcare company Essity. This concept enables CO₂-neutral paper production as well as fresh water savings of up to 95 percent and energy savings of up to 40 percent. Currently, Voith and Essity are working on a pilot plant in Heidenheim, Germany. In addition to the disruptive concept, Voith is also focusing its research and development on other promising solutions. The leading full-line supplier invests around 100 million euros annually in the development of more efficient and sustainable solutions to drive decarbonization in paper production.

Toscotec will supply a forming section rebuild of PM2 to Gulf Paper Manufacturing at their Mina Abdullah paper mill in Kuwait. PM2 machine produces tissue from 100% virgin fibres, and it is scheduled for rebuild at the end of 2023. This is a repeat order for Toscotec who in 2019 successfully delivered a major dryer section rebuild of Gulf Paper’s packaging paper machine (PM1).

United Paper Public Company Limited has successfully started up an OCC (Old Corrugated Containers) line supplied by Andritz at its mill in Prachinburi, Thailand. This is the second OCC line from Andritz in operation at this mill. The new line – complete from pulping to the storage tower – has a capacity of 550 bdmt/d and processes a mixture of AOCC and LOCC for the production of high-quality linerboard grades.

bio-fibre news

SCA and Persson Invest began their collaboration around Gällö Timber and the sawmill in Gällö, Jämtland in 2010. Since 2010, significant investments have been made in the sawmill to develop its operations and strengthen its competitiveness. Today, the sawmill has 115 employees and a capacity of 370,000 cubic meters of sawn timber.