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

ipw news

Portuguese tissue manufacturer Fortissue and Toscotec have started up PM1 after a groundbreaking upgrade at their Viana do Castelo production base in Portugal. This Toscotec-supplied Ahead 2.0 line, which first began production in 2015, is now the first tissue machine in the world to operate entirely on electricity at 2,000 m/min.

Al Furat Group would like to share an important announcement regarding recent confusion in the industry about an event name that closely resembles their internationally recognized Paper & Tissue Show, organized by Al Furat Group in Abu Dhabi.

International technology group Andritz has signed an agreement to acquire the Italian company A.Celli Paper. A.Celli Paper has decades of experience in the supply of machinery and key equipment for the production of tissue, paper and board grades. In 2020, the company widened its portfolio of winders, rewinders, systems for roll handling and packaging, as well as tissue machines and services through the acquisition of PMT.

GAW technologies GmbH has been recognized for its groundbreaking CreaSolv^® technology, which has the potential to revolutionize plastic recycling. The Styrian Business Promotion Agency (Steirische Wirtschaftsförderung SFG) presented the award on March 31, 2025, in Graz. The prize was handed over by Regional Minister DI Willibald Ehrenhöfer who oversees Economy, Labor, Finance, Science, and Research in the Styrian Provincial Government.

Last Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced a drastic tightening of his economic policy. Imports from the European Union will be subject to surcharges of 20 percent. Economists expect the drastic tariffs to have significant consequences for the USA, Germany and Europe.

Andreas Batzer was named the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and member of the management board at Voith Paper in March 2025. In this role, he is responsible for the company's financial strategy and will play a key role in the further development and optimization of processes. Reporting directly to Andreas Endters, President & CEO of Voith Paper, Batzer has taken over the position from Ralf Sorg, who was previously CFO of Voith Paper and has been President Projects since July 2024.

In 2025, ZELLCHEMING - the Association of Pulp and Paper Chemists and Engineers - looks back on 120 years of association history. At the same time the ZELLCHEMING-Expo celebrates its 75th anniversary. The two anniversaries have been combined - to celebrate 195 years in style!

Toscotec is pleased to announce the publication of its first Sustainability Report as the latest integration of its long-standing commitment to sustainability, which dates back to 2005 with the award of its first environmental certification. The issuance of a Sustainability Report in accordance with the GRI standards (Global Reporting Initiative) comes as a strong signal of continuity on the company’s journey of contributing to a more sustainable future for the paper industry.

Valmet is to supply two OptiWin Drum two-drum base winders to Wuzhou Special Paper’s paper machine PM 21 in China. This new order follows the customer’s previous winder order, announced in July 2024. The target of this latest investment is to have high-technology winders that can meet the paper machine’s high capacity and quality objectives. The order is included in Valmet's orders received of the first quarter 2025. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

As a pioneer in the field of autonomous paper mills, Voith has already been able to position itself strongly in recent years and has set the course for a digitalized and connected future of paper production. Now, with the launch of its ecosystem MillOne, the full-line supplier is taking the next important step on the way to a completely autonomous paper mill. The new platform combines all relevant systems, optimizes processes in real time, and enables the intelligent connection of all production steps. With MillOne, Voith creates the basis for a more efficient, more sustainable, and more economical paper production – and takes another big step towards its future-oriented vision of the autonomous paper mill.

bio-fibre news

VTT Technical research centre of Finland and LUT University have completed a three-year research project on carbon capture and utilisation. The project investigated different technologies for producing renewable plastic raw materials from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. Renewable energy, hydrogen economy and forest industry’s biogenic carbon dioxide emissions present significant opportunities for new sustainable industries.

Andritz is launching a comprehensive research and development program called BioCircleToZero, which aims to double the value derived from wood without harvesting more trees. Business Finland, the government’s agency for trade and investment promotion, has granted Andritz 10 million euros in funding for the BioCircleToZero program. An additional 20 million euros will be provided by Business Finland to partners contributing to the program.