Vaahto

WEESP, The Netherlands, April 12, 2016 (Press Release) -Kadant Johnson Europe BV, a subsidiary of Kadant Inc., announced it received an order from Bellmer Vaahto Paper Machinery Oy for the dryer section rebuild at Kotkamills Oy in Kotka, Finland. The rebuild is part of the conversion of Kotkamills’ PM2 which will shift from producing coated magazine paper to high-quality food service board. Start-up of the converted machine is expected in June 2016.

“We are pleased to be playing a key role in the dryer section rebuild and conversion of PM2 at Kotkamills along with Bellmer Vaahto,” said Fred Westerhout, president of Kadant Johnson Europe. “Our expertise in drying technology positions us well to participate in projects such as this where the machine’s production is being shifted from lightweight coated papers to folding boxboard and recyclable barrier board used for food packaging.”

Kadant Johnson Europe will be supplying its advanced PTX® steam joint and syphon system along with Turbulator® Tube bars and installation services. The patented PTX steam joint and syphon system features a balanced seal design that can run at speeds up to 2,500 mpm and pressures up to 11 bar and allows the steam and condensate system to operate over a wide range of conditions, with flexibility and reliability.

Kotkamills is based in Kotka, Finland. Its key brands include Absorbex® and Imprex®, both innovative laminating paper products for the laminate, plywood and construction industries, and Solaris®, a high bulk, coated printing paper for quality publications, which will be converted to the production of 400,000 metric tons per year of fully recyclable consumer board grades in 2016. In addition, Kotkamills produces high quality sawn timber for demanding construction and joinery end uses.

Kadant Johnson Europe, based in Weesp, The Netherlands, is a leading provider of rotary sealing devices, precision unions, and steam and condensate systems to process industries. The Company’s systems division specializes in the engineering, design, and supply of steam systems, controls, and related equipment used to manage steam and condensate flow. It also provides project management and remote monitoring and diagnostics to optimize steam energy utilization.

Main portion of the equipment will be manufactured in Bellmer Vaahto´s workshop in Hollola, Finland. Press section will be made entirely in Bellmer Group´s main location in Niefern, which is located in federal state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Kotkamills PM 2 has a wire width 5.97 m and produces currently mechanical coated magazine papers (MFC). After modernization the machine will have annual max capacity 400 000 tons barrier boards and folding boxboard grades.

Barrier boards are typically used in applications for direct food contact and for non-food packages in end-use sectors like frozen food, fresh food, non-food, detergent, pet food, menu trays and lids, cosmetic, beverages and tobacco.

Kotkamills are located in the city of Kotka on the south cost of Finland, 130 km east from Helsinki. The machine will be shut down for the rebuild in March 2016.

Bellmer Vaahto is 100 % owned subsidiary of Bellmer Group, which is a globally operating high technology company with 600 employees.

Kotkamills Oy signed agreements totalling EUR 70 million on equipment deliveries for paper machine 2 to be upgraded in the summer of 2016. The deliveries will be divided between Valmet Paperikoneet Oy and Bellmer Vaahto Paper Machinery Oy. This investment of more than EUR 100 million is aimed to convert the paper machine product from magazine paper to packaging boards. The capacity of the board machine will be 400,000 t/a, with the basis weight area of the end product being 150 - 500 g/m2. Primary products include a high-quality Nordic folding boxboard and recyclable barrier board for the food industry. By converting the paper machine product to packaging boards, Kotkamills Oy will secure its position as a globally significant manufacturer of forest industry products.

More and more attention is paid to environmental friendliness when selecting packaging materials. With this investment published today, Kotkamills Oy responds to the far-reaching requests of end customers of the packaging business to introduce high-quality recyclable barrier board to the market. The new product includes the protection layers required to prevent grease, liquids or moisture from absorbing into the package. The versatility of the board is increased by its heat sealing capacity, cleanness, lightness and first-class printing surface. In the manufacturing process, special attention will be paid to the effective utilisation of wood raw material, and the minimisation of energy, bleaching chemicals and water consumption per each produced ton. A patent is pending for innovations associated with the manufacturing process.

Unlike other generally used plastic-coated boards, the barrier board of Kotkamills can be recycled without any special measures. Only printing ink, if any, will be removed in recycling. If unprinted, the board can be reused by re-pulping it and using it directly in the paper or board mill's processes. The innovative manufacturing process of the new machine enables the recyclable and environmentally friendly board used in consumer packages to be manufactured cost-efficiently and flexibly without the price of the recyclable product being any obstacle to its use.

The next-generation packaging board with zero plastic content facilitates the recycling activities of consumers as well as food producers and cafeteria and fast food chains that use large volumes of board packages, as there is no need to sort plastic separately. This directly reduces the total costs of the packaging solution.

The construction of the investment will be started at the beginning of 2016. Until then, Kotkamills Oy's paper machine 2 will produce high-bulk printing paper Solaris, the delivery of which will be continued normally until the end of the second quarter of 2016. The company will also increase its production volume of Absorbex laminating paper and Imprex products through new investments. What is more, the sawn goods produced at the Kotka sawmill will comprise a significant part of the company's product range.

Kotkamills is a responsible partner that delivers renewable products and performance to its customers' processes via product innovations created from wood, a renewable raw material. Our key brands include Absorbex® and Imprex®, both innovative laminating paper products for the laminate, plywood and construction industries, and Solaris®, a high bulk, efficient coated printing paper for quality publications. Moreover, Kotkamills also offers ecological, technically sound and visually attractive wood products for demanding joinery and construction.