Mills

HEIDENHEIM, Germany, April 8, 2021 (Press Release) -
• PAPRESA awards Voith to convert the complete PM 5 of the mill in Rentería, Spain, to the most modern production of packaging paper. The production of newsprint paper will be maintained by the production at PM 6.
• The full-line offering includes a comprehensive service and fabrics package as well as digital Papermaking 4.0 solutions.
• Voith already received an order from PAPRESA at the beginning of the year to supply a complete new BlueLine stock preparation line for the use of recycled paper.

PAPRESA, the leading southern European manufacturer of newsprint, commissioned Voith in March to completely rebuild PM 5 at the Rentería mill in Spain. The start-up of the ambitious project is scheduled for the first quarter of 2022. Subsequently, the extensive rebuild will enable significantly more efficient and sustainable production of packaging paper. The capacity will then be around 205,000 tons of testliner and corrugating medium per year, with a PM design speed of 1,200 m/min. The focus of the new PM is on lightweight containerboard grades with 65 to 140 gsm, the wire width is 5,900 mm and the paper will have a web width of 5,400 mm at the reel. The production of newsprint will be maintained at PM 6.

Cutting-edge technology for the PM 5

In addition to modifications in the approach flow system, the wire section will be upgraded with the DuoFormer D including new dewatering elements. Voith will also supply the DuoShake shaking unit and a MasterJetPro F/B headbox with ModuleJet I dilution water technology. Furthermore, to ensure the capacity increase of the paper machine, the existing press section will be extended with a NipcoFlex shoe press and converted to a DuoCentri NipcoFlex press. New EvoSteel steel cylinders with higher steam pressure in the last two dryer groups of the pre-dryer section are also part of the scope of supply. A film press with a subsequent new after-dryer section also increases the quality of the final paper. In addition, the existing reel is extended by the EcoChange W turn-up system for more efficient reel spool changes. Finally, the scope of delivery includes a comprehensive fabric package for the start-up of the PM 5.

Newest digitalization solutions for maximum plant efficiency

The order also includes extensive services and digitization solutions from Voith's Papermaking 4.0 portfolio. The digitization package contains the IIoT platform OnCumulus, the advanced process visualization OnView.MassBalance and process control OnEfficiency.Strength as well as remote maintenance solutions with OnPerformance.Lab. With the individual and extensive package, PAPRESA will benefit from better paper quality and maximum plant efficiency in the future.

“After the conversion of PM 5, PAPRESA will be able to produce lightweight packaging papers optimally and efficiently,” explains Marcos Garcia de la Torre, Managing Director Voith Paper Spain. 

Strong growth potential for packaging paper

In times of e-commerce, packaging papers are becoming increasingly important. As a full-line supplier, Voith delivers PAPRESA efficient and at the same time resource-saving solutions with the PM 5 conversion:

“This transformation is our answer to the declining demand in the newsprint market and the steady growth of the packaging paper sector, which is growing at 9 to 10 percent per year thanks to the tremendous upswing in e-commerce,” says Miguel Sánchez, President and CEO of PAPRESA. “The pandemic situation further accelerates the surge in demand, which creates good prospects for our post-investment results. On the other hand, we will continue to be the leading southern European supplier of newsprint. We are glad to have found the perfect partner for this change in the full-line supplier Voith.”

Extensive investment and development for highest plant efficiency

With this order, PAPRESA is pursuing an ambitious investment and development plan. Earlier this year, the customer already awarded the full-line supplier Voith to deliver an entire BlueLine OCC stock preparation plant for the Rentería mill in Spain. Also here, PAPRESA benefits from a service and digitalization package.

About PAPRESA

PAPRESA was founded in 1869 as Papelera Vasco-Belga in Rentería and in 1901 it was incorporated as Papelera Española S.A., a company that brought together several factories, including the one in Rentería.  By then the mill specialises in the newsprint segment. In October 1993, the PAPRESA S.A. brand was born, following its spin-off from Papelera Española. In 2007, the Alfonso Gallardo Group purchased the whole company's shares and, seven years later, it was acquired by the American fund KKR

In October 2020, the German industrial investment fund Quantum Capital Partners (QCP) acquired PAPRESA with the goal to implement a transformation and improvement process. In particular, the process focuses on the packaging segment and the circular economy.

About the Voith Group

The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 20,000 employees, sales of € 4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services and products on the market and offers paper manufacturers holistic solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations facilitates resource-conserving production and helps customers minimize their carbon footprint. With its leading automation products and digitalization solutions from the Papermaking 4.0 portfolio, Voith offers its customers state-of-the-art digital technologies to improve plant availability and efficiency for all sections of the production process.

RICHMOND, BC, April 6, 2021 (Press Release) -Paper Excellence is proud to announce the acquisition of an interest in the Atli Chip Limited Partnership. The Partnership has acquired the assets of the North Island Chipping facility situated in Beaver Cove, BC, located on the traditional territory of the ‘Namgis First Nation.

The facility is capable of processing 300,000 to 400,000 m3 of chips per year for use in the pulp and paper industry from local supplies of pulpwood and salvage wood.

Atli Chip Limited Partnership is majority owned by Atli Resources LP with minority stakes owned by Paper Excellence and Wahkash Contracting Ltd. Atli Resources LP is a forest company beneficially owned by the ‘Namgis First Nation and Wahkash Contracting Ltd. is a stump-to-dump logging contractor specializing in remote logging in coastal BC.

“Paper Excellence is proud to be a part of the Atli Chip Limited Partnership,” said Quinton Hayward, Chief Forester for Paper Excellence. “As a company, we understand the importance of being good neighbors and greatly value our relationships with Indigenous communities and their business ventures. This is an exciting opportunity to build mutually beneficial business partnerships and support community investment.”

Don Svanvik, ‘Namgis Chief Councillor added, “We are very excited about the opportunity for Atli Chip Limited Partnership to take over operations of this facility to meet the growing needs of the industry and to acquire a business that we believe will have long-term economic and environmental benefits for the ‘Namgis people and the north Island as a whole. The ‘Namgis have long been a significant contributor to the economic health of the north Island and this acquisition will continue that tradition. We look forward to working together with our new partners.”

Dorian Uzzell, President of Wahkash Contracting added, “We are proud and excited for the opportunity to work with these partners. It’s partnerships like this one that build confidence in the forest industry by providing long-term job security in our rural communities.”

In conjunction with the acquisition, Paper Excellence is entering into a chipping services agreement to receive all the chip and hog production from the facility and a Salvage Agreement with Atli Resources LP to increase First Nations participation in the forest sector.

A key goal of the new business is increasing the utilization of local waste and salvage wood in the operations. “Atli Chip Limited Partnership will serve a key role in reducing the amount of residual fibre left behind after primary forest harvesting,” said Hayward. “Processing fibre that currently is left on the forest floor will result in less slash burning of post-harvest waste ensuring better utilization of the forest resources and carbon reduction.”

Paper Excellence, headquartered in British Columbia, is a diversified manufacturer of pulp and specialty, printing, writing, and packaging papers. The company operates eight mills and a large-scale cargo distribution centre in Canada producing and shipping over 3.0 million tonnes annually with a workforce of more than 3,000. Paper Excellence is poised to continue to grow with its strategy of operational excellence and high-quality, cost-effective products.

KENNESAW, GA, April 5, 2021 (Press Release) -The North American division of Kumon, a structured, self-learning program with educational centers located worldwide, was in need of a better solution for printing the carefully designed worksheets that make its educational model so successful. After exhaustive exploration of many press providers, Kumon made the decision to purchase the Speedmaster XL 106-9P with Push-to-Stop technology, its first ever Heidelberg investment, along with running the new press exclusively with Heidelberg’s Saphira Consumables.

Productivity Gains, Cost Savings

Printing nearly 100 million worksheets in 2019, Kumon needed to add to its existing fleet of offset presses to keep up with the demand at its Hebron, Kentucky plant. Despite having never purchased from Heidelberg in the past, Kumon selected the Speedmaster XL 106 for several key factors that made it stand out among the competition: press speed, advanced press technology & automation, Heidelberg’s vast service network, and the quick availability of parts and consumables.

“We’re able to consistently run the press at top speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour, which is significantly faster than our other two machines. This press is far more advanced than anything we’ve run before. The consistency of it is outstanding, especially since we typically run thinner, uncoated stocks,” said Tom Mock, Operations Manager for Kumon.

In addition to faster speeds, Mock credits the advanced Push-to-Stop technology on the machine for increasing the overall throughput and productivity of the plant. With AutoPlate Pro, a fully automatic plate change system, and program-controlled blanket wash-up devices for the blanket and impression cylinders, makeready times in between jobs have been cut in half versus its previous press. Due to the drastic productivity improvements, Mock says that Kumon has moved nearly 40% of the plant’s total print volume off its other two presses and onto the XL 106. These productivity gains have enabled Kumon to cut its production from a three-shift model to a two-shift model, which has resulted in plantwide cost savings. Additionally, Kumon is saving about 15% on converting costs from its paper vendors thanks to the addition of CutStar, Heidelberg’s inline roll-to-sheet device.

The Right Decision for Kumon

To achieve such drastic productivity improvements, Kumon needed to be able to continuously run the press at top speeds. Exclusively using Heidelberg Saphira Consumables, which includes everything from ink to blankets to plates and fountain solution, ensures the reliability and quality that Kumon requires from a high output press. In addition to the quality of the products, Mock is very pleased with being able to order his press supplies and wear-and-tear parts online from Heidelberg’s eShop. “It’s so convenient and easy plus most of the products arrive within a day. It’s great,” said Mock. While currently only running Saphira products on its XL 106, Kumon does intend to start testing the products on its other two presses as well.

For Kumon, the Heidelberg “experience” does not end with the press and its supplies. Mock cites the installation and training from Heidelberg’s experienced team of SystemService representatives as “second to none.” Despite the large technology leap from their current presses to the new XL 106, the press operators at Kumon were able to quickly learn the new technology and are excited about running the press. According to Mock, “During our press search, we knew that Heidelberg would be the right fit for us. Now having experience with the product and the service, we know we made the right decision.”

About Kumon North America

Kumon started in 1954 Japan when Toru Kumon helped his young son learn calculus by sixth grade. Through his unique teaching method of short, incremental assignments, other parents took notice and began teaching Kumon’s unique step-by-step learning method. Instead of taking notes, memorizing facts, and being fed information from teachers or a tutor, children actively develop critical, self-learning skills through carefully designed worksheets. In 1974, the first Kumon Math Center opened in the United States. Today, Kumon has established itself as a provider of quality education for millions of local children through local instructors in over 50 countries around the world.