GLOBAL NEWS UPDATE

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A roundup of news from across the global tissue industry. To get the very latest news go to www.tissueworldmagazine.com

South Africa

JUMBO CENTRE BOOSTS CAPACITY

BY 30,000TPY WITH TM START-UP

South Africa’s Jumbo Centre has started-up a Toscotec-supplied AHEAD 1.8 tissue line at its site in Johannesburg.

The machine has a sheet trim width of 2.7m, an operating speed of 1,800m/min and a production capacity of more than 30,000 tpy.

It is equipped with a new generation design TT NextPress shoe press, a third-generation TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer, and high-efficiency TT Hood.

The scope of supply covers the complete production line from the bale handling and stock preparation systems to the electrification and control system of the tissue machine.

Itzik Nikfard and Rafi Nikfard, Directors of Jumbo Centre, said: “This investment marks a new important stage of expansion for our business.

“The choice of technology is key in supporting the continuous growth and success of our SnowSoft brand.”

America

GP ANNOUNCES $150M CONSUMER TISSUE INVESTMENT

Georgia-Pacific (GP) has announced a $150m investment in its retail consumer tissue business at its mill in Halsey, Oregon.

Investments to the plant will increase production capacity for high quality bath tissue, with initial production expected in 2025.

By the end of this project, the company will have invested over $200m in paper machine and converting assets at the facility since 2022.

Vivek Joshi, President of the retail tissue, towel, and napkin business for GP, said: “It is a clear indication of Georgia-Pacific’s focus on growing our premium tissue business and creating products that consumers value.”

The Halsey mill makes bath tissue and paper towels for the consumer market, and the investment will increase the production of its premium tissue offerings such as Quilted Northern Ultra Plush tissue, as well as customer branded tissue.

T Rk Ye

EUROPAP TEZOL KAĞIT BOOSTS HIGH QUALITY TISSUE CAPACITY WITH TM START-UP

Europap Tezol Kağit has started-up a Toscotec-supplied AHEAD 2.2 tissue machine at its integrated production facility in Mersin, Türkiye. The line features a sheet trim width of 2.9m, has an operating speed of 2,100m/min, and an annual production capacity of over 40,000 tons.

It is equipped with Toscotec’s upgraded design TT NextPress shoe press, a third-generation TT SYD, TT BulkyReel for optimal preservation of bulk and softness, and high efficiency TT Hood with the automatic balancing system TT DryingEquilibrium. The project also included two OPTIMA slitter rewinders, with the first already in operation, and the second scheduled for installation soon. Ahmet Şenyaşa, Factories Director at Europap Tezol Kağit, said: “We are confident that this stateof-the-art tissue line will allow us to meet the high-quality standards of our customer base, especially in terms of the softness and hand feel of our super-prime brands.”

PCMC AND UNITEK PAPER & CHEMICALS FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE

PCMC has entered into a strategic alliance with Istanbul-based Unitek Paper & Chemicals in order to further its collaboration with Türkiye-based pulp and paper companies. Unitek Paper & Chemicals was founded by Umit Coskuner in 1999 as a consulting and engineering company designed to serve Türkiye’s paper industry and represent international companies in the global pulp and paper sector.

PCMC said the new agreement will enable it, Unitek, and local tissue companies, to grow under a new strategic framework.

Poland

Velvet Care Acquired By Partners Group

Swiss-based global private equity firm Partners Group is to acquire Polish-headquartered tissue manufacturer Velvet Care from Abris Capital Partners. Velvet Care is one of the largest manufacturers of hygiene tissue products in Central Europe. The acquisition takes place after several years of growth, which has included announcing its third paper machine in five years as part of a PLN364m investment. That is on the back of more than 60% production capacity increase to the business following the start-up of TM8, the plant’s second Valmet-supplied Advantage DCT line, in June 2022. In 2020 Velvet Care also acquired Moracell, Czechia’s largest producer of toilet paper and paper towels, a move which opened up opportunities for the business in Czechia and Slovakia.

China

Sun Paper Group Boosts Capacity With Tm Investment

China’s Sun Paper Group has renewed its contract for the supply of three Baotuo paper machines to be installed at its Nanning Park production base in the Guangxi region. A year after two Baotuo paper machines were put into production at Sun Paper’s Beihai Park base, the company has again signed a contract for three additional Baotuo high-speed crescent former tissue machines to be installed at Nanning Park in the next few years. The paper machine model is BC1800-2850 and it has a design speed of 1,800m/min and a width of 2,8m.

The investment means that 300,000tpy of household paper and converting will be added at the plant. Sun Paper’s household paper project in Nanning is planned to be constructed in two phases, mainly including production workshops, post-processing facilities, warehousing and other production auxiliary facilities. The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.

Brazil

Suzano Signs Up Andritz For Maintenance On New Ribas Do Rio Pardo Plant

Suzano has invested in a five-year contract with Andritz that will cover maintenance modules for its new mill currently being constructed in Ribas do Rio Pardo. With an annual production capacity of 2.55m tons, the supplier said Suzano’s new mill will be the world’s largest plant with a single eucalyptus production line. The contract covers several maintenance modules for all process islands and equipment of the new mill, which is scheduled to start up by June 2024.

Italy

Ace Launches Business Division Ace Tissue Technologies

Italy’s ACE has diversified its product offering after opening a new company - ACE Tissue Technologies (ACE TT). Located in Pescia, Lucca, the new business division is dedicated to the manufacture of patented dust removal systems. Chief Executive Daniele Barbui said to TWM: “This was the necessary step in order to better organise the internal production processes and to enhance the specialisation in each specific sector by positioning suitable and prepared personnel.”

He added that ACE TT is structured to provide its customers “with 360° service”, starting from the supervision of the lines to the study and design of suitable dedusting systems until their installation.

“In the tissue industry, ACE T.T. is now able to supply customised systems for paper machines, rewinders, converting lines, interfolders, napkin and handkerchief machines. Meanwhile, ACE Dedusting plants act directly on the paper, are easy to use, versatile, and with the possibility of modular expansion even after their installation. They are practically maintenance-free, and the return on investment is extremely rapid if we consider the advantages that their use entails.”

He added that the company’s patented MEA-X technology is based on the combined action of aerodynamic flows and antistatic devices, and “guarantees higher levels of safety in the control of electrostatic charges and superior dust removal performance (even over 60%) compared to traditional suction systems.”

The business also has an office in China, ACE (Suzhou) Mechanical Equipment.

Global

Infinity Targets Increased Automation With Launch Of R10sw Palletiser

Infinity Machine & Engineering Corp. has further expanded its roster of automated machinery to cover the end of the production line by launching its latest palletiser, the R10SW. Introduced into the global tissue market in response to customer demand, the R10SW palletiser can be integrated with Infinity packaging lines, which the company said enables its machinery to automate every step of the tissue production process after the log saw. Gregory Sense, Marketing Coordinator, Infinity, said: “A key aspect of the R10SW palletiser is its modularity. The R10SW is made up of modular palletiser sections that can be arranged into countless different layouts to accommodate production requirements, as well as facility limitations. The flexibility created by these palletiser sections make it perfect for a multitude of product lines, from single product, to large-scale, multi-line operations.”

He added that the palletiser segments offered include automatic slip sheet placement, integrated labelling, and fully automatic, fully servo stretch wrapping.

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