MILL OPERATIONS

As part of a $60 million CAD investment to add new value-added papermaking technology to its No. 2 paper machine in St. John, N.B., Irving Paper has ordered new equipment from Valmet. This equipment includes an MB Former upgrade, an OptiReel reel, WinBelt winder, and the world's first online OptiLoad multinip calender. Start up is scheduled for the fall of 1998.

Willamette Industries Inc. has started up an ABB product tracking system (PTS) and an ABB quality management system (QMS) at its corrugating medium mill in Hawesville, Ky. The company now plans to expand the installation to the fine paper mill in Hawesville. PTS tracks production from the corrugating medium mill's paper machine, while QMS collects quality data throughout the complex. PTS and QMS also interface with Willamette's AS/400-based corporate system, which handles such business functions as financials and order services. The future installation at the fine paper mill will include an existing paper machine as well as a new paper machine scheduled for startup in 1998.

Wausau Papers, Wausau, N.H., has received couch roll double doctors from James Ross Ltd.

York Paper Co., Conshohocken, Pa., has ordered an RDE 2472 winder and unwind from A&F Corp. The winder face is 143 in. and the operating speed is 6,500 fpm. The heavy duty shaftless unwind will be handling 60 in. rolls.

Weyerhaeuser Corp., Valliant, Okla., has ordered a second chip thickness screening and processing line from Rader Cos., a div. of Beloit. Weyerhaeuser had a successful startup of its first line last year. The new equipment includes a Model 1424 DynaGage II bar screen, a Model 80/300 DynaYield II chip conditioner, and Model 40 air density separator.

To overcome high pins loss,Weyerhaeuser's Grand Prairie, Alb., mill has ordered an Acrowood 5060 DiamondRoll after a series of rotary screens. The mill has been losing pins through its rotary screens, especially during the winter when poor chip conditions often result in plugging.

Roosevelt Paper Co., Philadelphia, Pa., has ordered a Jagenberg winder rebuild and a six roll overhead wrapper unwind station from A&F Corp. The winder rebuild will consist of new frames, updating of the shaftless chucks, dual spreader rolls, refinish drum rolls, and new bench board with PLCs. The roll wrapper will be 92 in., with a 48 in. dia wrapper roll.

Bear Island Paper Co., Ashland, Va., has started up its new Elixir manufacturing execution system (MES) from Majiq. By coordinating order management, production, warehousing, shipping, and invoicing activities, the new MES will help Bear Island improve efficiency.

E.B. Eddy Forest Products, Ottawa, Ont., has received couch roll double doctors from James Ross Ltd.

For the No. 4 paper machine at its Port Alberni, B.C., mill, MacMillan Bloedel has purchased the DriveVision torque monitoring and reporting system from the Lawton Co. The DriveVision system will be used to monitor and control the paper machine acceleration and deceleration rates based on the torque being transmitted through the drive system. It will also be used to provide an early warning of dryer flooding.

To replace a small IFO disc screen at its Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., mill, Consolidated Papers has purchased an Acrowood Model 2284 DiamondRoll VIRO fines screen to remove fines ahead of a continuous digester.

Boise Cascade Corp., Jackson, Ala., has started up a custom manufacturing execution system (MES) from Majiq. Since sheeter facilities were at a separate location, Majiq designed a system that linked remote radio terminals and workstations, allowing production planners quick access to critical data.

Buckeye Cellulose Corp., Perry, Fla., has ordered a complete chip thickness screening and processing system from Rader Cos., a div. of Beloit. The equipment includes an RDS scalping screen, a Model 1424 DynaGage II bar screen, a Model 80/300 DynaYield II chip conditioner, and a Model 40 air density separator (ADS).

Domtar Packaging, Red Rock, Ont., has received couch roll double doctors from James Ross Ltd.

To replace a 15-year-old disc scalper, Stone Container Corp., Hopewell, Va., has purchased an Acrowood Model 730 disc scalper to process wood waste prior to a power boiler. The equipment is designed to remove oversized pieces that could cause material handling problems in or damage to downstream equipment.

Stone Container Corp.'s Snowflake, Ariz., mill has successfully started up an AhlFloat dissolved air flotation (DAF) clarifier from Ahlstrom Machinery. The unit is guaranteed to achieve at least 95% removal efficiency, with final TSS of less than 100 ppm. Since startup, the TSS output levels have averaged 60 ppm at average flow and loading conditions.

Cartons St. Laurent Inc., Montreal, Que., has achieved a three mill startup of the Elixir manufacturing execution system (MES) from Majiq. The MES will coordinate order entry, production, invoicing, warehousing, and shipping activities between St. Laurent's three mills, three remote warehouses, and two sales offices. The MES's distributed database system (DDS) allows corporate computers at multiple sites to be grouped into databases linked through wide area networking. The initial startup was done at St. Laurent's paper mill in La Tuque, Que., in conjunction with sales offices in Montreal, Que., and Wyomissing, Penn. This was followed by startups at Matane, Que., and Thunder Bay, Ont.

Mohawk Paper, Cohoes, N.Y., has ordered couch roll double doctors from James Ross Ltd.

Fibreco, Taylor, B.C., has installed a Vincent VP-16 screw press for pressing primary sludge with a fraction of secondary sludge. The sludge, which comes from a belt press, had previously presented disposal difficulties. Fibreco produces and sells market pulp made primarily from woodchips.

To upgrade the speed potential of the No. 1 paper machine at its Cincinnati, Ohio, mill, Rock Tenn Co. has contracted with the Lawton Co. for the design and manufacture of a new taper cone pulley.

For its Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., mill, Consolidated Papers Inc. has licensed ABB's product assessment software (PAS). PAS is a quality management tool that stores and manipulates data from a mill's gauging systems. Consolidated has also licensed ABB's information exchange software (IXS) and PI application programming interface (PI API). IXS will collect gauging system data from the mill's AccuRay 1190 and supply that data PAS. The PI API will fill the mill's database with data from the 1190.

Domtar Fine Papers, Cornwall, Ont., has received couch roll double doctors from James Ross Ltd.

Fraser Papers Inc., Park Falls, Wis., has contracted with the Lawton Co. for reconditioning work on one of its paper machine dryers. Lawton will remove the dryer heads, inspect the shell, re-install the heads with new mounting hardware, and hydrostatically test the dryer assembly.

CMPC Papeles SA has ordered an MXOpen web inspection system from Honeywell-Measurex for the No. 19 paper machine at its Yerbas Buenas, Chile, mill.

To replace obsolete machinery in its pulping and detrashing systems, UNIPAK SA, based in Cuernavaca, Mexico, has recently purchased new Thermo Black Clawson stock preparation equipment. A new continuous Hydrapulper with a 53.5 in. dia rotor and a Hydrapurge II detrasher will form the core of the new system. Using OCC furnish, the mill plans to produce 150 tpd with the new equipment.

For the No. 12 paper machine at its Laja, Chile, mill,CMPC Celulosa SAhas ordered an MXOpen AquaTrol and Devronizer CD supervisory control system from Honeywell-Measurex.

Fabricas de Papel Tuxtepec has ordered an MXOpen web inspection system from Honeywell-Measurex for the No. 2 paper machine at its Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, mill.

For the No. 1 paper machine at its Queretaro, Mexico, mill, Cartones Ponderosa has ordered an MXOpen web inspection system.

Celulosa Argentina has ordered an MXOpen web inspection system for the No. 2 paper machine at its Capitan Bermudez, Argentina, mill.

For its Porsea Mill in North Sumatra, Indonesia, Inti Indorayon Utama PT has ordered four Clotan II chlorine dioxide gas and solution analyzers. The analyzers will sample and control CIO2/air gas flow in the 0 to 20% volume range, and CIO2 aqueous solutions in the 0 to 15 g.p.l. range with -3%/+3% of range system accuracy. Inti Indorayon Utama PT has also ordered four Clotan II analyzers for its Kerinci-Riav mill in Sumatera, Indonesia.

Zellstoff Pols AG, Pols ob Judenburg, Austria, has ordered a turn-key rebuild of its drying line with a sheet width at the cutter of 3.35 m from Andritz AG, Austria. The order includes a new twin-wire press, two heavy duty presses, a ventilation system, rebuild of the existing dryer, a new cutter layboy, the complete electrical and control equipment and civil engineering works. The total production after the rebuild will be 650 tpd with a dryness of 51% after the second heavy-duty press. Startup of the new drying line is scheduled for fall of 1997.