BELGIUM Faxe Paper Pigments has opened its first merchant precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) mill in Hermalle, near Liège. Delivery of the company's PCC can
be as a slurry or it can be transported as crumbles to its slurry plants or warehouses in Aberdeen, Scotland, and Lysekil or Söderhamn in Sweden.

CANADA Cascades has completed the purchase of the Auburn Fiber mill in Maine, USA. But the Canadian company has no immediate plans to invest in the 75,000 ton/yr deinked pulp mill which was built three years ago.

ITALY The Giorgione mill is to rebuild the top and backliner lines on its approach flow system. Voith Sulzer is the supplier and the order includes two new Cyclean cleaner plants, a Multi-screen MSA with C-bar basket as the primary screen for the backliner, as well as a VSI pressure screen with C-bar basket as secondary screen for the topliner. Commissioning is planned for the end of August.

ITALY Nuove Cartiere di Tivoli has ordered a TotalPlant Alcont Process Control System from Honeywell-Measurex. The system will control the steam groups and other process equipment on the mill's liner machine. The paper quality control system will also be updated. Startup is due by the end of September.

FINLAND UPM-Kymmene is to expand the flotation deinking plant at its Kaipola mill in Finland. Deinking capacity is forecast to rise from 380 tons/day to 450 tons/day. The deinked pulp is used for newsprint and telephone directory paper. Voith Sulzer is set to supply an additional cell in the secondary flotation, which means that the water flow of the two flotations can be separated. The expansion project will cost FIM 35 million ($6 million) and is expected to be finished by the end of 1998.

FINLAND Enso's new PM 7 at its Oulu mill has set a new world record for woodfree pre-coated fine paper production. The PM ran at 1,330 m/min during a 24-hour period. The coating machine on the same line also broke a world record by coating at a speed of 1,800 m/min for one machine reel.

FINLAND Specialty Minerals Nordic has signed an agreement with Metsä-Serla to build and operate additional precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) capacity at the group's existing satellite facility in Aanekoski. The planned expansion will produce PCC products for use in coating art paper and board production. Startup will take place in January 1999.

FINLAND Enso is to invest FIM 40 million ($7 million) on PM 1 at its Veitsiluoto mill. Valmet will install a new winder on the 160,000 ton/yr coated mechanical PM, replacing two old winders. The work will take place in March 1999. Enso already plans to upgrade PM 2 at Veitsiluoto, with Valmet again the chosen supplier. The rebuild will raise fine paper capacity by 70,000 tons/yr to 270,000 tons/yr.

FINLAND UPM-Kymmene has chosen Valmet Automation to supply the control systems for the rebuild of 100,000 ton/yr PM 6 at its Tervasaari mill in Finland. The upgrade will improve quality and raise capacity by 15-20%.

GERMANY Grünewald Papier has ordered a rebuild on the paper machine at its Kirchundem mill. Voith Sulzer will carry out the DM 2 million ($1.1 million) modernization, including the renovation and extension of the PM drive system, in the second half of the year.

GERMANY Schwedt Papier & Karton has installed an M&Y Air Systems trim handling system at its site in Schwedt, eastern Germany. The system serves a Jagenberg Vari-Dur winder operating at 1,500 m/min.

GERMANY Mercer has completed all the necessary financing agreements with banks, the German state and federal governments for a pulp expansion project at its Rosenthal mill. The company plans to convert and expand production from 160,000 tons/yr of sulfite pulp to 280,000 tons/yr of kraft pulp by the fourth quarter of 1999.

GERMANY German wastepaper group, Interseroh, has started trading on the German stock exchange. The share issue was heavily oversubscribed and attracted international interest. The company made the move to help finance a major expansion program. As part of the expansion, Interseroh has just bought the French wastepaper interest, CDI, from the Jefferson Smurfit Group for I25 million ($35 million).

NETHERLANDS Gelderse Papiergroep is to sell Papierfabriek Schut and Denaeyer Papier. Denaeyer Papier in Willebroek, Belgium, is to be the subject of a management buyout. The mill produces 40,000 tons/yr of silicone-base paper and paper for flexible packaging. Papierfabriek Schut in Heelsum, the Netherlands, will be sold to French papermaker and converter Exacompta Clairefontaine. It produces 1,500 tons/yr of mainly artist paper.

NETHERLANDS The European Commission has approved the purchase of KNP BT Packaging by two venture capital companies CVC Capital Partners and Cinven. The new owners now have to wait for the go-ahead from anti-monopoly committees of other affected countries. The companies paid NLG 3,400 million ($1,659 million) for KNP BT's packaging arm, which has been renamed Kappa Packaging.

SINGAPORE Indah Kiat, an Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) subsidiary, has started trial production on PM 3 and a rebuilt pulp line at its Perawang mill in Sumatra, Indonesia. The new Beloit PM has a capacity of 370,000 tons/yr of coated and uncoated woodfree paper. Estimated investment cost is $390 million. The pulp line rebuild will boost bleached hardwood kraft capacity by 126,000 tons/yr from the existing 1,425,000 tons/yr. Investment for the rebuild is estimated at $130 million.
Commercial production for both projects is expected at the end of the third quarter.

SLOVAKIA SCP is to install a new Beloit winder on PM 7 at its mill in Ruzomberok. The new BelWind SF two-drum winder includes SoftNip technology, AutoTrim slitter positioning and automatic set change. Delivery and installation will take place in September.

SWITZERLAND Papierfabrik Perlen near Lucerne has rebuilt its roll wrapping system. The system handles newsprint rolls with a width of 450-2,000 mm, a diameter of 700-1,500 mm and a maximum weight of 2,500 kg. Lamb Europe was the supplier.

UK Caledonian paper has ordered a MOPS millwide and optimization system from Kvaerner Chemetics. The system will integrate all of the instrumentation, information and control systems at the mill.

UK Fletcher Paper has pushed back the closing date for bids for UK Paper. The company was due to finalize a list of interested parties by the end of June, but now the names will not be published before early September. Several parties have shown strong interest in acquiring either part or all of UK Paper since the sell-off was announced earlier this year. Fletcher Paper decided to divest its UK subsidiary as it no longer fitted in with its core operations.

USA Jackson Paper in Sylva is to install additional high-pressure Linear-Brush showers to facilitate the use of re-circulated white water. The James Ross showers are designed to prevent nozzle clogging.

USA Voith Sulzer is to construct a complete rubber and polyurethane roll covering facility at its service center in West Monroe. The $8.5 million project will more than double the size of the existing service center.