Staff expertise leads to success in the AFH market

By Felicia Willis, Associate Editor, Pulp & Paper International magazine

BRUSSELS, July 21, 2009 (RISI) - In the small northwestern Alabama town of Barton, SCA Tissue has successfully fulfilled its plan to install a second Andritz supplied tissue machine to accompany the first machine. (Pulp & Paper, May 2007). The new No. 14 machine is designed to make 8.8-lb tissue at 6,300 ft/min, with a production capacity of 70,000 tonnes/yr of 100% recycled tissue, napkin and light towel grades for the away-from-home (AfH) market. The $145-million project began at a groundbreaking ceremony back in March 2007, and the new No. 14 tissue machine began operations on October 19, 2008.

The six-year-old Barton facility began as a $240-million greenfield mill that first broke ground in October 2002 when SCA began work to install the No. 12, 110,000-tonne/yr semi-crepe tissue machine supplied by Voith-Andritz. Startup came in 2004. At the same time, SCA installed a deinked pulp plant that provides a furnish suitable for napkin and towel grades, both brown and white. SCA also installed a full converting complex, distribution center, administrative building, utilities, and all-plant infrastructure.

This new tissue machine was installed four years after the No. 12 for good reason. "We needed the second machine to supply a full line of tissue products to the southeast," says Jim Haeffele, Vice President of Tissue Technology for SCA, "now the facility is balanced at 180,000 tonnes/yr of tissue making capacity and 180,000 tonnes/yr of converting capacity. Prior to installing this second machine we needed to import all our bath tissue parent rolls."

The No.12 is a twin wire former, C wrap, which is suitable for making heavy grades of paper because this former has high dewatering capability, two roll press section, 18-ft dia Yankee dryer, high velocity air caps and six inline after dryers suitable for drying toweling grades. It is world class and has produced over 400 tons in a single day many times. The new No. 14 is a Crescent former machine suitable for making bath tissue and napkin grades. It features an 18-ft dia Yankee dryer, high velocity air caps and has a conventional reel section. Each machine configuration is suitable for the grades manufactured on them.

SCA Tissue recently started up its second tissue machine at its Barton mill

Going Green

In the time since the first machine has come online, the market has certainly evolved more than ever toward the trend of "going green."

"The AfH market has a trend towards more green products which is beneficial for this company since all of our products are 100% recycled and in most cases, 100% post-consumer recycled," explains Haeffele. Many of SCA's products are third-party certified through both EcoLogo and Green Seal, making Tork^TM the largest AfH product brand in North America to earn this prestigious dual certification.

The new Number 14 machine can make both bath and napkin grades

Well trained staff

SCA Barton hired about 30 new employees for the new machine. Those new employees completed an extensive training program. Paper mill management and team coordinators were on the project for a year before the No. 14 actually started up. The management and coordinators developed all the training materials in house and initial training was SCA led by the people who are actually running the new machine. In addition to the SCA training, the new employees received vendor training, then more SCA training, additional hands-on training and lastly prestart up inspection and system commissioning.

Once the rolls are made, the mill makes extensive use of automation to shuttle the rolls

Automation works!

Because the entire plant is in the shape of a U (separations between the buildings for fire protection), SCA uses automation to move materials between the buildings. Robots, roll AGVs, shuttle cart and rail handling systems are used for transportation.

Automated mills are definitely a way of the future. These top of the line automated guided vehicles (AGVs) do the work of many people, and are eventually less costly for the mills. The Barton AGVs are polyurethane-tired, self-propelled, driverless vehicles that follow a signal generated by a positioning system similar to GPS. The positioning system broadcasts a signal that the AGV follows by using antennas.

Safety features are mandatory of course, and standard features include mechanical bumpers, which trip a limit switch on impact that will produce an emergency stop; fail-safe brakes that spring on when activated but must be electrically released and held; optical sensors that sense objects in its path and slow the robot to creep speed or stop; emergency stop buttons located on the robot itself and an audible alarm horn which sounds just before and during travel.

Customer need is number one

SCA is a leading manufacturer of away from home tissue products in North America, providing napkins, towels, tissue, soap, wipers, and dispensers under the Tork^TM brand. Its strength in the foodservice segment means that customers are likely to find a Tork napkin in about half of the restaurants across North America. "Our Xpressnap is everywhere" Haeffele comments. In addition, Haeffele contends, "We are committed to product development and innovation, and are always looking for new ways to better satisfy our customers' needs."

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