Metso to relocate two paper machines for Shandong Huatai Paper in China

HELSINKI, Oct. 26, 2009 (Market Wire) - Metso has received an order from Shandong Huatai Paper Stock Co., Ltd. for a relocation of two paper machines to the company's subsidiary mills in China. The value of the order will not be disclosed. The typical market value of this type of relocation project services is less than EUR 10 million. The order is included in Paper and Fiber Technology's Q3 orders received.

Mondi Group's fine paper machine in Szolnok, Hungary, will be relocated to the Anqing mill of Anhui Huatai Forest Pulp & Paper in Anhui province. Metso's delivery will also include a modernization of the machine control system as well as mill engineering services. The start-up of the relocated machine is scheduled for the first half of 2011.

Qiqihar Paper Mill's newsprint machine in Heilongjiang province, will be relocated to Guangdong Huatai Paper in Xinhui, Guangdong province. The start-up of the relocated line is scheduled for the end of 2010.

Anhui Huatai Forest Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Huatai Paper Co., Ltd. are part of Shandong Huatai Paper Stock Co., Ltd. Shandong Huatai Paper produces newsprint, uncoated fine paper, coated art paper and tissue with an annual capacity exceeding 1.8 million tonnes.

Reconditioning, rebuilding and eventual relocating of entire production lines is part of Metso's service offering for paper machines. It combines machine rebuilding business, project management and automation solutions.

As a result of structural changes in the global pulp and paper industry, paper producers in Europe and North America have cut production capacity and closed machines and entire mills. Some of the closed machines have technical operating life remaining, and some of them are relocated to the growing Asian markets, especially to China and India.