EKA to rebuild DIP line at Turkish plant

BRUSSELS, Feb. 1, 2008 (RISI) - EKA Industrial Paper Production, formerly known as Aktif Kagit, has announced plans to rebuild its deinked pulp (DIP) line at its mill in Kosekoy, near Izmit, Turkey.

The company has signed up Kadant Lamort to overhaul most of the stock preparation line. The project will cost around $1 million. The revamp is set to be wrapped up in June.

The line feeds the plant’s PM 10, together with a virgin fiber line. The machine started commercial production last year. EKA snapped up the second-hand 22,000 tonne/yr machine-glazed kraft paper unit from the state-run mill SEKA Izmit.

The firm also purchased the plant’s PM 6, which was able to produce 70,000 tonnes/yr of schrenz and grayboard. The company was going to sell off the unit due to poor grayboard prices, but has since reverted to its original plan and decided to rebuild the PM. EKA has sold off the parts of the machine which enabled it to produce grayboard to an unnamed firm in Georgia. The company hopes to bring PM 6 back online next year, once it has installed a new reel on the unit.

The firm remains on the lookout for a 60,000 tonne/yr tissue PM for the Kosekoy plant. The company hopes to buy a 1,500 m/min crescent former machine next year.

The owners of EKA decided to separate the firm from their other firm, Aktif Kagit, which produces power transmission and mechanical engineering products. EKA’s ownership remains the same, though.

Important 2008 Conference Date Changes!

PPI Market Pulp will now take place April 6-7, 2008. The RISI European Conference will be held April 7-9. Both events remain in Lisbon, Portugal.