Kingdecor of China orders equipment for new PM

SINGAPORE, May 16, 2008 (RISI) - The Sino-German joint venture Kingdecor has unveiled plans to install a 30,000 tonne/yr decor paper machine at its mill in Quzhou city, Zhejiang province, in China. Startup is scheduled for 2009.

The firm has ordered a hydraulic headbox and a soft calender for the scheme from Voith Paper. Other parts of the PM will be sourced in China, in a bid to keep costs down.

The plant already houses a 30,000 tonne/yr decor paper machine, which came online in 2006. The 2.8 m wide unit was supplied by an unknown Chinese manufacturer based in Kunshan city, Jiangsu province. Voith Paper Manchester provided a soft calender.

Kingdecor plans to install one more 30,000 tonne/yr decor paper machine at the facility after the second PM comes on stream. The firm has set aside RMB 250 million ($36 million) for the second and third units.

Kingdecor is 50/50 owned by Germany's Schattdecor and the Chinese specialty paper producer, Zhejiang Xianhe Special Paper.

The German firm has a plant in Pudong, Shanghai, housing a printing machine and a lacquering unit. Base paper for the facility was originally shipped over from Europe, as the quality of products the company sourced in China was not up to standard.

Schattdecor subsequently went on to build its own production facility in the country via the jv, as paper manufacturing is not its core competency.