Sun Paper Group's new fine paper unit, PM 21, is up-and-running; plans for PM 22 are in place
September 2007
By Jennifer Ellson, PPI Asia News
Already one of the world's largest papermaking facilities, Sun Paper Group's Yanzhou mill complex (Shandong province, China) is set to get even larger with the installation of a 400,000-tonne/yr cartonboard machine, PM 22. The new unit, a 50/50 joint venture with International Paper (IP) will be located on a brownfield site adjacent to the building housing Yanzhou's PM 17 and PM 18.
Metso Paper has been signed up to supply the new coated board line, which is set to come on stream in 2Q 2008. The contract is worth Euro 60 million ($82 million). According to Metso, the new line will consist of a complete 3-ply cartonboard machine with five coating stations, capable of producing folding boxboard (FBB), art board and liquid packaging board (LPB) in a basis weight range of 150-350 g/m2. PM 22 will have a wire width of 5.1 m and a design speed of 900 m/min. Metso Automation will deliver the QCS and machine controls, as well as basis weight and moisture profilers.
The choice of supplier was, "Not only because of good technology, but more because of the good service center in Wuxi," explains the mill's deputy general manager and chief engineer, Ying Guang Dong. "Metso's equipment is easy to operate and it has more R&D centers than other suppliers in China. Before 2000, we used local machines, but the local suppliers are not as good when it comes to training our people. PM 17 and PM 18 were the first Metso units that we had and we saw that the skills of our operators have improved and are improving continuously," he adds. PMs 17 and 18 are managed by another IP/Sun Paper jv, International Paper Sun Paper Cartonboard. Its two machines have a combined capacity of 425,000 tonnes/yr and are currently producing coated ivory board, mostly for cigarette packaging.
According to Ying, Sun Paper expects an increase in domestic demand for coated boxboard next year because of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Some 95% of output from Yanzhou goes to the Chinese market, with just 5% exported.
Poster boys
Sun also anticipates demand growth for coated paper for posters during 2008. In April 2007, the firm started up PM 21 at Yanzhou, a 250,000-tonne/yr fine paper machine. The new unit has a wire width of 5.4 m and an operating speed of 1,300 m/min. Output comprises copy paper, offset paper and base paper for coating in a basis weight range of 60-180 g/m2.
Voith Paper supplied the PM. Andritz provided a pulp refining line to feed the unit, which also has a capacity of 250,000 tonnes/yr. PM 21 has taken Sun Paper's total printing/writing paper capacity to 600,000 tonnes/yr.
