Sappi continues to invest for the future in its Lanaken and Kirkniemi mills

Sappi Limited has approved investments of some EUR 25m for mill upgrades in Europe during the course of 2016.  Sappi Lanaken Mill will improve the performance of its paper machine 7 (PM7)  by installing  a state-of-the-art film-press coater, and Sappi Kirkniemi Mill will undergo a variety of modifications to its paper machine 3 (PM3)  to increase energy efficiency and further improve quality consistency. All work will be completed by the end of calendar year 2016.

“These investments support our continued drive for efficiency and profitability,” commented Berry Wiersum, CEO Sappi Europe. “We are focused on the future and on continuous improvement, seizing opportunities where they make most sense.”

In 2013, Sappi Europe announced its intention to make significant investments (EUR 56m) in its Kirkniemi Mill over the coming years. The decision to build a new power plant was key to supporting future operations , safeguarding the competitiveness of the mill, and backing the company’s drive for cost leadership. The new plant opened ahead of schedule in September 2015.

As part of this new investment in Kirkniemi Mill, PM3 will get a new shoe press for more effective drying as well as modifications to the headbox. Further improvements will include a dilution controlled head box to ensure good runnability, especially on the base paper machine. The investment will increase energy efficiency on PM3 and will promote PM3´s cost competitiveness. The new equipment will further enhance quality consistency through better basis weight and moisture profiles.

At Lanaken Mill, the gate-roll coater on PM7 will be replaced with a state-of-the-art film-press coater. With additional adaptations to the drying system and coating preparation, the rebuild paves the way for the first coating to have more weight. The investment will enable PM7 to produce the entire portfolio of grades – without compromising on web profile, coating coverage and paper properties.

 

ENDS

 

About Sappi Kirkniemi Mill
Sappi Kirkniemi Mill in Lohja, Finland is part of Sappi Europe. In Kirkniemi there are three paper machines which annually produce 735,000 tons of high quality publication papers which are used for premium quality publications all over the world.

 

About Sappi Lanaken Mill
Sappi Lanaken Mill, Belgium is part of Sappi Europe. In Lanaken there are two paper machines which annually produce 510,000 tons of coated mechanical and coated fine papers for heat set web offset printing.

 

About Sappi
Sappi Europe SA is the leading European producer of coated fine paper used in premium magazines, catalogues, books and high-end print advertising. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, Sappi Europe is recognised for innovation and quality. Its graphic paper brands include Magno™, Quatro™, Vantage™, Royal™, Galerie™ and GalerieArt™ ranges. Algro®, Leine®, Parade®,  Fusion® and atelier™ are the brands for innovative solutions of speciality papers and boards. Sappi papers are produced in mills accredited with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification and EMAS registration for all our mills in the EU. Sappi European mills hold chain-of-custody certification under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) and/or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™) schemes.
Sappi Europe SA is a division of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 12,800 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries, sales offices in 50 countries, and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at www.sappi.com.