CHINA

Guangdong Zhongshun expands in tissue

The Chinese Zhongshun Paper Industry Group Co Ltd, in order to satisfy the growing demand for high quality tissue, has signed a contract with the Italian paper machine manufacturer Toscotec, for the supply of a tissue line with an average production of 70 tons/day. The new line will be started up in the second half of 2010. Zhongshun, established in 1979, is launching on the Chinese stock exchange. One of the biggest tissue producers in China, it has five production sites in different regions: Zhongshan and JiangMen in the south, HuBei in the centre, Zhejiang in the east, Sichuan in the west and HeBei in the north. In total it makes more than 200,000 tons, including the brands C&S, Clean&Soft and Sun. Deng Ying Zhong, Zhongshun’s President, said he will fully support the continuing group expansion. Toscotec’s supply includes a state-of-the-art AHEAD 1.5 crescent former tissue machine with single-layer headbox and double press configuration, 16’ steel yankee dryer (TT SYD 16FT), machine auxiliaries, stock preparation plant for virgin pulp, electrification and control system. Machine speed will be up to 1500 m/min with a net trim width of 3450 mm.

Executives from Zhongshun and Toscotec who recently signed the order for a new machine.

The Toscotec machine is designed to fulfil the demand of the Chinese market, which is characterized by low availability of natural gas. The new concept of the AHEAD 1.5 maximises the contribution of the large diameter SYD to the drying process and guarantees high evaporation with low energy consumption.

Fujian Nanping forms JV

Fujian Nanping Paper has set up a joint venture Xiamen Xinyang Paper with two Chinese staterun investment firms to build a greenfield paper mill in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China. The joint venture aims to install a 50,000 ton/yr speciality paper machine and two tissue machines with a combined capacity of 60,000 tons/yr at the new facility. The cost of the project will total RMB 840 million ($113 million).

The JV has gained approval for the environmental assessment for the schemes by the authorities. It is in talks with several suppliers for the equipment. But further details, such as the project's timeline, still need to be hammered out.

Fujian Nanping Paper has a 42% stake in the JV, while Xiamen Shuncheng Asset Management (43%) and Xiamen Haicang Investment Group (15%) own the remaining shares. The two investment firms are owned by the Xiamen City government.

News from RISI(www.risiinfo.com)

VIETNAM

Andritz receives order for tissue machine

Andritz has received an order to deliver a PrimeLineCOMPACT tissue machine to Saigon Paper Corporation (formerly Saigon Binh Dinh Paper Corp), one of the leading Vietnamese producers of tissue and board. Start-up is scheduled for 2010.

The scope of supply includes a complete PrimeLineCOMPACT – from stock preparation to reel-up, including automation. At a width of 2850 mm, the tissue machine has an annual production capacity of 25,000 tons/yr at a design speed of 1650 m/min. A PrimeDry steel Yankee (diameter 3.65 m) will be used to improve energy savings.

The PrimeLineCOMPACT concept’s standardized design and ease of installation reduce the time from order placement to startup, thus accelerating the return on investment for customers, according to Andritz.

MIDDLE EAST

Hayat Kimya to triple production

Hayat Kimya has decided to expand its tissue production in Turkey and start up new facilities in Iran. The company will invest in a second 65,000 ton/yr PM at its mill in Izmit, in northwest Turkey. The firm has chosen Metso to supply the DCT 200 TS unit. Civil construction for the machine hall will start in the beginning of September and installation of the tissue machine is planned for March 2010. Production is set to begin around the end of 2010.

The $100 million project will lead to an additional 350 jobs at the Izmit plant. "The investment costs will be very suitable due to the global economic crisis. We have seen an increasing demand for tissue in Turkey and Iran," paper mill director Lütfi Aydın told RISI.

Investment in Iran
Hayat Kimya is also planning to build two new factories in Zencan, in Iran. One of the mills will produce 65,000 tons/yr of tissue, also on a Metso DCT 200 TS machine, tripling Hayat Kimya's current production.

Civil construction for the machine hall is set to begin in early March 2010 and the tissue PM erection is scheduled for September 2010. Production will start in the middle of 2011. The second factory will manufacture diapers and feminine hygiene products and is to start production in the first quarter of 2010. The investment in the tissue mill totals another $100 million, while the hygienic product factory will cost $50 million. The company estimates that 500 new jobs will be created.

The Iranian tissue plant will have the biggest tissue capacity in the country, according to Hayat Kimya. The firm aims to become the biggest tissue manufacturer in the Middle East. Hayat Kimya currently produces some 65,000 tons/yr of tissue on its sole machine at its mill in Izmit.