USA
Second Metso tissue line to Cellynne started up

The Metso-supplied Advantage DCT 100HS tissue line delivered to Cellynne Paper Converter in Haines City, Florida, USA, came on stream successfully on 12 January 2009 as planned. On 6 February, after only 24 days, the machine reached the operating speed of 2000 m/min.

"This is the most successful start-up I have witnessed in my more than 30 years in the tissue industry. This was all possible thanks to the combination of the professional services supplied by the Metso engineering and support group, the dedication of our paper mill management team and the hard work of our employees", says Mario R Maltais, COO/general manager with Cellynne.

The new line will add another 130 tons/day of high-quality facial, bathroom tissue and towel grades to the company's production. Only two and a half years ago Cellynne Paper started up its first machine of the same model, supplied by Metso. The Advantage DCT 100HS tissue machine has a wire width of 2.7 m and an operating speed of 2000 m/min. Metso's scope of delivery comprised a complete tissue machine equipped with an OptiFlo headbox, 18-foot Metso yankee cylinder, Advantage AirCap yankee hood, sheet control and tail threading equipment, SoftReel reel, roll handling systems and stock preparation equipment. The tissue line automation also comprised QCS and DCS systems by Metso.

Cellynne Holdings, headquartered just south of Orlando, Florida, is the largest independent paper converter in North America. The actively growing company is primarily engaged in the conversion of jumbo parent rolls into smaller, more commercially usable paper products, such as toilet tissue and paper towels. The company serves both the away-from-home and the at-home market segments.

Summer Industries buys Tri-Gen Tubes, Inc

Summer Industries, the largest independent manufacturer of paperboard tubes, cores and composite containers, has completed its purchase of the business and assets of Tri-Gen Tubes, Inc. Tri-Gen is an award winning regional supplier of paper tubes, cores and protective corner board located in western New York. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "Tri-Gen and Summer Industries share a strong record of consistent growth, both in product capabilities and markets served," said Summer Industries vice president Anthony Patterson. This has earned both companies awards in regional "Fast 50" rankings (among the fastest growing private companies based in their respective regions). We are pleased to be able to combine the strengths of both companies and extend Summer Industries' reach to serve multi-location customers across several regions of the US, even into Canada."

Headquartered in Welcome, NC, Summer Industries is the USA's largest non-vertical, independent supplier of spiral-wound paper tubes, cores, composite cans and protective corner board. The Tonawanda, NY facility expands its plant network to six manufacturing facilities across the eastern and southern US. For more information,

BRAZIL
Propaper set to start mill near TaubatÉ

Prolim is in the final stages of erection of a new tissue machine at its new subsidiary, Propaper, which is completing the project on a greenfield site at Tremembé, near Taubaté, SP, Brazil. The mill was expected to start at the end of February, producing about 10,000 tons/yr of tissue, partly for Propaper's own converting plant and partly for other converters in Brazil. The new machine, from China's Tianjin Paper Machine Co, will trim at 2.7 m and run at 500-600 m/min making tissue of 16-40 g/m2. It is equipped with a 3.66 m diameter yankee. Prolim is a long-established private company delivering a range of hygiene products to the Brazilian away from home market. The new machine will be its first venture into paper making. "Our foccus is to produce only high level paper quality", says Carlos Silva, commercial director for Prolim. (www.prolim.com.br).

 

BOLIVIA
Copelme to start up tissue PM in March

In March tissue producer Compañía Papelera Mendoza (Copelme) is to start up a new tissue paper machine at its mill in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The company has invested $8 million in the new PM3, which will have a capacity of 19,200 tons/yr. "We expect this PM will reach its full capacity in 2011," said Jorge Soriano, Copelme's industrial manager.

Currently, Copelme has a capacity of 9000 tons/yr of tissue on two paper machines. The new crescent former PM3 will be supplied by Hergen from Brazil and will produce 2.76 m wide paper reels at speeds up to 1200 m/min.

According to Soriano, increasing tissue consumption in Bolivia stimulated Copelme to expand its production. "We are working at full capacity nowadays so it was necessary to raise it in order to meet the market demand," Soriano explained.

With the new paper machine, Copelme also plans to start exporting tissue paper to its neighboring countries. News from RISI(www.risiinfo.com)

SOUTH AMERICA
CMPC adds capacity across the region

CMPC's board has approved the construction of a new 27,000 ton/yr tissue paper mill in Bogota, Colombia. The plant project involves an investment of $60 million and start-up is scheduled for March 2010.

In December 2008, CMPC started up a new 21,000 ton/yr tissue machine at its Industria Papelera Uruguaya (IPUSA) Pando plant in Canelones, Uruguay. In the second week of January 2009, CMPC also started up a new 27,000 ton/yr tissue PM in Altamira, Mexico.

ENVIRONMENT
Tissue companies score well on environment

Three of the world's big four tissue producers have been rated highly by environmental groups. Kimberly-Clark, SCA and Procter & Gamble have all been named among the most environmentally-friendly companies in recent surveys.

SCA and P&G announced that they have been selected as two of the "Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world" for 2009 by Corporate Knights Inc and Innovest Strategic Value Advisors Inc. The Global 100 is awarded based on how effectively corporations manage environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities, relative to their industry peers.

The distinctions were announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos late in January as part of a roundtable discussion on how to further sustainability goals amidst the current economic environment. For SCA, this is the fifth year in a row it has been on the list, while it is the first time P&G has received the award. Read more about the Corporate Knights' sustainability list at www.global100.org.

At the same time, Kimberly-Clark Corporation announced that for the first time it appears on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Top 50 List of the largest green power users. K-C currently ranks No. 15 on EPA's list, which is updated quarterly at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.

SCA: "Naturally, it is a great honour that SCA for the fifth consecutive year qualifies as one of the world's 100 most sustainable companies," according to Patrik Isaksson, vice president Environmental Affairs at SCA. "It is also an acknowledgement of the comprehensive and long-term work we put into environmental and sustainability issues, an effort than continues undiminished."

P&G: In 2008 alone, P&G reduced water consumption by 7%, energy usage by 6% and CO2 emissions by 8%. Through its commitment to social responsibility, P&G also invested in improving the lives of more than 60 million children in need and in 2008 delivered 430 million litres of clean drinking water around the world. These and other sustainability initiatives are detailed in P&G's latest sustainability report titled "Designed to innovate ... sustainably."

"We've made excellent progress in improving the environmental profile of our products and operations, and improving lives around the world," said Len Sauers, vice president of global sustainability. "Our comprehensive approach to sustainability is a testament to our innovation, and has allowed us to not only have an impact in the short-term but to also embolden our efforts for the years to come."

K-C: Kimberly-Clark reports that its Everett, WA, facility has adopted an innovative process to use waste from the facility's pulp manufacturing process to generate over 220 million kWh of renewable energy annually. This on-site generation of green power equals over 7% of Kimberly Clark's purchased electricity use in the United States.

EPA is challenging Fortune 500 Corporations to collectively exceed 10 billion kWh of green power use by the end of 2009. Kimberly-Clark Corporation's use ranks No 9 among participating Fortune 500 corporations.

"Inclusion on the EPA list of the nation's top green power users is a welcome recognition of Kimberly-Clark's strong environmental commitment and of our company's support for the development of renewable energy," said Drew Barfoot, Kimberly-Clark's Vice President of Environment, Energy, Safety Quality and Sustainability. "Green power has proven to be a sound, sustainable business decision for Kimberly-Clark."

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources.

"America is shifting to a 'green culture,' with more and more businesses taking important steps to combat climate change," said Kathleen Hogan, director of the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at the EPA. "EPA commends Kimberly-Clark Corporation for making a long-term commitment to protecting the environment by producing on-site green power."

According to the US EPA, Kimberly- Clark Corporation's production of over 220 million kWh of green power is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of more than 29,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 21,000 average American homes annually.

In addition to the Green Power Partnership, Kimberly-Clark is also a member of the EPA's Energy Star program and recently received the EPA's "SmartWay Excellence Award" for its leadership in conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions through the agency's SmartWay Transportation Partnership. The company is also an Energy Partner in the EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program.

MEXICO
SCA's Saba launches new tampons

SCA's Saba brand in Mexico completes the product portfolio with two new tampons that offer a discreet alternative in feminine protection products. The new Saba tampons are being launched in January 2009.

Currently, tampons represent a small segment within the feminine care category in Mexico, but during the last years the segment has had a sustained sales growths which offers an attractive business opportunity, says SCA.

Clarification In the December-January issue of Tissue World magazine, we failed to give full details on the authors of the article "Energy systems for tissue". This was written by Ulf Strenger and Pirkko Petäjä. Strenger is expert focusing on energy technology and Petäjä heads consulting services for tissue and hygiene industry within Pöyry. Contact details: Ulf Strenger, Senior Consultant Process Technology, Pöyry Sweden AB, Storgatan 44, 11455 Stockholm, Sweden. Phone +46 70 6220146. Email ulf.strenger@poyry.com. Pirkko Petäjä, Associate Principal, Pöyry Forest Industry Consulting Oy, PO Box 4, FI-01621 Vantaa, Finland. Phone +358 10 33 22329. Mobile +358 50 412 4226. Email pirkko.petaja@poyry.com.