Tissue World Magazine
Alexandra Stuthridge, Technical Business Manager, BioProducts Institute (BPI)

(News from RISI) – Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing has commissioned a new 60,000tpy tissue PM at its mill in Chongqing municipality, China.

The Voith unit came on stream last week, raising the firm’s tissue capacity to 90,000tpy.

The board giant expanded into the tissue segment last year by acquiring a firm called Guang Kai.

In November 2014, its wholly-owned subsidiary Able Advance International got a 100% share of Guang Kai, which had been owned by spouses Patrick Lee and Lee Wong Wai Kuen.

Patrick Lee is also Lee & Man’s controlling shareholder.

Guang Kai runs two tissue PMs with a combined capacity of around 30,000 tonnes/yr at Lee & Man’s mill in Chongqing.

Another 60,000 tonne/yr tissue PM is under construction at the same mill.

The Valmet unit will have a design speed of 2,000 m/min and a width of 5.6 m.

Startup is scheduled for later this year.

In the meantime, Lee & Man is planning to launch its own branded tissue products on the Chinese market this year.

Besides its tissue units, the Chongqing mill also houses several recycled containerboard PMs with a combined capacity of around 1.1 million tonnes/yr and a 165,000 tonne/yr bamboo pulp line.