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BELGIUM
LPC GROUP BUYS K-C BELGIAN MILL
LPC Group, based in Leicester, UK, has agreed the acquisition
of the Duffel Mill in Belgium from Kimberly-Clark, and
will take over the mill in August this year. The purchase
is the latest move in LPC’s recent European
expansion, following on from acquisitions in Sweden and
France. LPC Group is already an established market leader
in the UK, and is fast becoming a major player internationally
with production capacity now over 200,000 tons/yr.
Amin Tejani, LPC’s executive chairman explains: “This
is an important step in our expansion plans, and we’re
delighted to have concluded the purchase. From our experience
of Kimberly-Clark we know we will be getting a highly
efficient mill and workforce, whose futures we are pleased
to have secured. We now look forward to building on our
position as the market leading private label tissue supplier
in the UK, offering retailers across Europe the same
high levels of product quality and service from our three
locations in mainland Europe.”
A key priority throughout the negotiations has been to
secure the future of the mill and its dedicated workforce.
LPC Group intends to continue to operate the mill under
a similar structure, all its business and personnel will
be transferred to LPC in August 2007. There are no job
losses anticipated as a result of the change in ownership.
Management and sales for Duffel will be controlled from
LPC’s
European Head Office. LPC will continue to develop both
in the UK and mainland Europe. An additional paper machine
with a capacity of 60,000 tons/yr. has been ordered for
the UK and a similar installation will see LPC’s
capacity in Sweden increase by 40% in 2008. Permission
and grants have also already been approved on greenfield
sites in Germany and Spain, where production is planned
to commence by 2010. Capacity and subsequently revenue
will more than double in the next three years.
The move
represents part of a worldwide restructuring programme
for K-C, which plans to sell or close about 20 facilities
with about 17% of global capacity, while at the same
time boosting capacity at seven other plants in Europe
and North America.
KC is expected to reduce its workforce by 6,000 people.
K-C has already sold or closed a number of plants. Those
sold are: Villanovetta mill in northwest Italy (25,000
tons/yr), which was bought by Italian company CDM at
the end of 2005; Mainz mill in Germany (60,000 tons/yr),
which was bought by WEPA Group last year. Plants closed
include the Balstahl mill and Reichenberg tissue products
plant, both in Switzerland, and the Forcheim converting
facility in Germany.
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EUROPE
GEORGIA-PACIFIC MAKES CHANGES TO TEAM IN EMEA
 Georgia-Pacific has promoted Patrick Legrand and Dominique Deschamps
to senior leadership roles within its Europe, Middle East and
Africa (EMEA) business.
The company has recently established two fully accountable business
units - a Consumer business and an Away-From-Home business, both
for EMEA. Legrand, who formerly served as president of Georgia-Pacific
France and Belux, has been promoted to president, consumer business
- EMEA. Deschamps, previously general manager, Away-From- Home
France, has been promoted to senior vice president and managing
director, Away- From-Home business - EMEA.
They will report to Kathy Walters, executive vice president -
global consumer products who is based in Atlanta. Legrand and
Deschamps will lead the business in Europe together with Jeff
Koeppel, senior vice president, manufacturing and supply chain
- EMEA.
"These new leadership roles will help us create long-term
value, accelerate innovation, improve the alignment of the business
and position it for future growth," said Legrand.
Legrand joined Georgia-Pacific in 2000 as General Manager for
Vania Expansion, Polivé Laboratories - GP's joint ventures
with Johnson & Johnson in France - and the international
personal care business. In 2006, he was promoted to President,
GP France/Belux. He has pursued an extensive international career.
Based in London, he worked for Tambrands as vice president -
international marketing covering the EMEA region and Asia Pacific.
He later moved to SSL Healthcare in the UK as managing director.
Patrick has also worked for Unilever and Johnson & Johnson.
He has a degree from Essec.
Deschamps began his career with the French building materials
company, Lafarge, after graduating from business school. He joined
Georgia- Pacific in 1991, starting out in Sodipan, the French
division for private label and Lotus tabletop. He held various
European positions within the company as strategic planning manager
and manufacturing planning director before moving to Georgia-Pacific's
Great Britain and Ireland business in 2000 as Supply Chain Director
and then as General Manager for the UK Away from Home division.
He returned to France in 2005 to lead the French Away from Home
business.
NEW SPANISH TM ON LINE
Georgia Pacific has started up the new TM3 at its Allo mill in
Navarra, Spain. The machine trims at 5.5 m and will run at a
maximum speed of 2000 m/min making up to 230 tons/day of tissue
based on virgin pulp. Delivered by PMT Italia, it is a Crescent
Former unit with a double press configuration.
MCDONALD’S CHOOSE SCA
SCA has won a contract to supply McDonald’s with three
toilet paper systems and a kitchen roll product in Germany, France
and the UK.
“We are delighted to have secured this deal because every
paper manufacturer in Europe would want to be associated with
McDonald’s,” says Tom Dudfield, National Key Account
Manager SCA Tissue Europe, United Kingdom.
Among the products
supplied to McDonald’s is Tork Premium folded toilet paper,
a hygienic system designed to ensure that each sheet is touched
only by the user. For the kitchen, SCA supplies Tork Vario Roll
kitchen rolls among other products.
Previously, McDonald’s hadn’t had a central purchasing
policy for tissue products, except for napkins.
ITALY
FOCUS ENCOURAGED BY INTERNATIONAL INTEREST AT OPEN HOUSE
Visitors to an open house held by Focus in Lucca in early
June included senior managers from 34 companies, representing
tissue makers and tissue machine manufacturers. Focus
managing director Fabio Capuano was delighted with the
turnout: “For a young company like Focus, this
was a very encouraging event, attended by a significant
number of international companies. Focus is a member
of Faper Group, and there is no doubt that the backing
of Fabio Perini creates a level of confidence in the
technology. Given the opportunity to demonstrate the
technology to the industry first hand helps us to prove
that this confidence is well placed.”
SERBIA
RECARD MACHINE FOR SERBIA
Drenik Belgrade has ordered a a complete tissue plant excluding
the rewinder from Recard for its mill in Serbia. It will have
a capacity of tissue grades when it starts up towards the end
of 2008.
The line comprises two stock preparation plants for long and
short virgin fibers, a paper machine feeding group, a Crescent
former machine with top. operating speed of 1850 m/min and 2750
mm of net width at reel up. It will feature a Yankee cylinder
of 16' diameter and a single press of 1040 mm diameter. It also
includes all AC and DC motors and other equipment required.
The machine will be the second Recard unit at the mill, according
to Lockwood-Post directory. PM1, which started up in 2005, is
also a Crescent former machine. It has an identical trim of 2750
mm but runs at only 800 m/min, making 14,000 tons/yr. Orchids
Paper record A Recard machine in Orchids Paper Products (Prior
Oklahoma) sold for a maximum working speed of 1860 m/min reached
an operating speed of 2000 m/min producing toilet paper of 15-16
g/m2 at reel up. For Recard this is the first machine to reach
such a speed.
POLAND
HANKE TISSUE PLANS THREEPRONGED REVAMP
Poland’s Hanke Tissue has launched on a programme of changes
to its production profile with the aim of improving company performance.
Notably, it has decided to stop producing of toilet paper and
kitchen rolls and to focus its efforts exclusively on napkins.
It intends to specialize in small consumer packs, white, with
decorative color and design printed. The production will be concentrated
on Hanke’s own brand, aha…®, but part of the
company’s converting capacity will be dedicated to AFH
type napkins.
Secondly, it is planning a major investment in its paper machine,
adding a new hydraulic headbox. The investment programme starts
in the northern hemisphere autumn and should be completed by
spring 2008. This investment will give us a better quality control,
improve the tissue profile and, most importantly, will increase
our tissue production capacity by 15%. PM3 produces white tissue
mainly for printing, pastel and deep colors in wide range. A
large part of the tissue output is intended for selling.
Thirdly, it is planning a major investment in our converting
plant. “We
are planning to develop our capacity for the design printed napkins
by purchasing also in autumn another printing machine. It’s
going to be a modern eight-color machine which will increase
our design printed product portfolio as well as will allow us
to achieve more complicated and demanding designs,” according
to a company spokesman.
FRANCE
METSO PAPER STEPS UP SERVICE OFFERING WITH MAJOR INVESTMENTS
Metso Paper has announced a series of expansions in its service
operations in Europe and China and made an acquisition in France.
In Zaragoza, Spain, Metso Paper inaugurated a new roll service
center on 26 February. The new center is a joint venture between
Metso Paper and SAICA (SA Industrias Celulosa Aragonesa) and
will serve pulp, paper, tissue and boardmakers in the Iberian
Peninsula. At the new Plattling Papier paper mill in Germany,
Metso Paper will establish and operate maintenance services through
its Scandinavian Mill Service (SMS) subsidiary. The mill is scheduled
to start up in the first quarter of 2008.
The agreement covers both the establishment of a maintenance infrastructure,
such as building up an organization and computerized maintenance
management system, and the maintenance operations themselves. The
operations consist of roll maintenance and daily maintenance, the
focus being on preventive and predictive activities. SMS will be
responsible for mechanical, electrical, automation and civil maintenance
for the entire mill.
Improved service in China
In China, where Metso Paper has supplied
a large number of new production lines and machines in recent years,
the company will establish its second service center. To be located
in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, the new center will provide advanced
machinery maintenance and process development services to the pulp
and paper making industry in southern China.
The new greenfield service center will be operational in 2008.
The Guangzhou center will feature a fully equipped roll service
workshop providing rolls, roll covers as well as mechanical roll
maintenance for all makes and sizes of pulp and paper machines.
In addition, the center will offer a full scope of spare part and
mill site
services.
Also in China, Metso Paper is extending its Wuxi service center.
Located about 100 kilometers west of Shanghai in Wuxi, Jiangsu
province, the Wuxi service center provides advanced machinery maintenance
and process development services to the Chinese fiber and paper
industry.
The new extension will double the roll service capacity of the
Wuxi center to serve a wider customer base and to offer more flexibile
and faster service. The extension will be completed in October
2007. The Wuxi service center, inaugurated in September 2001, began
operations with 60 employees. The number of employees has now reached
over a hundred and will grow further with the extension.
Acquires French company
Metso Paper has agreed to buy Mecanique
et Depannage Industries (MDI), a French maintenance company. MDI
is owned by three private individuals and it is located in Venicel
northeast of Paris. The purchase price was not disclosed. Ownership
of the company will transfer to Metso immediately.
Mecanique et Depannage Industries employs 30 people and supplies
maintenance services for the French paper industry.
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