(News from RISI) – Brazilian paper producer Leal Indústria e Comércio de Papéis is installing a 5,400tpy tissue and low basis weight gloss paper machine PM 2 at its mill in Ibema, southern Brazil.
The result of a Real 4.5 million investment, the PM is expected to start up by the end of February.
Leal’s industrial manager, Augusto Valenga Junior, told PPI Latin America: “The second-hand PM was acquired from a supplier called Trópico’s.
“It is currently being revamped, with the mechanical work being handled by different suppliers, such as Incomesp and Decamp.
“The rollers’ coating was carried out by ATB, while the electrical parts were acquired from Rioar, and for the civil engineering works we went with Consvale. The machine’s assembly is being handled internally.”
Leal also operates a 9,600tpy industrial paper machine (PM 1) at the same site, which was refurbished in July 2012 after a Real 3 million investment. The company reactivated the PM 1 after closing a leasing agreement with Brazilian boxboard producer Ibema.
“Leal is following the investment program approved by Ibema. We consider acquiring the mill in the future, although there is no date set for it and both parts are comfortable with the current process,” Valenga added. The company currently supplies paper to the domestic market, and is developing other products for export.
“There’s a demand increase for tissue paper and we are working with specialty papers to be produced on the PM 1, which are either experiencing a demand increase or lack of supply in the domestic market,” Valenga said.
