Canada’s Kruger Inc. is to diversify its product portfolio after investing $32.4m in its Kamloops pulp mill.
The move means it can implement technologies and expand into fast growing markets, with “new technology that will make next-generation specialty pulps.”
Kruger Inc. said the pulp will be made with “significantly less chemicals”, and the “ultra-clean pulp grades will target fast growing markets in North America and Asia.”
The initiative will contribute to securing 340 jobs at the mill.
Irene Preto, General Manager, Kruger Kamloops, said: “We’re especially excited to implement an innovative technology that will optimise our manufacturing processes, improve our environmental footprint, and reinforce Kruger’s position as a competitive supplier of high-quality, ethically sourced and sustainably sound specialty pulp.”
Kruger Kamloops’ new pulp washing system will enhance the plant’s effectiveness and significantly reduce inorganic material and talc in the finished product.
The company also said the process will result in a notable reduction in bleaching chemical usage.
This technology will be combined with advanced controls and AI-based capabilities to ensure that the pulp consistently meets the most stringent requirements for specialty products that require ultra-clean pulp.
With completion scheduled for 2026, the project will enable Kruger Kamloops to ramp up production of ultra-clean pulp from 43,000 MT in its first year up to more than 115,000 MT annually in its third year and beyond.
