MEPCO Group has officially entered the global tissue market after starting-up a Toscotec-supplied AHEAD 2.2L tissue line at its Juthor Paper Manufacturing facility in KAEC, Saudi Arabia.
The double-width AHEAD 2.2L line has an annual production capacity of over 60,000 tons, a maximum design speed of 2,200m/min, and will produce premium quality tissue products.
It is equipped with a shoe press TT NextPress of upgraded design, a third-generation TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer, and high efficiency TT Hood-Multigen with integrated cogeneration air system.
Two OPTIMA slitter rewinders have also been supplied by Toscotec on a turnkey basis.
With the start-up, containerboard manufacturer MEPCO has now entered the tissue market.
Adel Alfar, Operations Director at Juthor, said: “Even though we faced some challenges during the pandemic, we have successfully managed to deliver the test run and the commercial launch according to the scheduled timeline very smoothly and efficiently, producing premium quality tissue products.”
According to Toscotec, the AHEAD machine is integrated with the mill’s CHP system in order to tap on its secondary heat production to meet the thermal energy needs of the tissue production line.
The drying section of the machine uses the CHP-produced thermal energy both to generate the steam used in the Steel Yankee Dryer and to achieve the correct drying temperature of hot air circulating in the hoods air system.
As a result, the tissue machine will rely entirely on the CHP system for paper drying and will not require any additional gas consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
MEPCO is a vertically integrated paper manufacturer in the Middle East, producing tissue, containerboard and specialty board products serving the packaging, construction, furniture, and paper core industries around the world.
It supplies its products to the local Saudi market as well as over 40 countries worldwide.
