Sweden’s SCA obola and stora ensoolu are developing new capacity for Kraft linerboard products based on Nordic forests, while four German manufacturers and an Italian company are investing in the production of recyclable imitation kraft linerboard and corrugated paper. Since 2018, and in the next few years, about 725000 tons of kraft linerboard, and about 3.2 million tons of imitation kraft linerboard and corrugated paper will gradually enter the European market.
At present, SCA obola in northern Sweden has completed half of the project. The project will build the world’s largest Kraft linerboard production machine with a capacity of 725000 tons, and close the 450000 tons Kraft linerboard production line with a 40 year history. This is a four-year project, which is scheduled to end in 2023.
In addition to the new kraft liner production line, the building also includes a new lime kiln and a waste corrugated box factory. PM2 will start operation in the first quarter of 2023 and is expected to have a three-year upgrade period until full capacity production in 2026. The total investment (including the necessary reinvestment in obola) was SEK 7.5 billion, and the net production capacity increased to 275000 tons of brown kraft linerboard.
In 2015, Stora Enso changed the paper machine in valcos, Finland from double offset paper to kraft linerboard and white faced Kraft linerboard. The investment amount is 110 million euro and the production capacity is 390000 tons. When Stora Enso announced in 2019 that it would stop the production of double offset paper in olu, shut down one paper machine, and convert the other to kraft linerboard and white faced Kraft linerboard production, it means that the company has entered the next stage of development.
In the end, about 1.08 million tons of double offset paper production capacity of Stora Enso disappeared, which temporarily relieved the competitive pressure of other manufacturers of similar products. The reformed 9-m paper machine will start at the end of this year or early next year, with a capacity of 450000 tons of imitation kraft paper and white kraft paper. The total investment is about 350 million euros, and the promotion period of the plan is four years.
In brown and white imitation kraft linerboard and corrugated capacity investment, Germany seems to be a hot spot in Europe. Leipa, Georg leifelder, papierfabrik palm, hamburger container board and progroup, all owned by the family, are actively investing to increase production.
In 2016, leipa Georg leifelder acquired UPM’s schweider plant to convert it from newsprint to kraft linerboard. Valmet revamped a 9.2m newsprint production line and put it into production in 2018 to produce coated and uncoated Kraft linerboard. At present, the factory has two production lines of imitation kraft linerboard with a production capacity of 700000 tons.
The history of papierfabrik palm can be traced back to 1872. At that time, August palm began to make paper on second-hand paper machines. Now it has five paper mills and 28 corrugated board factories. It is an important market participant. So far, their largest paper mill is located in WuErTe, with a capacity of 650000 tons for a 10.3M format imitation kraft linerboard production line.
However, since last year, they have carried out a three-year project in the paper mill of arennukeqin, in which three old paper machines will be replaced by a 750000 ton, 11.7m format imitation kraft paper machine. After shutting down the old machines and starting up the new ones, the net capacity of the plant will increase by 370000 tons. The total investment is 500 million euro and the start time is 2022.
Hamburger Rieger, a member of prinzhorn group in Austria, recently launched a new paper machine at its springberg paper mill to produce white and brown imitation kraft linerboard. The size of PM2 is 7.8m and the production capacity is 500000 tons. Like the papierfabrik palm project, Valmet also delivered the paper machine, and Voith provided the stock line. With an investment cost of 370 million euros, the plant currently has a total capacity of 850000 tons of brown and white imitation kraft linerboard.
Progroup is a relatively new and fast growing producer of kraft linerboard, corrugated paper and corrugated board. The group opened its third paper mill in August last year. The plant, located in sandsdorf Brenner, has a 9.2m wide imitation kraft linerboard production line provided by Voith, with an investment of about 465 million euros and a production capacity of 750000 tons. As a result, progup’s total capacity is 1.85 million tons of kraft linerboard and corrugated.
Just as Stora Enso in olu and valcos moved from drawing to kraft linerboard products, the Italian printing paper manufacturer Burgo has transformed two paper mills into Kraft linerboard and corrugated production lines. The first equipment was refitted in avezano paper mill in 2018, where a 5.2m-size machine can now produce 200000 tons of imitation kraft linerboard and corrugated paper. Last year, a 9.8m-size LWC machine in weizolo plant stopped the production of LWC and switched to imitation kraft linerboard and corrugated paper, with a production capacity of 500000 tons.
Although it has been running for two years, it is worth mentioning that in 2016, international paper acquired papelera Peninsular, a Spanish newsprint factory in Holmen. The plant has a 9.65m paper machine, which was converted to produce imitation kraft linerboard and corrugated paper in 2018 with a capacity of 400000 tons.
It seems obvious that it has strong determination and capital to invest in kraft linerboard and corrugated paper, not only based on recycled packaging paper, but also based on Nordic native fibers. Due to the lack of project risk, the total investment in 2018-2023 is estimated to be about 3 billion euros.
Post time: Dec-31-2020