Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper sets records on BCTMP line and PM 2

Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper’s team receiving record plaques from Valmet at the awarding ceremony. “In the future, we look forward to further close cooperation between both parties, innovating together, and setting new records and milestones in the industry,” Liu Jingwei said during the exchange after the awarding ceremony.

On November 28, 2024, a double awarding ceremony was arranged, at the office building of Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper, to celebrate the great achievements of the mill with two new set records. First record was the BCTMP line’s daily production that exceeded 1,400 air-dried tonnes. Secondly, the running speed of paper machine PM 2 exceeded 1,500 meters per minute for 300 grams per square meter of social card. These two records are an achievement of the integrated development of pulp and paper, and the customer highly praises the cooperation with Valmet.

“The cooperation between APP Group and Valmet goes back a long way. The paper machines PM 1 and PM 2, as well as the BCTMP line at the Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper site, are all supplied by Valmet. The achievements we have made today are the result of the joint efforts of both companies. These two awards are also a testament to the hard work and relentless pursuit of excellence by the Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper BCTMP and PM 2 teams,” says Liu Wei, General Manager of Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd.

“Valmet is very proud to be part of these records, achieving a win-win cooperation and creating brilliance together. I especially thank Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper for their trust in Valmet, and I am particularly grateful for the seamless cooperation we have had,” says Fan Ze, Vice President of Capital Sales, Valmet China.

The strategy of using fresh pulp for paper production and leveraging paper demand to drive pulp supply has achieved the maximum output, paper machine speed record, and optimal quality of social card.

Valmet’s scope of supply in the BCTMP line, includes pulping process technology, complete automation system, full-line fluid automation control, and comprehensive services under the key account management model.

Working together, cooperating innovatively, and continuously achieving new goals

The BCTMP line started up on July 28, 2021, and on June 16, 2022, it set a record with a daily production of 1,300 air-dried tonnes. In November 2024, the daily production surpassed 1,400 air-dried tonnes, once again breaking the production record and setting a new world record for single high consistency refining line output in the industry. The current power consumption of the whole line per ton of pulp is 660 kWh, the pulp quality is high, and all the fresh pulp from the BCTMP line goes to PM 1 and PM 2.

“This achievement is attributed to the close cooperation and relentless efforts of both teams, as well as the crucial support of Valmet’s advanced BCTMP technology. In particular, Valmet’s BCTMP expert has closely collaborated with us from the start-up to the production increase process, providing us with a lot of help and support. The new production record not only signifies a significant improvement in production efficiency but also provides a solid foundation for the market competitiveness of Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper’s high-grade social card. In the future, we will set new goals and continuously strive to achieve them,” said Chen Feng, Director of the BCTMP production line.

Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper PM 2 production line.

Continuously increasing the speed of PM 2 

Paper machine PM 2 currently produces 681 tonnes of social card per day per unit width, making it the world’s fastest and highest-yielding machine of its kind. “We set the newest speed record of 1,500 meters per minute for a basis weight of 300 grams per square meter. Additionally, with a basis weight of 250 grams, we reached the maximum speed of 1,553 meters per minute.” The records are primarily due to the combined efforts of the PM 2 team, including engineering, technical and production staff. Naturally, the paper machine itself has provided a solid foundation for the record breaking.

The design speed of PM 2 is 1,400 meters per minute, but Valmet’s equipment, particularly the runnability systems, has enabled the speed increase. The paper machine uses fresh BCTMP as its raw material and it comes from the mill’s BCTMP production line supplied by Valmet.

“The integrated pulp and paper mill of Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper is beneficial in coordinating raw material supply, enhancing product development, and improving the stability of paper quality,” concludes Li Guolai, Director of PM 2 production line.

The Ningbo Asia Pulp & Paper team invited Valmet to visit the show room, BCTMP line, and PM 2 production line.