Valmet to supply an extensive board machine rebuild for ITC Bhadrachalam mill in India

Valmet Corporation's press release on May 30, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. EET

Valmet will supply an extensive board machine rebuild and automation solution for machine and quality control to the ITC Bhadrachalam mill in India. The rebuilt production line (PM1) is planned to produce high-quality lightweight coated board with a wide range of produced grades. The start-up of the rebuilt machine is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017.

The order is included in Valmet's second quarter 2016 orders received. Typically, a project of this type and scope is valued at EUR 30 - 40 million.

"ITC has been the pioneer in Indian paper industry for introducing folding box board of international quality standards. Our investment in a state of the art paperboard machine PM 4 from Valmet way back in 1997 changed the experience of Indian printing industry. Selecting Valmet as partner for the new PM1 rebuild project is in line with our focus on enhancing the customer experience while aligning with the philosophy of "triple bottom line" i.e. for improved environmental, economic and social factors. With the support from Valmet, we will be introducing globally best available technology into this machine. I am sure that our customers are going to benefit immensely out of this project," says Sanjay Singh, CEO of ITC Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division.

"Long term relationship with the customer forms a solid base for this project - another machine PM 4 at the site is Valmet-delivered and Bhadrachalam values it as their flagship board machine. Energy and raw material savings were among the most important issues that were discussed in the negotiations of this new rebuild project. High quality furnish combined with our latest technology and automation and with the competence of ITC personnel give a good base for enabling an excellent end product. The rebuild will enable ITC to be among the best folding boxboard producers globally when it comes to lightweighing or improving bulk - leading directly to raw material savings," comments Petri Paukkunen, Vice President, Sales and Marketing from Valmet.

Technical information about the delivery

Valmet's delivery for the ITC Bhadrachalam PM1 board making machine rebuild includes all the key technologies from headbox to reel and automation for machine and quality control. The machine features number of leading technologies delivered exclusively by Valmet.

OptiFlo Fourdrinier headbox, OptiFormer Multi Fourdrinier forming section and OptiPress Linear shoe press with linear web run are important in high-quality board production. They enhance e.g. the end product surface and strength properties and productivity. Compared to other coated board machines in India, the machine is not equipped with Yankee cylinder, which often limits production. In the calendering section, a new type of a calender from Valmet OptiCalender Compact delivers reliable calendering results.

Valmet DNA machine control and Valmet IQ quality control systems give accurate and reliable real-time data, which enables the optimizing of the entire production process and the end product quality.

The 4250-mm-wide (wire) PM 1 will produce mainly cup board, but also solid folding box board (FBB), bleached board (SBS) and art board grades with the basis weight range of 150 - 320 g/m2. The design speed for the rebuilt machine parts is 600 m/min.

Contract signing ceremony between ITC and Valmet

Information about the customer ITC

ITC Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division is among the leaders in the paper and paperboard business with solutions to meet a diverse cross-section of packaging and communication needs. With emphasis on harnessing state-of-the-art technology, the company has emerged as the largest manufacturer of packaging and graphic boards in South Asia. Unit Bhadrachalam has seven machines with production annual capacity of 405,000 tons (TPA) of paperboard and 140,000 TPA of specialty boards.

VALMET
Corporate Communications

For further information, please contact:

Petri Paukkunen, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Paper Mills, Valmet, tel. +358 40 744 8182

NK Jain, Director, Sales, Asia Pacific, Valmet, tel. +91 9873251858

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2015 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.