Fortress Delays Dissolving Pulp Production at Quebec Mill to November
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Fortress Paper Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, this week reported that construction to convert its Quebec, Canada, specialty cellulose mill from a NBHK (northern bleached hardwood kraft) pulp operation to dissolving pulp is proceeding substantially on schedule. However, due to rescheduling of the delivery and installation of specialized equipment, the enhancement of certain processes, and other ancillary matters, the company has decided to marginally delay mill shutdown to make tie-ins and upgrades on existing equipment. Accordingly, production of dissolving pulp is now scheduled to commence in early November. The company believes that enhancements to certain processes will provide for a smoother startup and ramp up to full production capacity.
Deferment of dissolving pulp production is partially mitigated by the mill's existing production of specialty pulp, which yields a higher margin compared with NBHK pulp. This specialty pulp is manufactured in strict accordance with certain technical specifications requested by the company's customers. The company believes that the extensive development and training required to achieve such tolerances will better position the mill for a more efficient transition to dissolving pulp production later this year.
Fortress is a global producer of security and other specialty papers and products. The company operates three mills—the Landqart Mill in Switzerland, the Dresden Mill in Germany, and the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill in Quebec. The company's security papers include banknote, passport, and visa papers and its specialty papers include non-woven wallpaper base products, graphic, and technical papers. Fortress' pulp business includes specialty pulp produced at the Quebec mill.
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