Klabin Starts up Valmet Pulp Drying Lines in Brazil

Two new pulp drying lines, delivered by Valmet (Finland), have been started at Klabin's new pulp mill in Ortigueira city, Paraná state in Brazil. Klabin's new pulp mill will have the capacity to produce 1.5 million metric tpy of pulp, with 1.1 million metric tons of bleached hardwood pulp (BEK) made of eucalyptus and 400,000 metric tons of bleached softwood pulp (BSK) made of pine. Part of the softwood will be converted into fluff pulp, making the mill the world's only pulp mill designed to produce the three fibers. 

"The hardwood pulp drying machine that we delivered to Klabin produced the first bale according to the contract schedule. This is a great achievement to our team who has worked hard to build one of the biggest drying machines in the world, with 9.5 meters width. Now the two biggest drying machines in the world are running in Brazil, both supplied by Valmet," said Norbert Schwarz, project manager at Valmet.

"Klabin thanks its financers, suppliers, partners, and employees for their effort in ensuring the feasibility and realization of this project, which is the largest investment in its history," the company stated in a notice to the market after the first pulp bales had been produced.

Klabin, Brazil's largest paper producer and exporter, is the leading manufacturer of paper and board for packaging, corrugated board packaging, industrial sacks, and timber in logs. Founded in 1899, it has 15 industrial units in Brazil and one in Argentina. Klabin is organized into four business units: Forestry, Pulp, Paper (paperboard, kraft paper, and recycled), and Packaging (corrugated board and industrial sacks).