SCA Ramping Up New Kraftliner Machine at Obbola Mill in Sweden
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SCA announced that the new kraftliner machine at its Obbola pulp and paper mill in Umeå, Sweden, is ramping up production. At full capacity, which is expected in a few years, the machine will produce 725,000 tons per year of high-quality kraftliner in a range of basis weights between 100 and 200 gsm.
The new machine, PM 2, will replace the mill's existing kraftliner machine, PM 1, which currently has the capacity to produce 450,000 tpy of kraftliner.
"When we are at full capacity, the capacity increases from 450,000 tons to 725,000 tons on an annual basis, so our renewable kraftliner will be able to replace a lot of plastic and at the same time strengthen our facility's competitiveness on the global market," said Mill Manager, Gustaf Nygren.
The project had a total budget of SEK 7.5 billion, of which approximately SEK 1 billion was allocated to environmental improvements at the mill site. Among other things, a biofuel-fired mesa furnace with the potential to phase out fossil fuels and save 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions has been installed at the mill.
The new kraftliner machine was supplied by Voith.
"It is an impressive machine and a unique project that, despite the chaotic situation around the world, with pandemic, war and inflation, was able to be completed faster than planned," Nygren said. "It's a nice receipt for the project organization and all the staff involved."
To reach full capacity, PM 2 requires a new return fiber line, which will be installed in the old machine room and be ready by the summer.
"We then expect a period of adjustment and ramp-up with the goal of reaching full capacity in 2026," Nygren explained. "Obbola will then be a very efficient and competitive facility with a product that has the market's lowest carbon footprint and will be of utmost importance for the transition from oil-based packaging material."
Alongside the upgrade of the machine, other areas around the mill have also been upgraded with new office spaces and new skywalks that increase the safety of employees.
All in all, around 100 electric car chargers have been installed at the industry and a total of 1,610 cubic meters of wood have been used as building material in the project.
"The machine is the heart of the business and it is the business of creating renewable material that also drives the great climate benefit, but we have also tried to get the forest industry's sustainable raw material to permeate the entire project and I think we have succeeded very well in that," Nygren said.
