Under the heading "something new is rolling towards you," Mondi's new EUR 70 million PM 7 has gone live in Štětí, Czech Republic. The machine will produce white kraft paper, mainly for industrial bags and shopping bags. "PM 7 is a very exciting project, offering the combination of exceptionally good printability and high strength properties" said Clemens Willée, CEO of Mondi Packaging Paper. "The machine's precision will also guarantee significantly smoother paper surfaces." 

Located in the heart of Europe, just north of Prague with an annual paper capacity of 155,000 metric tons, PM7, which will produce white kraft paper, took only 13 months to build. Construction involved no fewer than 550 truckloads of machinery parts and 2,000 cubic meters of concrete, as the machine weighs 6,000 metric tons. The EUR 70 million investment has created around 60 new jobs in Štětí. 

Paper produced by PM 7 will be used for industrial bags, shopping bags, consumer bags, protective packaging, coating and lamination, ream wrap, and other high quality wrapping. 

The top former allows a higher ratio of softwood pulp to be used for excellent strength and ensures even formation and profiles. The shoe calender ensures enhanced printability at high gloss, and delivers bulk, stiffness, and caliper. The combination of top former and shoe calendar is a unique set-up that ensures low roughness values, Mondi notes. 

In addition to offering excellent product features, the new PM 7 meets high environmental standards. It will have a positive environmental impact due to the integration of the pulp to paper production process without the intermediate steps of drying and transporting of the pulp. Consumption and emissions will be significantly reduced as a result.