The WEPA Group, Germany, has followed through on its plans to put a new paper machine in operation in Piechowice, Poland, in the first quarter of 2017. The first toilet tissue has been produced on the new Toscotec (Italy) AHEAD-2.0S machine, which has created 50 new jobs at the Piechocice mill.

 

Martin Krengel, CEO of the WEPA Group, said that "our willingness to invest in state of the art technology is part of our future-oriented corporate strategy. By starting up this first tissue paper machine in Piechowice, we can further optimize our supply chain and strengthen our position in the highly promising Eastern European market."

The Toscotec turn-key delivery includes a stock preparation system for virgin pulp and brokes, along with the AHEAD-2.0S tissue machine equipped with a TT SYD-15FTyankee dryer and all auxiliaries, electrification, and control system. Full engineering, erection, erection supervision, training, startup, and commissioning were also included in the scope of supply.  

 

 

The new machine has a width of 2.8 meters and runs at a maximum speed of 2,000 m/min, producing, among the other grades, super soft toilet paper from virgin pulp as well as recycled fiber as a raw material. It is already working efficiently, in particular from an energy point of view, which contributes in reducing the ecological footprint of the WEPA Group by reducing CO2 emissions. This also saves resources and optimizes cost structures, WEPA points out. Furthermore, reducing additional purchases of intermediate goods will allow the WEPA Group to optimize logistics flows within its European locations, the company explained

With a production capacity of 32,000 metric tpy, the new tissue machine increases the location’s overall capacity to a total of 65,000 metric tpy, which is processed for the consumer tissue industry and the away-from-home sector. The new line was installed within the planned investment budget of EUR 30 million, WEPA noted.

 

Janusz Brylinski, plant manager in Piechowice, and Hans-Michael Fraikin, project leader, are very pleased with the successful commissioning. "Since the WEPA Group took over the location in 2005, there has been continuous investment—more than EUR 65 million in the past six years. This next step of having our own tissue paper machine expands our production program and secures jobs in the region," Brylinski said.

In doing so, the WEPA Group is strengthening its competitiveness in its capacity as the third biggest European manufacturer in the sanitary paper market. With a total of 20 paper machines now in operation and a production capacity of some 750,000 metric tpy, more than 400 million consumers in Europe will be supplied with high-quality tissue products, the company said.