Burgo (Italy) announced this past month (July 2018) that it plans to update PM 9 at its Verzuolo mill, converting it from the production of light-weight coated mechanical papers to the production of containerboard.

This is despite the fact that PM9 is currently the second-newest LWC machine in Europe. The 9.6m-wide machine went into production in 2002 with a capacity of 400,000 metric tpy.

According to PrintWeek (London, U.K.) one paper merchant source commented: "To have one of the most modern magazine paper machines in the market being taken out when that market is so tight is significant. It’s caused a big reaction because this is not a lesser machine that’s being converted to packaging."

Burgo said that containerboard production on PM 9 is scheduled to begin in late 2019. It's reported the machine capacity will reach 600,000 metric tpy. The company stated on its website that it is currently diversifying its strategy as a company from making publishing paper alone to also making packaging paperboard.