Lucart's Porcari Mill in Italy Starts up New Toscotec Machinery

Lucart has recently fired up an AHEAD-2.0S tissue machine and a TT WIND-H slitter rewinder supplied by Toscotec at its Porcari mill, Lucca, Italy.

The AHEAD-2.0S machine has a paper width of 2,850 mm, an operating speed of 2,000 m/min, with a production of 125  metric tpd. It features a shoe press TT NextPress, a second-generation TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer, gas-fired TT Milltech-DYH hoods, and a new pope reel, which preserves the sheet bulk through the accurate control of the jumbo roll winding pressure. The machine is also equipped with the dust and mist removal systems. In accordance with Lucart’s high standards of bulk and softness, the forming section of the AHEAD-2.0S machine is designed for future integration of TT S-Crescent technology.

The TT WIND-H slitter rewinder features a web tensioning control, an automatic tail feeding system and a core winding assist system. The scope of supply also includes the erection supervision, commissioning, start-up assistance and personnel training programs.

This is a repeated order for Toscotec, which has been awarded a number of contracts by the Lucart Group since 2008, both in Italy and in France.

"Lucart is a strategic partner", says Riccardo Gennai, Toscotec sales manager for Europe, "we have been working on gaining and maintaining their trust for over 10 years, on a range of rebuild projects in Italy and in France. The startup of this first complete tissue line is a significant accomplishment. It strengthens our mutual long-standing cooperation, and Toscotec’s leading position in the Italian market.

Elena Troia, Toscotec’s Tissue Division project manager, adds, "Lucart’s technical team helped us working out the best solutions tailored to their need. We worked together to achieve this ambitious goal. The shoe press, paired with the new pope reel design and the future integration of the S-Crescent, contribute all together to the increase of the paper bulk and the achievement of excellent paper quality."

Massimo Pasquini, CEO of Lucart, states, "Our sustained growth is driven by careful investments. We set the highest standards for our suppliers when it comes to environmental protection. We selected Toscotec for the expansion of our Porcari production base, because over the past 10 years we learned from direct experience that their technology gives us a real energy-efficiency advantage. Another important consideration for this choice was tissue quality. This line will be dedicated to premium products, with higher bulk and superior hand feel."

Lucart has voluntarily undergone an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the AHEAD-2.0S project, in order to improve the environmental performance of this new production line that replaced an existing MG paper machine. Toscotec has recently proved a strong commitment to its environmental performance, as in 2018 they renewed their ISO 14001 certificate and EMAS (EcoManagement and Audit Scheme) registration for the twelfth consecutive year.

Lucart, a leading company in Europe in the production of tissue products for daily use (toilet, kitchen, napkins, tablecloths, handkerchiefs etc.), airlaid products, and MG paper was founded in 1953 by the Pasquini Family.

The company's production activities are distributed over three business units (Business to Business, Away from Home and Consumer) operating in the development and sales of products with brands such as Tenderly, Tutto, Grazie Natural and Smile (consumer area), Lucart Professional, Tenderly Professional, Fato and Velo (away from home area).

Lucart’s production capacity is 395,000 metric tpy of paper on 12 continuous machines and 65 converting lines. Its consolidated turnover will amount to more than EUR450 million, with more than 1,500 employees in 10 production plants (five in Italy, one in France, one in Hungary and three in Spain) and a Logistics Centre in Italy.