Customer case:

An OCC grade conversion at Burgo Verzuolo PM 9 | Smurfit Kappa Verzuolo

Nov 3, 2021

In 2020, Burgo Group’s Verzuolo Mill converted their existing paper machine into a board machine, a decision made to meet the market’s growing demand for packaging material. Converting to an Old Corrugated Container (OCC) grade allowed the mill to transition to producing high-quality container board grades while using minimal virgin fiber and with low operating costs. Although the rebuild project was extensive, everyone involved was very pleased with the results once the machine was brought online.

Burgo Verzuolo PM 9_web.jpg
The quality of the board is great: it is cleaner compared to the average quality in Italy. All the strength properties have been consistently reached, and there is really no trouble on maintaining this quality level.

The board machine has been working well and productivity is growing steadily. In some ways, the machine productivity has even exceeded our expectations. The dry-solids content at the press section has been on a good level, which is one reason why the machine productivity has been so good. The OCC line’s material efficiency is at a good level and the line has been working very reliably."
Jani Hakola, Project Manager, Burgo Group

Location Burgo Verzuolo PM 9 in Italy - Smurfit Kappa completed acquisition of Verzuolo mill in October, 2021
Solution

Originally Valmet-supplied paper machine PM 9 and related stock preparation systems, which produced lightweight coated (LWC) paper grades, were rebuilt to produce recycled containerboard grades

Key technologies

All the equipment were delivered with installation and an additional production support package after start-up.

Results

High quality container board grades

  • OCC line and board machine have operated as expected, and in some cases even better
  • Productivity is growing steadily
Keywords Paper & board, OCC, Rebuilds, Grade conversion, Europe

Grades Recycled liner and fluting grades
Technical information
  • Trim width 9,800 mm 
  • Basis weight range of 70-160 g/m2
  • Annual capacity  600,000 tonnes
Start-up  2020