Arkhangelsk BM 2: Aiming higher in recycled packaging

A fifth of the world’s forest area – about 810 million hectares – is in Russia. The country has the world’s largest forest resources, giving its pulp, paper, and board industries strong investment drivers to develop their production. Virgin fibers dominate on the raw material side: 75 percent of all paper fibers produced in Russia are based on virgin fibers, and only 25 percent on recycled. Arkhangelsk considered this an opportunity for the company to grow, while utilizing the increasing amount of recycled fibers.

“Our direction for the future is to go forward with lightweight recycled packaging. We invested in Valmet’s high technology and know-how to ensure smooth start-up and in order to be able to produce high-quality board right after the start-up. It is better to work with experienced experts with a good reputation and to ensure that you’ll get what you are paying for,” summarizes Dr. Heinz Zinner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill.

After the rebuild, BM 2 is able to produce 270,000 tonnes a year of high-quality lightweight kraftliner grades with a wide basis weight range of 80–275 g/m2.

Creating the right solution together with Valmet

In Arkhangelsk, finding the right solution for BM 2 was a challenging process. The space in the existing building was a limiting factor, and the requirements were high for the latest technologies to be able to stand out in the market. “We are not building a new plant. We are building at an existing site with a running machine nearby. Valmet’s support and detailed preliminary estimates helped us a lot. The machine – Valmet’s OptiConcept M – has a unique frame structure with a modular design, which decreases construction and installation work costs and time,” says Alexander Tuvanof, Technical Development Director of Board Production at the Arkhangelsk mill.

“Without Valmet as a technology and automation supplier, we wouldn’t have any competitive advantages. Now we are able to produce lightweight, high-quality kraftliner, which will help us to improve our position among the competition,” explains Aleksey Dyachenko, Sales Director of the Arkhangelsk mill.

A challenging rebuild project of this size also requires smooth communication and trust between the parties. “Valmet’s people listen to us and understand very well what we want and what we need. The communication has been fluent,” says Pavel Smirnov, Mill Development Director at the Arkhangelsk mill.

Highlights of Valmet's delivery scope

Improved quality and production flexibility

Improved kraftliner quality and production flexibility were two of the project’s targets. “Each part of the machine provides advantages to the properties of the end product, such as surface properties and strength. We will also have a wide basis weight range, from 80 to 275 g/m2, and a wide range of end product formats, from 3 m to 50 cm, provided by the latest winder technology and roll handling system,” says Tuvanof, who goes on to explain the cost saving targets: “We definitely expect decreased costs and energy consumption. We expect heat saving of 15–20 percent, as well as savings of about 8 percent in electricity consumption and about a 5 percent reduction in water consumption per tonne of paper produced.”

Valmet’s delivery also included a Valmet DNA automation system for process control. “Valmet DNA is simple and functional, with good visualizations. For us, it is important that the main equipment supplier has everything for the successful realization of the project, including automation solutions. We use Valmet DNA even on the equipment not supplied by Valmet,” says Smirnov.

Towards more sustainable business

“Sustainability is very important to us. The legislation in Russia is very strict about emission levels nowadays, but our customers are also evaluating us based on environmental performance and require confirmation of our sustainable production. We are proud to say that we are fulfilling these requirements extremely carefully. We are one of the first companies in Russia that is working hard to monitor reductions in CO2 emissions,” says Dr. Zinner.

The new board-making technology will further help the Arkhangelsk mill to reduce its heat, energy and water consumption, minimize emissions, and shift towards recycled raw materials.

Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill has received recognition for its systematic sustainability work. According to the Environmental Pulp and Paper Company Index Russia 2017, Arkhangelsk received high scores especially for environmental management systems, the environmental footprint of the production processes, and the transparency of information on the environmental qualities of its products.

We are expecting three capabilities from our suppliers and partners: the reliability to give us what we have agreed, the ability to solve problems, and quick response times. Dr. Heinz Zinner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill