Start-up of PM 4 at Kruger's Wayagamack mill complete

Published Dec 15, 2003 16.00.00 +2 GMT

Kruger Inc. has successfully started up the new PM 4 paper machine at their Wayagamack mill located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada.

The Metso-supplied machine began operation on 1 November 2003 with coating operations beginning on November 6. The start-up went smoothly and the first paper produced through the complete line was salable.

The new machine is one of the most sophisticated to date in North America. It is designed to produce in the range of 220,000 tons per year of ultra light-weight coated (ULWC) paper (28 lb to 40 lb) at speeds up to 1500 m/min (5000 ft/min). Machine speed is currently set at 1210 m/min (3970 ft/min). Printing trials were run on production from the machine and the customer was very pleased with the results.

Said Mr. Daniel Tremblay, Coated Paper Production Manager at Kruger, "The Metso Start-up team did a great job. Everything followed the plan that we made together with Metso, and the first set coming off the machine was run on the WinBelt winder at 2000 m/min. This is the kind of start-up you dream about."

Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems, as well as know-how and aftermarket services. The Corporation's core businesses are fiber and paper technology (Metso Paper), rock and mineral processing (Metso Minerals) and automation and control technology (Metso Automation). In 2002, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.7 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 28,500. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.

More information: Glenn Ostle, VP Marketing & Communications Metso Paper USA, Inc., tel. +1 770 263 1599