12 VALMET
ANDRITZ
Pulp Paper & Logistics
“The most elegant board machine, ever”
A new range of innovative board products is being produced at Kotkamills in Finland on a production line converted by Valmet in a project that has been praised for its quick turnround, says Pauliina Purola. Photography by Hannes Frigård, Pauliina Purola and Kotkamills
I
n the summer of 2016, Kotkamills in Finland converted its paper machine to produce a
wide variety of board products. The project schedule was tight and the project gigantic, but the outcome was great: “It is the most elegant board machine ever – it is just beautiful,” said Filip Sundholm, Production Director at Kotkamills. Agreeing, Markku Hämäläinen, chief executive of Kotkamills, said:
January/February 2018
“We wanted to build a machine that gives us almost endless freedom to invent new board products. It feels great that we’ve gone this far.” Stefan Kuni, Research and
Development Director at Kotkamills added: “It has been a ground-breaking experience for me to be involved in a project like this.”
The project at Kotkamills was
called the Flying Eagle because the mill is located in the city of Kotka,
which translates as ‘eagle’ in English, and the goal of the project was to produce very innovative board products. The rebuild of the paper machine started while it was still producing paper. “There was a huge hole in the floor between the reel and the winder. All the parent rolls were lifted by crane over the missing floor,” said Mikko Vaulamaa, Mechanical Supervisor at Kotkamills. Sundholm praised Valmet
“It has been very helpful to have Seppo working at the mill,” says Timo
Tallinen from Kotkamills (left), while he and Seppo Salminen from Valmet
check the slide die of the Valmet-supplied curtain coating station
for its management of the project: “When Valmet’s project organisation gets going, it moves like a train until the project is finished. The organisation is very professional and the personnel are extremely well qualified. Project Manager Petri Aspholm is an excellent example.” He noted that it is important to handle changes and challenges quickly and efficiently. Stefan Kuni continued: “There are always unexpected situations
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
