4 INDUSTRY NEWS


Pulp Paper & Logistics


Relaunch in Bologna for Fabio Perini I


taly’s Fabio Perini has relaunched its Bologna facility with a focus on research and development,


Industry 4.0 opportunities, ‘green’ products and packaging under the Casmatic brand. The Lucca-based tissue converting machinery manufacturer is hiring more engineers for its research and development programme into primary and secondary packaging, says Francesco De Luca, the Bologna facility’s general manager. Customer service is also a focus,


he says: “We have optimised the Expert On Line service by providing customers with a 12-hour, daily, remote assistance service available 365 days a year, in order to be more timely in responding to


Francesco De Luca, general manager of Fabio Perini in Bologna


Commenting on the Casmatic Fabio Perini’s stylish facility in Bologna, Italy


customer requests and facilitate their work. “Thanks to this team it will also


be possible, in a few months, to extend the services offered by the Tissue Performance Centre of the converting division of


Lucca to Bologna, to collect and analyse customer data remotely, provide them with information on the status of the machines and suggest improvements aimed at maximising production efficiency,” De Luca says.


brand, De Luca says: “Casmatic is a renowned brand in the industry and we have always worked to improve technology in a strategic field such as packaging. We were among the first to present a completely biodegradable and resistant packaging and we are working on further solutions in this direction that we will introduce in the coming months.”


Slip in demand for uncoated white paper


As with a number of paper makers in the US, Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) is planning to idle one of its two uncoated white paper mills for two months from May. A decline in demand from schools and offices, and an accompanying increase in inventories, is behind the decision. It will remove about 70,000 tons of capacity, representing a 13 per cent share of the US market. Affected is the mill at Jackson,


Alabama, which has two paper making lines and associated sheeting lines. Production will continue at PCA’s other white paper mill, Boise Paper at International Falls, Minnesota. Elsewhere in Minnesota, other


paper mills were responding to slipping demand. At Sappi’s mill in Cloquet, rotating layoffs were introduced “to balance our product supply with demand”. “The temporary layoffs will be on a rotational basis, affecting


employees for between one and two weeks at a time,” said Olga Karagiannis, spokeswoman for Sappi North America. In Grand Rapids, the UPM Blandin mill has shut down for an indefinite period. “The global response to the


coronavirus pandemic has led to an overall slowdown of the economy,” general manager Scott Juidici said. “We are taking short-term measures to respond to market conditions. We rely on our global


network of modern paper mills to meet customer demand.” At Duluth’s Verso mill, which


employs about 240 people, business is continuing. “Verso continues to operate the Duluth Mill in order to serve in our role as a critical infrastructure manufacturer and to meet the ongoing needs of our customers, including those in other critical infrastructure sectors,” said company spokeswoman Shawn Hall.


Face mask converting line developed by Andritz


An automatic, high-speed face mask converting line for the production of disposable face masks has been developed by Andritz Diatec. In the first configuration, the


converting line had the capability to produce masks for surgical/ medical applications while other


May/June 2020


mask types – like N95/FFP2 – are currently being evaluated. The new Andritz D-Tech


Face Mask line produces and laminates three or more layers of fabrics (spunbond, meltblown, thermo-bonded nonwovens and others) and ensures highest quality and hygiene standards.


It comprises unwinding and guiding units for nonwoven webs, cutting and positioning devices for the metal nose bar, an edge welding and cutting unit, a 90-deg rotation process, as well as positioning and welding of the ear loop elastics. The line has a speed of up


to 110 m/min and is able to produce up to 750,000 face masks per day. There are also different packaging options available: products can be packed in bags by an automatic flow wrapping machine or in cardboard boxes by an automatic cartoner.


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