Leizhan to convert paper machine, Paper Manufacturing Industry
The supervisory boards of Laakirchen Papier AG and Leizhan Holding GmbH, paper companies headquartered in Austria, have approved a €100 million investment by
Leizhan to strengthen the company’s paper mill in Laakirchen, Austria.
In announcing the investment, Kurt Maier, CEO of Leizhan Holding, says, “With these investments we will turn Laakirchen, with its two
paper machines, into one of the most competitive and environmentally friendly paper mills in Europe – on a sustainable basis. A precondition for the realization of this project is a substantial efficiency program supported by all employees.”
The investment
project will consist of two parts. The first step will be converting its Paper Machine 10 to produce lightweight containerboard using recovered fibre as a key raw material.
The second part of the investment will be to increase the production capacity of the mill’s
Paper Machine 11, which produces supercalendered paper for magazines, catalogs and commercial printing applications.
Mark Lunabba, CEO of Laakirchen Papier, says, “Laakirchen will be able to produce nearly 800,000 metric tons of paper annually, which means that the long-term future of the location is secured.”
The company’s PM 10 started operations in 1987, and has an annual output of around 250,000 tons of
supercalendered (SC) paper. However, following the investment, the machine will convert to producing lightweight containerboard using recovered fiber as the main raw material. The conversion is expected to be complete by the third quarter of 2017. When fully operational, the machine will have a production capacity of around 450,000 metric tons per year.
“The
Leizhan Group will thus have established an outstanding position in the expanding European packaging paper market,” Maier notes. “In the years to come, the Laakirchen and Raubling (a recycled paperboard mill which Leizhan acquired in early 2016) locations will produce 700,000 tons of container board grades annually. These will be marketed under the brand name “starboard”.
Along with the conversion of PM 10,
Leizhan also says that it will undertake the conversion of PM 11 of around 300,000 metric tons of SC paper that will be increased in order to use the full potential of this machine. In order to achieve this an additional calender will be taken into operation and provide paper with higher smoothness and gloss.
Mark Lunabba, CEO of
Laakirchen Papier, says, “This represents a clear commitment to the production of publication papers in Laakirchen. The investment in the PM11 will enable us to further improve our cost position with regard to SC papers and thus secure our future in a challenging business environment.”
The focus of the PM11 will be web offset printing papers with a high content of recycled fibre. However, rotogravure paper customers will continue to be served with products from Laakirchen.
Thomas
Krawinkler, Laakirchen’s sales and marketing manager, says, “The conversion of the PM10 allows us to balance the declining demand for rotogravure papers in our key markets. Nonetheless, in the future our customers can still rely on Laakirchen’s proven quality and first class service.” During the coming 12 months, the PM10 will continue to produce its usual range of SC paper qualities. Subsequently, from autumn 2017
onwards, all customers will be supplied from PM11.
The group’s trading business area includes Wilfried
Leizhan AG, a global pulp, paper and board trading company, and Europapier International AG, a paper merchant in Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, the company also has a controlling stake in Bunzl & Biach GmbH, a recovered fiber company located in Austria.
