Portucel selects converting and packaging lines from E.C.H. Will and Pemco for upcoming paper mill in Setubal, Portugal; includes world's largest cut-size sheeter

Sandy Yang

HAMBURG, Germany , May 15, 2008 (press release) – The Portuguese pulp and paper manufacturer Portucel Soporcel Group has chosen two cut-size converting and packaging lines from E.C.H. Will and Pemco for its converting equipment at new premises in the new paper mill under construction at the Group’s industrial complex in Setúbal, Portugal.

The Portucel Soporcel Group is one of Europe’s largest pulp and paper manufacturers, based in hardwood. In the third quarter of 2007, the company purchased a new paper machine. It will extend production by 500,000 metric tons.

The Portuguese company decided on its finishing equipment in the first quarter of 2008. E.C.H. Will, Pemco and Langhammer Maschinenbau, three companies of the Körber PaperLink Group, will deliver two complete cut-size sheeting and packaging lines. The parties have agreed on a third sheeting and packaging line as an option. It will be added as the production curve of the paper machine rises.

The first converting line is designed for the highest possible output. It will consist of a 16-pocket E.C.H. Will SLK 470 cut-size sheeter, two Pemco high-speed packaging lines, the latest in labeling and strapping technology, and two Langhammer high-speed palletizers. With a 3.48-meter working width, the 16-pocket cut-size sheeter will be the widest of its kind in the world.

The second line will provide the highest degree of flexibility for the Portucel Soporcel Group. It will consist of an 8-pocket E.C.H. Will SLK 490 flexible cut-size sheeter, a Pemco flexible packaging line, and a palletizer from Langhammer.

“We have worked very closely with E.C.H. Will, Pemco and their subsuppliers to develop the best packaging solutions in order to anticipate the most demanding market needs,” says Hermano Mendonça, Marketing Director of the Portucel Soporcel Group. “We are proud to continue our already successful partnership with E.C.H. Will and Pemco, now with the 16-pocket wide SLK giving us highest possible output, and the product flexibility provided by the 8-pocket sheeter.”

The two lines are equipped with a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) from E.C.H. Will. The MES modules Efficiency Monitor and Production Reports provide the Portucel Soporcel Group with valuable data for their production planning and detailed fault analysis. Further core features of the system are the order, reel and packaging material handling which guarantee a smooth and trouble-free production process.

“Eight existing cut-size lines and three folio-size ream wrappers of Körber PaperLink companies are already installed and working in the Portucel Soporcel Group,” says Klaus Aarestrup, Managing Director of E.C.H. Will. “We look forward to a continuation of this cooperation and to a successful start-up in 2009.”

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