The global chemicals company will furnish the majority of the process and functional chemicals and chemistry application expertise for the end-to-end board manufacturing process at the Bear Island mill. The mill conversion is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 and it will have the production capacity of about 465,000 TPA.
December 8, 2021
Finland-headquartered Kemira is selected to be the new primary chemical supplier for Cascades’ new recycled board mill in North America. Cascades, a Canada-based leading producer of sustainable packaging solutions, is converting their Bear Island mill in Virginia, US, to a containerboard machine that will produce lightweight 100 percent recycled linerboard and medium grades for the North American market.
As a part of the contract, Kemira will furnish the majority of the process and functional chemicals and chemistry application expertise needed for the end-to-end board manufacturing process at the Bear Island mill. The Bear Island mill grade conversion is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, and once in full operation, the mill will have an annual production capacity of about 465,000 TPA.
Watch: Paper Mart News Roundup
Explaining the importance of their association with Cascades, Tuija Pohjolainen-Hiltunen, SVP, Commercial at Kemira Pulp & Paper Americas, says, “Converting a paper machine to produce a new grade and meet new quality parameters is a challenging task and requires complete re-design and re-optimisation of chemistry applications. We are proud that Cascades has chosen Kemira to be their partner in this major machine start-up. With our total chemistry management and application expertise, we can help the mill achieve their product quality and productivity targets as soon as possible.”
Also Read: Kemira Invests in New Production Line of ASA Sizing Agents in Asia-Pacific
After the commencement of production operations at the board mill, Kemira will continue to operate the chemical applications at the mill. Moreover, digital services will be implemented to support continuous improvement and maximise machine performance.
Hiltunen concluded, “Our KemConnect digital services allow real-time visibility and predictive capabilities for deeper understanding of chemistry impact and process performance, which provides opportunities to increase operational efficiency, quality, and productivity.”
