Bellmer Vaahto has been the main supplier of the 5, 4m wide magazine paper machine conversion into board production at Kotkamills in Finland. BM2, the Flying Eagle machine, was started up in July according to the plan. The machine produces high quality consumer boards for demanding global customers. A range of folding boxboards are produced under the brand name AEGLE and a range of food service boards under the brand name ISLA.
Bellmer deliveries have been divided by German and Finnish workshops. The entire tandem shoe-press section, TURBOPress™, was supplied from Bellmer´s main location Niefern, Germany. Bellmer Vaahto´s Hollola workshop in Finland was in charge of 3-ply wire section including TURBOVaahtoJetter™ headboxes and TURBOFormerPro™ top-former unit. The extension of dryer section, new hood, pulpers and approach flow systems belong to Bellmer scope of supplies too. Engineering, project management, full erection, commissioning, customer training and start-up services are essential parts of Bellmer´s project.
BM2 is the first machine in the world to have the capability to produce dispersion barrier coatings directly on the machine, producing barrier boards that can be recycled with normal paper waste due to having zero plastic content.
“The interest in our new sustainable products has been massive. The new machine offers a wide range of interesting possibilities for converters, brand owners and designers alike. Another of the machine’s unique features is the ability to produce board with a silk matte surface, providing brand owners the possibility to make their product really stand out,” says Markku Hämäläinen, CEO of Kotkamills.
The Consumer Boards business will serve two main market areas. The first is the market for the production of packaging for food, confectionery, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The second is the market for food service boards for disposable cups and plates. All products are based on Nordic fresh forest fibers and come with the unique possibility of the addition of on-machine dispersion coated barriers to replace the non-renewable plastics traditionally used.
The new machine will provide an increase to the environmental performance of the site by significantly decreasing the consumption of electricity and water compared to the former paper production process.
Kotkamills’ Consumer Board machine BM2 in short:
- Production capacity 400,000 t/a
- Primary products: high-quality Nordic folding boxboard and recyclable barrier board for the packaging industry and food service sector
- Total investment 170 MEUR
- More than 5 MEUR has been invested in the effluent treatment plant, improving the cleanliness of the waste water.
