The company says the move will add up to 470,000 tons more of annual solid bleached sulphate (SBS) capacity to the United States paperboard market.
Apr 15, 2024
South Africa-based packaging manufacturer Sappi has announced that it is undertaking a conversion process from graphic paper to packaging board on one of its paper machine lines at its mill in Somerset, Maine.
Known for using predominantly virgin wood fiber to make its paper and paperboard, the company says it is investing up to USD 418 million to convert its paper machine 2 (PM2) from graphic paper to paperboard production during its current fiscal year.
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It’s believed that the move will add up to 470,000 tons more of annual solid bleached sulphate (SBS) capacity to the United States paperboard market.
In a statement, it says its Somerset mill PM2 conversion from coated woodfree (CWF) office paper to SBS board is part of a larger change in product mix, calling its “strategy to continue to expand and grow packaging and specialty papers in all regions.” The PM2 conversion will involve halting production of up to 235,000 tons of CWF and installing machinery to make up to 470,000 tons of bleached packaging board.
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It predicts the newly reconfigured PM2 will be able to restart in the second half of its 2025 fiscal year, which runs from April 1 to September 30, 2025.
