Smurfit Kappa started operating a new containerboard machine at its paper mill in Los Reyes in Tlalnepantla, north of Mexico, in October 2017. The new machinery will increase the company’s containerboard production capacity while providing significant energy savings at the Los Reyes site.
It is intended to strengthen the company’s offerings to the packaging needs of various industries, including the agricultural and electrical appliance sectors.
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The company invested $62m in the new containerboard machine, which is its biggest investment in Mexico.
Details of Los Reyes papermaking line
The Los Reyes paper factory produces medium, linerboard and coated paperboard for corrugated boxes and folding packaging applications. The facility uses recycled corrugated case material to manufacture high-quality papers.
Operating at a speed of 800m/min with a 2,450mm reel trim, the PM6 machine manufactures lightweight, high-strength containerboard for the production of corrugated board.
The machine is capable of making more than 100,000t of recycled containerboard a year.
Details of the PM6 machine installed at Smurfit Kappa plant
The PM6 machine incorporates a five-channel PMP Intelli-Jet V hydraulic headbox equipment including Consistency Profiling System to provide uniform paper web structure and better cross direction basis weight profile.
The paper line is also installed with a PMP Intelli Tri-Nip press section, fitted with a reused Shoe Press of type module 1500 with a design nip load of 1,050kN/m shoe press. Featuring compact design, the press section helps reduce draws and increases the PM6’s operability.
The Shoe Press technology delivers highly dry pulp sheet and improved paper properties while reducing steam consumption.
Consisting of ten steel dryers, a new Intelli-Dryer section is installed at the mill to remove water from the paper web.
The papermaking line also houses fourdrinier extension, tail threading system, new mechanical drives, and a reel rebuild.
Products manufactured at Los Reyes papermaking line
Smurfit Kappa manufactures various types of papers at the Los Reyes paper factory. The paper grades include glued and unglued corrugated medium papers from 120g to 180g, glued and unglued liner with white coating from 200g to 280g, glued and unglued liner coffee of 200g to 430g, coated carton with a thickness of 12 to 16 points, and grey-coloured coffee carton that is 12-28 points thick.
Contractors involved
Polish paper machinery manufacturer PMP Group was contracted by Smurfit Kappa to provide Phoenix Concept rebuild for the Los Reyes papermaking line in July 2015.
The contractual scope included refurbishment, assembly of the new machine, and technological start-up supervision.
Marketing commentary on Smurfit Kappa
Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Smurfit Kappa provides paper-based packaging solutions such as cardboard boxes, folding cartons, and tubes. The company recorded €8.2bn ($8.5bn) in sales in 2016.
With an employee base of 45,000 people, the company operates 370 production plants across 34 countries in Europe and the Americas. It manufactures more than 10.5 billion square metres of corrugated packaging a year.
The Los Reyes paper mill is one of the three containerboard mills operated by Smurfit Kappa in Mexico.
