Finland-headed speciality pulp, paper and fibre producer Ahlstrom-Munksjö Oyj have announced that it plans to invest around EUR 27 million in two projects at its Swedish pulp production facilities Billingsfors and Aspa Bruk in a bid to improve environmental and financial performance and employee safety.
According to a statement, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has decided on two investment projects, totalling EUR 27 million, both with “attractive” financial returns and improved environmental performance and employee safety.
The decision supports the company’s strategic ambition to maintain a leading position in selected niches of the global fibre-based solutions market that offer positive growth outlook and are supported by sustainable market drivers without impacting the current year’s capital expenditure plan.
Recovery boiler to Billingsfors
As one of the global leaders in electrotechnical paper manufacturing for insulation of high voltage cables and transformers, Ahlstrom-Munksjö plans to increase pulp production capacity and improve the environmental performance of its Billingsfors pulp line, Sweden.
The investment involves rebuilding the recovery boiler and debottlenecking the pulp line. When completed in the third quarter 2019 the plant will meet stricter environmental regulations thanks to improved process combustion, reducing air emissions. The financial benefits include lower maintenance costs, and higher pulp and insulation paper production.
The total investment is approximately EUR 23 million and the final investment decisions is conditional on receiving a new environmental permit from the authorities, expected in Q2 2018. Installation work will be made during a scheduled maintenance shutdown in the summer of 2019.
A baling line to Aspa Bruk
Ahlstrom-Munksjö has also decided to modernize the bailing line at Aspa pulp plant, Sweden. The investment of EUR 4 million will improve safety level at the bailing line, improve production efficiency and give access to a “more favourable” customer mix. The new line is estimated to start during the first half of 2019. During the modernization, production will continue normally.
Both Billingsfors and Aspa plants are part of the Industrial Solutions business area, producing a wide range of products and materials often used in manufacturing and production processes, such as abrasive backings, electrotechnical insulation papers, release liners and speciality pulp.
