Sappi Europe has completed phase two of a three-phase modernisation project at Gratkorn Mill, Austria. A double-digit million-euro investment is set to help the modernisation project, facilitating future adaptations to meet digitalisation and industry 4.0. The milestone achieved will ensure the risk of machine failure is reduced to a minimum, increasing production sustainability of the Magno paper range.
Gratkorn Mill is the primary facility of Magno Paper and its flagship location. Magno is a coated woodfree paper, used by customers for high-end publications, such as art catalogues, books, magazines, annual reports and calendars.
For this phase of the modernisation project, Sappi worked with suppliers such as Honeywell and Siemens to upgrade and increase process visibility and better operator efficiency, leading to more stability in system performance and availability for increased productivity. The upgrade allows processes at Gratkorn to operate on a single automation platform, needing less hardware, cost savings on spares and reduced maintenance services.
‘This investment demonstrates Sappi’s belief in the strength and power of printed media & paper-based solutions, driving its constant investment into its production location to secure the portfolio for the long term,’ said Rens Huijnen, product manager of Sappi Europe.
Looking forward, the next phase of modernisation, scheduled for completion in 2025, addresses challenges in the paper industry, such as sourcing obsolete replacement parts.
‘By using state-of-the-art automation and electrical systems, we can not only ensure paper production for our customers at the accustomed high level, but also guarantees an easier support by our suppliers,’ explained Dominik Strommer, project manager of the modernisation project.
Sappi’s Gratkorn Mill has undergone significant development and investment in recent years, showcasing a diverse range of products. Besides graphic papers, the Gratkorn Mill also produces various types of label papers.
In 2021, Sappi expanded its portfolio of wet-glue label papers to include Parade Label Pro (non-wet-strength), ideal for many different applications, such as standard labels for bottles, tins and jars, as well as wrappers for various products.
This was followed by Parade Face SG in January 2022, a semi-gloss face stock paper for self-adhesive labels for a wide range of applications such as food, non-food, beverages, health and beauty care products.
After the ongoing long-term validation phase, in Autumn Sappi Europe will officially launch Parade Label WS, a wet-strength and alkali-resistant wet-glue label paper. Parade Label WS offers high-quality printing and finishing results for various applications, including returnable containers in the beverage and food industries.
In line with Sappi’s sustainability ambitions, two investments into renewing the water turbines at Gratkorn Mill’s hydro-electric power plant in 2018-2020 increased its hydro-electric generation by almost 10%. The complete modernisation to shift from a coal boiler to a multi-fuel boiler in 2022, enabled the mill to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30% as well as sharply reduce dust and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions.
