Metso Paper to deliver a board coating machine to Shandong Chenming of China

Published Sept 17, 2003 12.00.00 +2 GMT

Metso Paper, together with its Chinese joint venture company Valmet-Xian, will supply an on-machine coater to Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Ltd., in Shouguang, eastern coastal province of Shandong. The new line is scheduled to start up in the beginning of 2005. The value of the order is approx. EUR 15 million.

The Metso delivery will include a 4-station on-machine coater with air dryers and stock preparation systems. The coating application will be carried out with proven ValCoat coating stations, three stations for top coating and one for backside treatment. The web width of the BM 3 will be 5,650 mm and design speed 800 m/min. The main end product will be coated high quality folding boxboard.

In recent years Metso has sold around 20 ValCoat coating stations for the production of coated board and fine paper in China.

Several Metso units will participate in the delivery, including Metso Paper units in Järvenpää and Valkeakoski in Finland and Valmet-Xian in China. Metso Paper and Valmet-Xian have together successfully carried out several joint paper and board machine projects. This strengthens Metso’s local position in the continuously growing Chinese paper and board machine market.

Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Ltd. is one of the largest paper companies in China. After this and other ongoing investments the company’s production capacity will be 1.5 million tons of paper and board. Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Ltd. is listed in Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems. The Corporation's fiber and paper technology business area, Metso Paper, is the world's leading supplier of technology, systems and equipment for the pulp and paper industries. Metso's other core businesses are divided between Metso Minerals (rock and mineral processing) and Metso Automation (automation and control technology). In 2002, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.7 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 28,500. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.

More information: Olli-Pekka Sorma, Vice President, Sales, Metso Paper Tel.+ 358 40 743 4082 e-mail: olli-pekka.sorma@metso.com