Ensuring board quality with multiple coating stations in JK Paper Limited BM 5

Valmet delivered a wide range of technology to JK Paper’s Songadh facility in India

The deliveries for the BM 5 included a complete board machine from headbox to reel, automation solutions, and services, including paper machine clothing and a comprehensive Service Agreement. Valmet also delivered a complete fiber line and lime kiln to the same site.

As one of the leading printing paper and coated board manufacturers in India, producing high quality board has been the key driver for JK Paper’s board machine investment. Also reducing their mill’s environmental impact is an important goal for the future. “Now is the time for innovative products that can replace plastics. We are working on biodegradable barrier coating, and with the new BM 5 it is possible to produce a wide range of products. The board machine investment gives us a competitive edge compared to our competitors,” says Mr. Piyush Kumar Mittal, Chief General Manager of JK Paper Limited.

Excellent smoothness after pressing

The delivery for the BM 5 included an OptiPress Linear press section with two shoe presses and a smoothing press that improve the drying and the smoothness of the board. “It is unique to have two shoe presses in India, with an additional smoothing press. With the two shoe presses we are getting the desired moisture levels,” explains Mr. C. Muthaiyan, General Manager of Instrumentation and Automation at JK Paper Limited. JK Paper has been satisfied with the press section, especially with the unfelted smoothing press. Valmet has also delivered Valmet Black Belt H shoe press belts and press felts to the press section of the board machine. According to Mr. C. Muthaiyan, the felt change operation has been smooth, and the shoe press belts have had an ideal lifetime: only two belts have been replaced since the start-up.

BM 5 with OptiPress Linear press section including two shoe presses and a smoothing press

Increasing board quality with coating and calendering

One of the key parts of the board machine delivery were the four coating stations that ensure the quality of the coated board. The machine includes an OptiCoat Layer curtain coating station and three OptiCoat Roll blade coating heads. “We are very satisfied with the coating technology, and all coating stations have been working well,” says Mr. C. Muthaiyan.

Definitely, in the coming years it will give a competitive advantage to JK Paper to have a curtain coater in comparison to our competitors.

The BM 5 is a unique machine in India because it is the first board machine that has installed curtain coating technology in the country. “It is rare to have a curtain coater in India. Since the chemicals required for that are very expensive and not easily available, many competitors haven’t invested in curtain coating technology,” explains Mr. Piyush Kumar Mittal. The curtain coater is a flexible solution that can be an asset to JK Paper in the future. “Definitely, in the coming years it will give a competitive advantage to JK Paper to have a curtain coater in comparison to our competitors. It is good equipment, and you can do basically whatever you want with it,” continues Mr. Piyush Kumar Mittal.

The delivery for the BM 5 included both OptiCalender Hard and OptiCalender Soft calenders. Both of them have thermo rolls with hot oil as the heating medium, deflection-compensated rolls with modern pneumatically controlled automation, and compact mechanical drive configuration. “The performance of the calenders, both hard and soft nip calenders, has been very good. We are getting the required bulk by changing the loading of the calenders. We can also adjust the bulk depending on the grade; we make different grades, both coated and uncoated,” says Mr. C. Muthaiyan.

BM 5 produces folding boxboard and solid bleached board

Great collaboration in a challenging situation

When selecting a supplier for the project, JK Paper focused on choosing a supplier capable of offering high-quality technical support and a wide scope of technology. “Valmet has expertise across all areas, whether it’s the pulp mill, recovery, or the board machine. They have a deep understanding and strong technical know-how when it comes to both equipment and automation,” highlights Mr. Mukul Verma, Executive Vice President of JK Paper.

The global pandemic had its own effect on the project but fortunately, JK Paper together with Valmet experts were able to overcome the challenges: “Because of the pandemic, there were some delays on both sides that affected the start-up. Despite the pandemic, Valmet experts from India came to help when no foreign experts could come. So, we appreciate their efforts to be present and because of that we were able to reach the required product quality, production level and machine efficiency,” explains Mr. Piyush Kumar Mittal.

Collaboration between JK Paper and Valmet was smooth even in challenging situations 

The collaboration between JK Paper and Valmet has continued also after the start-up. One key part of the delivery was the Service Agreement that ensures the availability of Valmet experts when needed. “The agreement with Valmet really helped in streamlining and optimizing the quality parameters of the board. For the coated board, the quality is very critical. With the help of Valmet experts, we were able to reach the desired quality much faster in a structured and very systematic way,” says Bapu Koli, Senior General Manager of Engineering at JK Paper’s Songadh mill.

Text: Veera Silakoski