Sonoco-Alcore Makes Additional Investment in European Mills

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l., Brussels, Belgium, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, reports that it is making multi-million dollar investments in three of its European uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) mills to improve energy efficiency, product range, and environmental performance. The projects will be completed during scheduled downtime this month and in September.

"Our Cirie (TO), Italy, mill will benefit from a new DCS, a new energy-from-biogas system, and CHP upgrades, and we are improving our effluent treatment system," said Dino Kiriakopoulos, director of Sonoco-Alcore's European operations. "Our investment in Cirie continues our 2010 capital investment efforts, which are focused on lowering energy costs and continuing to be good stewards of the environment."

Kiriakopoulos said that Sonoco-Alcore also will be making additional investments at its Kilkis, Greece, and Nordhorn, Germany, mills this summer. "At Kilkis, we will be installing a new high-efficiency boiler, heat recovery system, and drive upgrades that will significantly lower energy costs and provide some capacity expansion. At Nordhorn, we are upgrading our refining and press sections to further reduce the steam and electricity consumption for each ton of the high quality specialty board produced there."

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l. operates six paper mills and 32 converting plants along with a recycling division in Europe, and is the largest producer of tubes, cores, and coreboard in Europe.

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