Obeikan Paper Industries to Rebuild Cartonboard Machine

The Riyadh mill of Obeikan Paper Industries in Saudi Arabia has ordered from Metso, Finland, the rebuild of its PM 1 cartonboard machine. The rebuilt production line will be fully operational in the middle of 2013. The main goal of the rebuild is to improve end product quality, increase capacity, and reduce production costs. The value of the order was not disclosed.

"This investment is aligned with Obeikan's strategy to keep the mill up-to-date technologically and to keep our feet within the competitive environment of the paper industry," said Mohammed Al-Mowkley, GM of Obeikan Paper Industries.

The 3.4-m-wide (wire) PM 1 produces white lined chipboard in the basis weight range of 180-450 gsm at the design speed of 600 m/min. The current annual production level is 170,000 metric tons and capacity after the rebuild will be 220,000 metric tpy.

Metso's delivery will include a rebuild of the press section with a new SymBelt shoe press to increase dry content after the press section. The delivery will also include a new curtain coating station with a one-sided gas-heated air dryer. The new multilayer curtain coating unit adds two coating layers to the web at the same time in a non-contact operation with no speed restrictions. Metso will also handle installation supervision, commissioning, and startup of the rebuilt machine.

Obeikan Paper Industries is a subsidiary of Obeikan Industrial Investment Group Ltd. It is primarily involved in the printing and packaging, education, and publishing businesses. The company was incorporated in 1983.

TAPPI
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