Wednesday, May 14, 2025
According to the Valmet report, JK Paper Limited invested in a new coated board-making line, BM 5, at their mill in Songadh, India. The 4.25-meter-wide board machine, which began production in 2021, produces folding boxboard and solid bleached board. Three years later, the results are positive: the mill’s efficiency has increased, and the board quality has been excellent.
A complete board machine from headbox to reel, automation solutions, and services like paper machine clothing and a thorough service agreement were all delivered with the BM 5. Additionally, Valmet supplied a lime kiln and a full fibre line to the same location. Being one of India’s foremost manufacturers of coated board and printing paper, JK Paper’s investment in board machines has been primarily driven by its ability to produce high-quality board. Another key objective for the future is to lessen the environmental impact of their mill.
“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,” notes Mr. Piyush Kumar Mittal, Chief General Manager of JK Paper Limited.
Outstanding flawlessness following pressing
An OptiPress Linear press section with two shoe presses and a smoothing press that enhances the board’s drying and smoothness was included in the delivery for the BM 5.
“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,” elaborates Mr. C. Muthaiyan, General Manager of Instrumentation and Automation at JK Paper Limited. The press division has pleased JK Paper, particularly the unfelted smoothing press. Additionally, Valmet has supplied the board machine’s press section with Valmet Black Belt H shoe press belts and press felts. Mr. C. Muthaiyan reports that the felt change procedure has gone smoothly and that the shoe press belts have had an optimal lifespan, with only two belts needing to be replaced since the start-up.
Enhancing board quality by calendaring and coating
The four coating stations that guarantee the quality of the coated board were crucial in the delivery of the board machine. In addition to three OptiCoat Roll blade coating heads, the machine has an OptiCoat Layer curtain coating station.
“We are very satisfied with the coating technology, and all coating stations have been working well,” exclaims Mr. C. Muthaiyan. Since it was the first board machine in India to install curtain coating technology, the BM 5 is a special machine. “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,” goes on Mr. Piyush Kumar Mittal.
The BM 5 delivery included OptiCalender Hard and Soft calenders with thermo rolls heated by hot oil, deflection-compensated rolls controlled pneumatically, and a compact mechanical drive. “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 calendars. We can also adjust the bulk depending on the grade; we make different grades, both coated and uncoated,” says Mr. C. Muthaiyan.
Excellent teamwork in a difficult circumstance
JK Paper prioritised selecting a supplier that provided top-notch technical support and a broad range 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 affected the project, but JK Paper and Valmet overcame 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.
Post start-up, JK Paper and Valmet’s collaboration includes a Service Agreement for expert availability. “The agreement with Valmet helped in streamlining and optimising the quality and 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.
Read more news on: Valmet, coating, machine, automation, fibre, plastics, drying, pulp mill
Get such updates through the American woodworking industry website: woodandpanel.us
Tags: #1 wood news, #1 woodworking magazine, best wood magazine, best wood news, boxboard, coated board-making line, coating board machine, coating solution news, coating technology, drying solution, European coated board-making line news, European coating technology news, fiber line, plastics, Pulp mill, solid bleached board, Valmet, Valmet latest update, wood, wood and panel, woodworking, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking and processing, woodworking industry
Comments: