UPM Pulp and Austrian technology group Andritz have announced the signing of a multi-year cooperation agreement aimed at supporting tissue manufacturers in the development and optimisation of new tissue products and production processes.
The partnership gives tissue producers access to pilot-scale trials at Andritz's Tissue Innovation and Application Center (TIAC) in Graz, Austria, where fibre and process solutions can be tested and tailored to individual production requirements.
As part of the agreement, UPM’s eucalyptus hardwood pulp, UPM Euca, will serve as the standard pulp for all customer and internal trials conducted at the facility. The pilot facility supports dry-crepe, structured and Through-Air-Drying (TAD) tissue manufacturing technologies.
"Bringing a new raw material or process concept to tissue production carries real risk. Trialing on a live production machine is costly and disruptive. This is where our tissue pilot plant comes to play," said Franz Harrer, tissue expert at Andritz, adding that the facility helps reducing investment risks. "Together with UPM’s pulp expertise, we can help tissue manufacturers innovate efficiently and faster," he concluded.
