The pulp line at Lessebo Paper's site has been idle since 2014. Now, the company wants to put the machine back into operation next year and produce also market pulp.
Swedish manufacturer of uncoated specialty graphic papers Lessebo Paper will recommission the pulp line at its production site and produce kraft pulp on it. The company says that the necessary preparations were made in the course of 2018 to restart the line which has a capacity of around 30,000 tpy. An investment of SEK50m (around €5m) and further modernisation measures in the first half of next year are to ensure the production of a "high-quality end product".
Eric Sigurdsson, CEO of Lessebo Paper, said on request that part of the output will be processed within the group and the other part sold as market pulp.
In addition, the adjacent water treatment plant will be adapted to the increased water flow that the pulp mill will produce. Commissioning is planned to take place after the annual summer break and the investment is expected to create 20 to 25 new jobs. "This investment will give us more flexibility, reduce our environmental impact and increase profitability," explains Eric Sigurdsson.
The pulp line was last in operation in December 2013 and used to produce specialty pulp with a capacity of 28,000 tpy. Mr Sigurdsson confirmed to EUWID that the plant had been down since the beginning of 2014. For Terje Haglund, the managing director and one of the owners at the time, the future of Lessebo Pulp lied in the production of high-viscosity specialty pulp which is mainly used in the chemical industry.
Lessebo Paper was founded in 2014 when the insolvent Lessebo Bruk was split into three companies: Lessebo Paper, Lessebo Pulp and Lessebo Energy. Lessebo Paper currently produces uncoated graphic specialty papers with a capacity of 48,000 tpy
