Espoo, Finland 07 March 2017 -- Valmet-supplied fine paper production line for Asia Symbol (Guangdong) Paper Co., Ltd. was successfully started up one month ahead of schedule on January 29, 2017. The new production line PM 12 produces top quality fine papers and it increases the company's capability to produce value-added products. All the produced paper has been saleable from the very start.

"The cooperation with the customer has been excellent. It has been a pleasure to work with the highly motivated and professional teams of both the customer and Valmet. These teams and the outsourced installation company worked well together to meet the revised start-up schedule. The start-up itself was smooth: the machine is operating well and the number of web breaks has remained very low. The start-up curve has proven to be excellent with high daily tonnages," comments Senior Project Manager Jari Laine from Valmet.

Producing high quality fine paper

The project is representing the long-lasting and good cooperation between Asia Symbol and Valmet. Paper making line 11 (start up in 2012) has been producing fine paper at top speeds and maximum efficiency, and has also become a leading fine paper producing machine in China.

For the PM 12, Valmet's delivery includes a complete fine paper making line from stock preparation to reel with an approach flow system, white water systems, air systems, and clothing for the whole machine line as well as a winder. A comprehensive automation package comprises Valmet DNA process, machine and drive controls and conditioning monitoring as well as Valmet IQ quality control system and profilers. The delivery will also include wet end analyzers. With these automation solutions, the entire production process and the end product quality can be optimized for maximized business results.

The new 9.35 m-wide (wire) machine produces wood free uncoated paper grades in the basis weight of 80 g/m². The production capacity of the machine is approximately 1,700 tons per day and the design speed 1,800 m/min.

Information about the customer Asia Symbol (Guangdong) Paper

Asia Symbol, is part of RGE (Royal Golden Eagle) Group, is a world-leading producer of pulp and paper. It has an annual production capacity of 1.8 million tons of pulp, 1.0 million tons of fine paper and 470,000 tons of paper board. Its products are sold in more than 20 countries. Asia Symbol's paper mill plant in Xin Hui, Guangdong province, has become a leading fine paper producer in China since its opening in July 2012. It produces stable fine paper quality grades, which set a reference grade quality for the global and Asian markets.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2016 were approximately EUR 2.9 billion. Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.