Toscotec will supply a technological upgrade of Paper Prime’s PM1 at their Vila Velha de Rodão mill in Portugal. Planned for mid-2024, the project aims to achieve substantial energy savings and production increase. 

 

Toscotec will rebuild the press section of the AHEAD 2.0 tissue line it supplied on a turnkey basis to Paper Prime in 2017. The machine will install Toscotec’s latest generation shoe press TT NextPress to enhance drying efficiency in combination with the existing TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer. The supply also includes a TT TurboDryer, which uses the heat recovered from the air system to strengthen the shoe press de-watering action and increase post-press dryness. 

 

The project aims to achieve two targets. Firstly, it will slash PM1’s thermal energy consumptions by 25% and consequently significantly reduce the carbon emissions associated with its operation. Secondly, Toscotec will perform a machine speed increase from 2,000 to 2,100 m/min with associated capacity increase. 

 

Riccardo Gennai, Sales Manager at Toscotec, says, “Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency upgrades are key for the European tissue market at a time where regulations are pushing for a profound industry transformation. Toscotec’s technology delivers on efficiency and investment performance. We expect Paper Prime to start generating a positive return on this investment in less than two years.” 

 

Paper Prime’s production site in Vila Velha de Rodão, Portugal. 

 

About Socigene Group 

 

With origins dating back to 1991, the Socigene Group had its first major boost in 1999 with the creation of the Trevipapel converting industry in Lousã, Portugal. Today, it is one of the leading tissue manufacturers in Portugal, well-known for its Joker brand. Trevipapel operates two production plants that process close to 40,000 tpy and it pursues an ambitious expansion project focused both on the domestic and export markets. In 2017, the Group set up Paper Prime, a tissue mill located in Vila Velha de Rodão, which supplies tissue reels to converting manufacturers in Portugal and other markets.