Innovative Approaches Improve Competitiveness in an Industry full of Challenges, PaperCon 2010 Conference

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The paper industry in developed countries i.e. North America, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and South Korea has for many years been struggling with incapability of maintaining profitable operation, justifying new capital investments and expanding the market areas. Dongil Paper, located in South Korea, has through considered risk taking expanded its position as a market leader in the local packaging industry. In spite of challenging economical forecasts for the industry, investments in innovative technologies have proven to improve the competitive edge on the market as well as the profitability of the company. Capital investments in new technology provide manufacturing cost savings, positive environmental impact and give great return also short term.

Producers of liner and corrugating medium grades from recycled fiber often struggle with challenges to reach required strength properties compared to packaging grades produced from virgin fiber. Starch can be used on the size-press to compensate for the lost fiber strength, weakened from recycling. However, conventional size-press technologies have limitations when high starch amounts are targeted or at high machine speeds in modern packaging board machines. Spray sizing overcomes many road blocks and sufficient strength improvements are achieved for recycled testliner and corrugated medium. Starch spraying on the size-press has been practised by Dongil in South Korea for many years to achieve sufficient strength improvements, but has given other challenges in return. The latest development of the spray application technology has resulted in a commercial spray device, capable of providing a large window for the starch application amount and it gives an exceptional transfer rate to the web. A clean operation with no starch contamination to the machine surroundings is maintained.