M-real to invest in Kemiart Liners
M-real to invest in Kemiart Liners
M-real Corporation Press release 26.1.2005 M-real has decided to invest in rebuilding the coating unit and the coating colour prepartion at the Kemiart Liners board mill. The rebuild will last one week over September-October, 2005 and is the second phase in improving formation, consistency and profiles. The first phase, completed in December 2004, together with the second phase will result in a total investment of EUR 6.5 million. It will not affect the availability of the product nor will it affect the number of personnel. The investments are a part of Kemiart Liners strategic development program, which aims to increase the production and sales of high-quality coated kraftliners. The rebuild will give more uniform quality, resulting in improved printability for our customers. The investment strengthens Kemiart's worldwide leading position as a supplier of high performance coated linerboards for consumer and retail packaging made of corrugated board. It will improve both the efficiency and reliability of production and will, as a result, have a positive influence on the environment. In August, M-real Corporation acquired Metsäliitto Cooperative's and UPM-Kymmene's shares in Kemiart Liners Oy (a total of 53%). Kemiart Liners is now wholly owned by M-real. M-REAL CORPORATION Hannu Kottonen Executive Vice President Consumer Packaging For further information please contact: Hannu Kottonen, Executive Vice President, Consumer Packaging, tel. + 358 (0)10 469 4900, Mobile +358 (0)500 532 235 Jukka Kettunen, Senior Vice President, Production and Technology, tel. + 358 (0)10 463 3725, Mobile +358 (0)50 598 8506 Hannu Komokallio, Vice President and Mill Manager, Kemiart Liners, tel. +358 (0)10 466 1532, Mobile +358 (0)50 598 8051 Juha Lounasvaara, Vice President, Corrugated Case Materials, Sales, Tel. + 358 (0)10 469 4624, Mobile +358 (0)50 598 9569 Information on Kemiart Liners Kemiart Liners is part of M-real's Consumer Packaging business area. The mill is a highly specialised producer of coated and uncoated white top kraftliner. With a board production capacity of 345,000 tonnes a year, the mill employs some 150 people in Finland. M-real's Kemiart Liners is a global leader in coated white top kraftliners. Kemiart products are designed to reproduce brand colours and graphics with the utmost accuracy. Kemiart Liners' customers are companies producing and using high-quality corrugated packaging for retail and consumer markets. Examples of important end-use areas for coated Kemiart liners are consumer durables and branded food and beverages. End-users today have high expectations for the print quality of corrugated packages. Packages both protect the product and play significant advertising and messaging roles. Brand images are communicated through the package - through its graphic design, the colours used and its very shape. Corrugated packages are among the most visible brand display elements in a store, and they continue the brand building process all the way to consumers' homes. All Kemiart products are based on top-quality primary fibre, providing strength even in low basis weights. The use of high-quality raw material, combined with modern production methods and strict quality control, guarantees a high level of consistency, both in terms of print characteristics and strength properties as well as product safety. Kemiart Liners product family Kemiart Graph is a coated liner for printing half-tone pictures and images that require and benefit from high gloss and good colour density. Properties, which have given Kemiart Graph a position as one of leading coated liners for the industry, are the gloss, smoothness, varnished gloss and an extremely good printing surface in both flexo and offset processes. Kemiart Lite offers high ink density, gloss and consistency. Kemiart Lite's surface allows flexo inks to dry very rapidly, thereby improving productivity in flexo post printing. Kemiart Brite is an uncoated white top liner with high strength in demanding conditions and climates, good print quality and an optimal strength-to-weight ratio. Kemiart Brite is widely used in a broad range of end-use applications where a white and consistent print surface is appreciated. Kemiart Brite is ideal for large printed areas and line pictures that require good contrast from the liner. Kemiart linerboards are available globally through M-real's sales and logistics network. The Kemiart technical support team of experts is available to support customers in using Kemiart products for value-added brand packaging. The mill has ISO 9001 quality certification, ISO 14001 and HACCP certification for its products.