Summary of Packaging Paper Projects Commissioned in 2021 (Non-exhaustive Statistics): Capacity Surges by More Than 6 Million Tons

Following China's addition of 7 million tons of new papermaking capacity and 46 million tons of planned capacity in 2020, 2021 marked another banner year for China's paper industry: on the one hand, paper prices continued to soar, and paper mills raked in huge profits; on the other hand, booming exports and the national wave of plastic bans and restrictions greatly boosted market confidence.

At the same time, the paper industry has launched new projects one after another, with investments routinely reaching tens of billions of yuan — a rarity in the world. After many years in which market demand stalled at 100 million tons, new papermaking capacity is surging, as if welcoming another golden 30 years.

In 2021, according to non-exhaustive statistics, the paper industry brought on stream more than 6 million tons of additional packaging paper capacity, and even more capacity will go into production in 2022!

A review of the packaging paper projects newly commissioned in 2021:

Sun Paper's 800,000-ton/year high-grade packaging paper project PM2 in Laos successfully starts up

On January 10, 2021, the PM2 production line of Sun Paper's 800,000-ton/year high-grade packaging paper project in Laos was successfully started up and produced paper. It is understood that the PM2 production line started up only one month after the PM1 production line was commissioned (PM1 was started up on December 11, 2020).

Guizhou's largest packaging paper mill fully commissions its phase-one 600,000-ton packaging paper project

On January 26, PM2 of Guizhou Pengsheng (Group) Paper Co., Ltd. successfully produced paper, marking the full commissioning of the phase-one 600,000-ton/year packaging paper project.

Kadant supplies pulping equipment for the Shanying Paper (Thailand) Jinhe 4,800 pulp board line project, which starts up

On May 10, 2021, the 400,000 t/year pulping equipment and approach flow system supplied by Kadant for the Shanying Paper (Thailand) Jinhe 4,800 pulp board line project were successfully commissioned. The project is a recycled fiber pulp board machine production line invested by Shanying Paper (Thailand) at its Prachinburi base in Thailand, using imported American waste paper as raw material, and is of great significance to the development of the global waste paper pulp board market.

Guangdong Lingyu Environmental Paper's 150,000-ton coated white board project starts up and produces paper

Recently, the coated white board paper project of Guangdong Lingyu Environmental Paper Technology Co., Ltd., established in May 2020, was successfully started up and produced paper. It is understood that the main paper machine equipment and part of the supporting stock preparation line equipment of this production line consist of a second-hand coated white board paper machine purchased from Fuyang.

Stora Enso's new-generation food-grade pulp molded project officially goes into production in China

On June 8, 2021, Stora Enso China Packaging Group announced that its new-generation food-grade pulp molded project (phase one) in Qian'an, Hebei, was officially started up and put into production, and will manufacture on a large scale a new generation of eco-friendly, high-quality pulp molded lunch boxes, cup lids and other products. This marks the formal entry of Stora Enso's pulp molding business into the food packaging field, and will help the food and catering industry accelerate its transition toward a greener and more eco-friendly circular economy model.

Datong Guansen Paper Co., Ltd.'s first packaging paper machine successfully starts up and produces paper

On June 8, the first industrial paper project (PM1) of Datong Guansen Paper Co., Ltd. was successfully started up and produced paper. The main paper machine equipment of this production line consists of a second-hand containerboard machine purchased from a paper mill in Fuyang. The paper machine has a trim width of 3,600 mm and a design speed of 450 m/min, uses 100% waste paper raw material to produce low-grammage high-strength corrugating medium, with an annual capacity of about 70,000 tons.

Jiangsu Fantai Paper Co., Ltd.'s 200,000-ton high-strength corrugating medium project goes into production

At 2:06 on June 11, the new production line successfully wound its first reel of paper. The paper machine equipment was provided by Henan Zhongya Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., with a net paper width of 5,200 mm and a design speed of 650 m/min, using 100% waste paper raw material to produce low-grammage high-strength corrugating medium, with an annual capacity of 200,000 tons.

Andritz to supply 4 coaters to Jiangxi Wuxing Paper

On June 14, Andritz will supply 4 Prime Coat Jet on-machine coaters for its plant in Hukou County, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, with the equipment scheduled to go into operation in 2021. These 4 coaters will be used on a folding boxboard paper machine production line with a maximum design speed of 1,000 m/min and a maximum reel width of 5,660 mm.

Henan Xinxiang Hongtai Paper Co., Ltd.'s white board paper project starts up and produces paper

On July 13, the white board paper project of Henan Xinxiang Hongtai Paper Co., Ltd. was successfully started up and produced paper. The project is a multi-fourdrinier, multi-cylinder paper machine with a net paper width of 4,600 mm and a design speed of 600 m/min, mainly using waste paper raw material to produce 250-450 g coated white board paper, with an annual capacity of more than 200,000 tons.

Sun Paper: New 550,000 t/year printing and writing paper at its Guangxi base

The new projects at the Guangxi base include a 550,000 t/year printing and writing paper project, a 120,000 t/year household paper project, and supporting 800,000 t/year chemical wood pulp and 200,000 t/year chemi-mechanical pulp projects. Among them, the 550,000 t/year printing and writing paper project was successfully started up and put into production on September 26, 2021.

Jiangsu Jintian Paper: Two paper machines successfully commissioned within half a month

Jiangsu's largest recycled paper producer under construction — Jiangsu Jintian Paper Co., Ltd. in Xiangshui, Yancheng — successfully started up and produced paper on both of its phase-one grey board production lines.

It is understood that since the third quarter, Jiangsu Jintian Paper, together with major project equipment supplier Hangzhou Beichen Light Industry Machinery Co., Ltd. and other enterprises, overcame adverse factors such as power rationing and resurgences of the pandemic, and on October 20, the first papermaking production line PM16 of the phase-one project was successfully commissioned, producing paper immediately upon start-up.

Jiangsu Jintian Paper Co., Ltd.'s PM17 successfully starts up and produces paper

On November 1, another production line PM17 of the phase-one project of Jiangsu Jintian Paper Co., Ltd. was successfully started up and produced paper; its first paper machine PM16 was started up and put into production on the 20th of last month. It is understood that PM17 and PM16 are right- and left-hand paper machines located in the same workshop, and the production line equipment was likewise provided by Hangzhou Beichen Light Industry Machinery Co., Ltd., with a net paper width of 4,800 mm and a design speed of 450 m/min, mainly producing 300-650 g grey board, with a design capacity of 350,000 t/year.

Shandong Fengshuo Paper Co., Ltd.'s coated white board technical upgrade project successfully starts up and produces paper

On November 4, the coated white board technical upgrade project of Shandong Fengshuo Paper Co., Ltd. was successfully started up and produced paper. It is understood that the machine has a net paper width of 3,400 mm and a design speed of 700 m/min, with a domestically made shoe press in the press section, using 100% waste paper pulp raw material and on-machine coating to make 200-450 g coated white board paper, with an annual capacity of more than 200,000 tons.

Guangxi Sun Paper's 900,000-ton folding boxboard production line successfully produces paper

At around 9 a.m. on December 4, 2021, the third paper machine at Sun Paper's Guangxi base — a 900,000-ton/year folding boxboard production line — successfully produced paper.

The paper machine is supplied by Germany's Voith, with a machine width of 8.8 meters and a design speed of 1,300 m/min; the current operating speed is around 800 m/min. In China, such paper machines can typically reach an annual capacity of about 1 million tons once they achieve design speed.

Guangxi Jingui Phase II's 900,000-ton folding boxboard capacity about to go into production

On December 3, after 600-plus Chinese and foreign technical personnel worked 10 consecutive days of round-the-clock equipment commissioning, the first paper machine of the much-watched Jingui Phase II 1.8 million t/year high-grade paperboard expansion project successfully completed the entire process flow.

The first paper machine of the Jingui Phase II 1.8 million t/year high-grade paperboard expansion project was imported from the world-renowned pulp and paper supplier Valmet of Finland, with a net paper width of 8.1 meters, a design speed of 1,450 m/min and a capacity of 900,000 t/year; once completed and put into production, it will be one of the widest and fastest coated board machines in the world.