Paper business line

In this section you can find more information on Paper business line, such as key figures and market drivers. Paper business line is part of the Process Technologies segment. See also the Paper at a glance -video and Paper's presentation from Capital Markets Day 2023.

The Paper business line supplies board, tissue and paper machinery, equipment and machine rebuilds for the board, tissue and paper industries. The solutions are designed to be fit-for-purpose, focusing on energy and raw material savings, efficiency, flexibility and safety.

Board, tissue and paper are used for a variety of purposes, including packaging, hygiene products like facial and bathroom tissue and paper towels, and writing and printing papers. Board, tissue and paper are produced from virgin or recycled pulp. The papermaking process includes several stages in which the pulp slurry is converted into board, tissue or paper through forming, pressing, drying and sizing. In addition, a paper mill includes technology and equipment for stock preparation, air systems, chemical handling and paper finishing, including reeling and winding, as well as automation, flow control and Industrial Internet solutions.

The lifetime of a paper machine can be several decades. Besides new machines, there is also a market for machine rebuilds and improvements. In addition, converting an existing paper machine to produce a different paper grade or relocating a paper machine is part of Valmet's offering.

Paper business line's customers are mainly paper companies as well as board and tissue producers. The most important geographical markets for new board and paper machines are mainly China and Asia Pacific, and to a lesser extent, Europe and North America. In rebuild business, Europe and North America are the most important markets.

Deliveries are typically project based. Valmet typically enters into a bidding process for new projects and the project contracts are typically for a fixed amount. After the contract is signed, projects typically take between 12 and 24 months to complete. As orders for new paper machines have decreased in recent years due to reduced demand especially for printing and writing paper grades, board and tissue machines have represented a larger percentage of Valmet’s order book. There is also demand for paper machine rebuilds.

Key figures