Heidenheim, Germany 02 July 2008 -- The complete PM 18 papermaking line of Dongguan Nine Dragons Paper Co. Ltd. started paper production successfully in Dongguan, Province of Guangdong, China, on 26 June. PM 18 produced the first paper - 100 g/m² corrugating medium - at 1210 m/min, for a world record start-up speed.

PM 18, with a wire width of 7280 mm, has been designed for the production of corrugating medium in a basis weight range of 75 – 110 g/m². The machine was built according to the One Platform Concept, featuring the most efficient equipment needed to produce high-quality packaging paper.

The advanced machine concept includes a DuoFormer Base gap former and a DuoCentri NipcoFlex shoe press. The complete dryer section is single-tier and is equipped with a size press and an air turn. A Sirius reel is used for winding parent rolls up to 4.5 meters maximum diameter. The design speed of PM 18 is 1800 m/min, and the machine has a daily production of approximately 1250 tons.

Apart from the paper machine, Voith Paper supplied substantial additional equipment. An extensive automation package included machine and quality control systems, as well as hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Voith Paper Fabrics was chosen as the major supplier of clothing for all sections of PM 18 and delivered the complete clothing for the start-up. The clothing is mainly manufactured in the company’s facilities in Ipoh, Malaysia, and Kunshan, China. In addition, Voith Paper China was responsible for the delivery of the complete dryer section.

The Voith Paper scope of supply also included the approach flow system, various engineering services, and supervision of installation, start-up, and optimization.

Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Ltd. is one of the world’s largest producers of packaging papers. Located in Dongguan and Taicang, the company operates 16 paper machines, producing a total capacity of 7.75 million tons by the end of July 2008. In 2009, Nine Dragons Paper expects to produce more than 10 million tons per year.

Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and one of the leading partners to the paper industry. More than one third of the world’s paper production is produced on Voith Paper equipment. Founded on 01 January 1867, today Voith is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe, with 37,000 employees, sales of EUR 4.2 billion, and more than 270 locations around the world.