ESPOO, Finland -- Valmet will supply a coated board machine for Graphic Packaging International (GPI) in the United States. Valmet delivered a similar coated board machine to GPI's Kalamazoo mill in 2022. The new machine will be supplied to GPI's mill in Waco, Texas. The start-up of the machine is scheduled for early 2026.

The order is included in Valmet's orders received of the first quarter 2023. Its value will not be disclosed, but an order of this type and scope is typically valued between EUR 140 and 180 million.

With this investment in the latest coated board technology, GPI is committing to sustainable packaging with exceptional product quality and cost competitiveness for producing coated recycled board (CRB) grades.

"Valmet has offered us innovative yet proven technology to reach our high product quality targets. We have had a long and good cooperation with Valmet. Our relationship is based on mutual trust, which is very important in large projects like this one," says Rusty Miller, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology, GPI.

"Valmet has a very good relationship with Graphic Packaging International, and we have had successful projects with them. We are happy to be involved in this important project to provide a state-of-the-art coated board machine for their optimized mill network in the United States," says Michael Gray, Vice President, Capital business, North America, Valmet.

Technical details about the delivery

Valmet's delivery for the new coated board machine will include equipment for stock preparation, approach flow systems, board machine with extensive process ventilation scope, a wide Valmet DNA automation package and a winder. The delivery will also include Valmet Industrial Internet services.

The board machine will produce coated recycled board (CRB) grades, in other words white line chip board (WLC) grades, with an annual capacity of approximately 500,000 short tons which corresponds to 456,000 metric tons.

Information about the customer Graphic Packaging International

Graphic Packaging International, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is committed to providing consumer packaging that makes a world of difference. The company is a leading provider of paper-based packaging solutions for a wide variety of products to food, beverage, foodservice, and other consumer products companies. The company's net sales in 2022 were approximately USD 9 billion. It has over 130 facilities and over 24,000 employees worldwide.