Holmen's PM11 at Hallsta gets royal blessing

Holmen Papers new PM11 paper machine has been inaugurated by King Carl XVI Gustaf at its Hallsta mill in Sweden.

The new machine, which cost 124m, was inaugurated on 26 September and is set to be the largest in Western Europe for the production of machine-finished (MF) magazine paper. It replaces a 35-year-old machine.

The new machine, which was brought into production in April, has already reached its production target of 330,000 tonnes a year, and is set to exceed that target as its capacity increases.

The mill also underwent improvements to its pulp handling and bleaching plant in preparation for PM11.

The Hallsta mill has an annual production capacity of around 800,000 tonnes.