Recycled paper manufacturer Leipa Georg Leinfelder has nearly trebled capacity at its 160,000 tonnes per year Schwedt mill in Brandenburg with a new 300,000 tonnes per year machine. Its new PM4 machine produced the first production run at the beginning of the month.

The firm invested 218m (e330m) in the PM4 project for the production of LWC magazine paper, mainly in the weight range of 48gsm-65gsm. Investment included a new 780 tonnes per day de-inking plant (DIP2) additional warehouses for raw materials and finished goods, and expansion of the firm's water treatment and energy plants. Leipa will use 70-100% recovered fibre for production of the LWC grades on PM4.

Managing director and mill director Jaakko Tuomola said the test results from the first reels run-off had been very positive.

The main markets for the production from PM4 would be Europe and North America. Major UK publishers are in discussion with Leipa about taking product from the new machine.

The 8.9m-wide machine will have an operating speed of up to 1,800m per minute.

Its special features include the inclined shoe press concept to give both high dry content and good runnability. Leipa's LWC papers are produced from 100% waste paper and the group is certified to environmental management system ISO 14001. The firm claims that its advanced refining processes produce recycled stocks that have qualities  comparable to papers made from primary fibres.

Its plants operate closed circuit water circulation systems, meaning no waste water from the production process is discharged.

Story by Andy Scott