Ahlstrom Starts Up Super Calender

Published: January 14, 2002, By PFFC Staff

LA GERE, FRANCE --According to Ahlstrom LabelPack, the company is strengthening its position in the silicon base paper market with its start-up of a new super calender at the La Gere plant in France. Says a company's recent press release, "This second super calender at the La Gere plant near Lyon, France, is the first step in a structured program designed to boost capacity further. The new super calender uses leading-edge technology to create extremely dense, smooth papers with very even caliper characteristics that are critical to the release liner market."

Reports Ahlstrom: "The release-liner market is growing annually between five and six percent in Europe and in the US, and by more than ten percent in the Far East. The new super calender at Le Gere initially has increased production capacity by 17,000 tons to 65,000 tons, enabling [the co.] to follow the upward global trend comfortably, while maintaining its market position and share. The objective," notes the paper mfr., "is to increase production capacity further at Le Gere to around 125,000 tons in the years to come." Both of the company's release-liner producing operations (Le Gere, France and Turin, Italy) have earned ISO 9000 certification as well as ISO 14001 environmental certification.

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