PCM & AFT Partnership of flexibility & creativity, Martin Koepenick, Senior Marketing Strategist, Innova International Corporation

PAPERTECHNOLOGYINTERNATIONAL
PCM & AFT Partnership of Flexibility & creativity
Martin Koepenick, Senior Marketing Strategist, Innova International Corporation
INTRODUCTION:
PCM, Papeles y Conversiones de Mexico, headquartered in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, supplies corrugated sheets ready to be
constructed into boxes across a wide range of markets. They have gained Banamex, Deloitte, and Tec de Monterrey recognition five times
as one of the Best Mexican Companies.
PCM produces liner and fluting for their five corrugating
plants across the country and then deliver corrugated sheets with
quality printing to over one thousand customers. They are the
third largest producer of POS thermal paper in the world, leading
in Mexico and exporting to the USA, Central America and the
Caribbean. They are among the top three label producers globally
and run recycling and plastic recovery businesses.
This story focuses on PCM’s recent advances on their
PM2 in the board mill and the subsequent benefits for corrugating
converting.
PCM’s principal strengths are its entrepreneurial business
approach, flexibility, and customer responsiveness. They excel at
providing solutions for boxmakers of all shapes and sizes and their
customers unique businesses.
Adapting board machines to fit customer demands
On the outskirts of Monterrey, PCM has a containerboard
mill to support an adjacent corrugating plant. Significant upgrades
to their two-ply PM2 board mill, most notably the stock approach
system.
To gain flexibility, higher quality, and support customer
needs, they decided to switch from traditional degassing to an AFT
POM approach system. The critical feature is getting air out early.
The AFT project included two POMp degassers and systems
engineering. Training and commissioning/startup support were part
of the package.
In addition, new rotors and cylinders were provided, as well
as a refurbished screen.
Air out early, high-speed flow “in”
Mill Manager & Technical Director, Ariana Corrales
Hernandez has a way of speaking about the removal
of air before the headbox in a rather poetic way. “With
champagne, you celebrate your success, enjoying tiny
bubbles churning in your glass. With a POMp Degasser, you
celebrate the extreme absence of air in your process. This
accomplishment is the foundation for consistent high quality
at increased speed, delivering more strength and flexibility
to our customers’ boxes.”
She adds, “A 12% increase in speed at the same
grammage means a 12% increase in production. This pays
back our capital investment very quickly.”
Figure 1: Ariana Corrales Hernandez, mill technology
director and Agustin Anaya, founder and CEO of PCM
with the reels of PM2 behind them.
AFT’s Project Manager, Tom Cichoracki, says, “As a result of
intensive listening and interactions from highly motivated operators
during training, the startup plan and execution was outstanding.
Immediately, there was better machine runnability, fewer sheet
breaks, and increased capacity.” .
Rapid Payback with POM
•
Less chemicals, defoamers, and retention aids
•
Fewer sheet breaks, less broke to reprocess
•
More stable press to the paper machine
•
More capacity-improved wire drainage and forming
•
Improved system cleanliness (as air carries dirt,
stickies, bacteria & fines)
•
Improved strength, faster machine speed
•
Better fines retention in the sheet
•
Lower energy consumption
•
Fast start-up; faster grade changes (less off-grade
paper)
•
Greater strength of converted corrugated sheets
Always seeking new technologies
The POM degassers reduce air entrainment to as low as
0.1 %, compared with a very high level of air entrainment before.
Another valuable gain is space in a crowded part of the mill, where
silos and other auxiliary equipment have been removed.
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