Paper, Nonwoven and Film News for June 12, 2026

ANDRITZ said Metsa Fibre will modernize the cooking system at its Kemi bioproduct mill in Finland, converting it to single-vessel LoSolids continuous cooking. The project is scheduled for fourth-quarter 2026 start-up and is intended to improve availability, cooking yield, raw-material flexibility and planned output at a mill producing up to 1.5 million tons of softwood and hardwood pulp per year.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Better pulp yield and more flexible wood input can support more stable tissue and paper quality downstream, which directly affects slitting behavior, dust control and finished-roll consistency.

Source: ANDRITZ on Metsa Fibre's Kemi cooking-system modernization

Mondi officially opened a new packaging facility in Pittsburgh to expand US paper-bag production for eCommerce, food, feed, building materials and chemicals. The company said the site uses highly automated production and advanced printing, and is expected to reach annual capacity of 300 million paper bags after ramp-up.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Higher paper-bag output raises demand for dependable paper roll preparation, slitting accuracy and fast changeovers, especially where short lead times and consistent print performance matter.

Source: Mondi on its new Pittsburgh paper-bags plant

Wuzhou Special Paper selected ANDRITZ as main supplier for a new greenfield pulp mill in Jiangxi, China, with start-up targeted for first-quarter 2027. The company said the investment is meant to create a more self-sufficient and environmentally responsible pulp supply for its food-packaging, glassine and tracing-paper business while improving long-term cost competitiveness.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: When paper producers bring pulp supply in-house, downstream buyers often gain more predictable substrate quality and supply security, which reduces risk in high-speed rewinding and converting plans.

Source: ANDRITZ on Wuzhou Special Paper's new pulp mill

Xuan Mai Paper started up a second ANDRITZ deinking pulp line at its Ho Chi Minh City mill. Designed for 75 tons per day and processing 100% mixed office waste, the line adds high-quality recycled pulp capacity for tissue production and uses flotation, ultra-high dispersion and peroxide bleaching to improve brightness, fiber recovery and operating stability.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Better deinked pulp quality can reduce roll variability and dust-related issues, which is increasingly important for clean slitting and stable finished-roll build on recycled tissue grades.

Source: ANDRITZ on Xuan Mai Paper's second deinking pulp line

Koro Viet Nam Tissue Paper ordered two ANDRITZ tissue production lines for Thanh Hoa Province, with start-up planned in the first half of 2027. Each line is designed for 104.2 tons per day, 3,650 mm paper width and 1,650 m/min maximum operating speed for toilet, napkin, handkerchief and facial tissue made from pre-dried virgin pulp.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: New high-speed tissue capacity usually drives follow-on needs for rewinding, embossing, packaging and roll logistics equipment that can match the same efficiency target.

Source: ANDRITZ on Koro Viet Nam's two tissue lines

ANDRITZ received an order from ATCO Hygienics in Tashkent for a new baby diaper production line due to be commissioned at the end of 2026. The company said the line will produce a broad range of premium PERLA diapers and is designed for high efficiency, operational flexibility and user-friendly operation.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Diaper-line growth increases pressure on upstream nonwoven, film and absorbent-material roll suppliers to hold tighter quality and scrap-control targets.

Source: ANDRITZ on ATCO Hygienics' new diaper line

Kruger Nonwovens ordered a complete Wetlace hybrid line from ANDRITZ for Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. The project is positioned around plastic-free, chemical-free materials for sustainable wipes and is scheduled to start production in 2028 as Canada's first line of its type.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Pulp-rich, more dispersible wipe substrates put more value on precise tension control, clean slitting and stable finished-roll quality than conventional tougher webs.

Source: ANDRITZ on Kruger's Wetlace hybrid line

Aksan Kozmetik in Turkiye ordered a complete high-capacity spunlace line from ANDRITZ. The company said the investment is meant to manufacture nonwoven rolls in-house, improve access to tailored roll goods for its converting operations, and respond faster to changing local demand with 30-80 gsm wipes grades.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: In-house parent-roll production is often a direct signal that converters want tighter cost control, shorter lead times and fewer quality surprises across the full process chain.

Source: ANDRITZ on Aksan Kozmetik's spunlace investment

Dalian Ruiguang awarded ANDRITZ another Wetlace line for premium flushable wipes roll goods, with start-up scheduled for the end of 2026. ANDRITZ said the new line will lift total annual capacity to 40,000 tons and support production that meets IWSFG and JIS P 4501 flushability standards.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Flushable wipes are less forgiving than conventional wipes, so growing capacity in this segment supports demand for cleaner converting, lower lint and more stable web handling.

Source: ANDRITZ on Dalian Ruiguang's latest flushable wipes line

Alar Silk Road New Materials and ANDRITZ commissioned three spunlace lines in crosslapped configuration in Xinjiang. The lines process viscose and cotton fibers for hygiene and medical nonwovens, with ANDRITZ stating they deliver strong web uniformity, high production rates and lower operating costs through more even fiber distribution.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: More spunlace capacity for hygiene and medical grades increases the value of downstream equipment that can preserve uniformity and tensile performance through slitting, rewinding and packaging.

Source: ANDRITZ on Alar Silk Road's three spunlace lines

Mondi launched re/loop FlowWrap, a form-fill-and-seal mono-polypropylene structure for wet wipes packaging with 35% post-consumer recycled content. The company said the format replaces non-recyclable laminates, is compatible with PP mechanical recycling under CEFLEX D4ACE guidelines, and showed performance comparable to virgin alternatives in internal tests and customer trials.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Wipes packs with higher recycled content still have to run cleanly at speed, so film stability, sealing repeatability and reel control are becoming stricter buying criteria.

Source: Mondi on re/loop FlowWrap for wet wipes

Amcor and DCM introduced a recycle-ready mono-PE fertilizer pack in Europe with 35% post-consumer recycled content. The new structure replaces a previous multi-material pack and uses MDO PE plus a functional sealant layer to preserve moisture and gas protection, puncture resistance and secure sealing.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: High-PCR mono-PE structures often shift stiffness and sealing behavior, making stable winding, accurate tension and controlled heat input more important on existing lines.

Source: Amcor on mono-PE fertilizer packaging with 35% PCR

Coveris and Nextek said the COtooCLEAN demonstration plant is fully operational in Lincolnshire, UK, using supercritical CO2 extraction to remove oils, odours and legacy substances from post-consumer PE and PP film waste. Industrial-scale trials began in April 2026 to generate data needed for European food-grade regulatory acceptance.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: If food-grade recycled film becomes easier to source, more converters will be asked to qualify higher-PCR structures that still require disciplined slit quality, inspection and roll build.

Source: Coveris on the COtooCLEAN food-grade recycling plant

Coveris said its Interzoo 2026 pet food packaging range is designed PFAS-free ahead of strict EU limits on PFAS in food-contact packaging taking effect on August 12, 2026. Highlighted formats include the fully recyclable MonoFlexE Opti weight bag and other mono-material PE structures aimed at balancing barrier performance, shelf life and lower material use.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Compliance deadlines often trigger rushed material changes, so machinery that holds seal quality and roll stability across new recyclable formats becomes easier to justify.

Source: Coveris on PFAS-free pet food packaging at Interzoo 2026

Reifenhauser said Smurfit Westrock Spain is running a seven-layer blown barrier film line with throughput above 1,000 kg/h using the EVO Ultra Die 7. The company highlighted consistent film quality, precise EVOH layer tolerance, quick changeover between seven-, five- and three-layer films, and more calculable material usage.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Higher output only pays when tolerance control and changeover discipline protect downstream slitting quality, so automation and process stability remain the real decision drivers.

Source: Reifenhauser on seven-layer blown film output above 1,000 kg/h