Klabin Investing R$40 Million in Barrier Coating Modernization Project at Monte Alegre Mill

The investment will be used to modernize a coating machine at Klabin's Monte Alegre paper mill, whose annual production capacity will be increased to up to 60,000 tons.

August 12, 2021 - Klabin announced that it is investing R$40 million in dispersible barrier technology at its Monte Alegre paper mill in Paraná, Brazil, which will allow for the on-site application of sustainable barrier coatings to paperboard produced at the mill.

The technology and machine modernization, which offers barrier properties for water, water vapor and grease will retain original recycling and composting characteristics of paper, while offering a wider range of sustainable alternatives to the options currently available.

The investment will be used to modernize a coating machine at the Monte Alegre Unit, whose annual production capacity will be increased to up to 60,000 tons. The major differential offered by the solution applied to paperboard is that it is dispersible which, apart from eliminating the use of additional packaging or application of additional coating, significantly increases the potentially positive impacts of packaging.

"Klabin has been investing in sustainable barriers for over 10 years, having consolidated its market niche through solutions such as Klafold FZ and Klafold GB, which obviate the application of plastic associated with paperboard to create a barrier," said Flávio Deganutti, Paper Director at Klabin. "The investment in modernizing this machine expands the markets that we can serve, which include chilled/frozen foods (pizzas, nuggets, hamburgers, meat, fish, sausages), industrial foods (proteins, broth, cookies), detergent powder, paper cups and more sophisticated solutions for liquid foods, all this on a larger scale."

The modernization process is being done in two stages. In the first stage, the application technology will be upgraded, while the second stage will focus on increasing production capacity and intensifying the development of new products, especially those of renewable origin. Notable among the solution's technical differentials is the addition of the barrier coating at the mill itself, which enables Klabin to ramp up scale.

"Optimizing processes in the pursuit of sustainability involves innovation and we believe that the technological advances brought by this application model are the first step towards online application, when the barrier will be added directly at the paperboard machine," Deganutti added.

Klabin is Brazil's largest paper manufacturer and exporter, and the country's leading producer of papers and paperboard for packaging, industrial bags and corrugated board packaging. To learn more, visit: www.klabin.com.br.

SOURCE: Klabin