ITC’s new paperboard machine is up and running at Bhadrachalam

ITC has announced that its Paperboards and Speciality Papers Division (PSPD) has successfully commissioned its next paperboard making plant, codenaming it PM-7, at its 300-acre unit in Bhadrachalam.

08 May 2013 | By PrintWeek India & Rushikesh Aravkar

The PM-7 sits along with six other machines, which cumulatively produces 5.2-lakh tpa of paper and paperboards. Though PSPD produces both paper and paperboards at the Bhadrachalam Unit,  four of the seven paper machines produce only paperboard: recycled and virgin, while other three are dedicated to paper. Carte Lumina , Safire Graphik, Cyber XL Pac and Cyber Premium are some of the popular PSPD products.

S N Venkataraman, vice president - marketing at PSPD, told the PWI team during their visit to the plant, that the operation of the PM-7 was “a milestone event” in PSPD’s quest to further improve on its high quality supplies to packaging clients. “Though the Bhadrachalam unit produces both paper and paperboards, the PM-7 will only produce 1-lakh tpa of two main grades - the folding box boards and barrier coated boards.”

The PM-7 board technology platform is very similar to the proven concept of multi-fourdrinier forming section utilised in ITC’s other board machines as well.

The machine is fitted with inbuilt automated process control systems and quality control platforms to maintain uniformity of specifications across the manufacturing stages, which ultimately determines the runnability and final printability.

The plant also includes a 10,000 sq meter sheeting and converting facility equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, which is bigger than the machine area.
PSPD’s other units are located in Bollarum in AP; Tribeni, West Bengal; Kovai in Tamil Nadu.