Sappi announced this week that it is ensuring its mill in Gratkorn, Austria, is fit for the future with two technology upgrades, saying that just this month, its PM11 paper machine upgrade has been completed. Furthermore the possible grammage range for coated paper has been increased, the company said.

In March 2015 a general rebuild of critical parts of the liquor boiler and recovery plant will start. These are essential parts of the pulp production. Key to this upgrade is the positive environmental impact with a decrease in noise pollution and in NOX/SO2 emissions. The general rebuild of the liquor boiler and recovery plant will take approximately three months.

Max Oberhumer, Mill Director of Sappi Gratkorn, said,"We successfully finished the first of the two large-scale projects. With the upgraded PM11 we will remain an important Sappi Europe production facility for our global customers. With this new technological concept we have generated key success factors for our future."

These two projects are two of the three large-scale projects that Sappi Europe is undertaking in the 2015 business year. A total investment of Euro 120 million will be realized.

Sappi Gratkorn mill is part of Sappi Europe. Annually it produces 990,000 tons of high quality double and triple coated papers which are used for premium quality publications all over the world. Gratkorn mill also produces 250,000 tons of totally chlorine free (TCF) chemical pulp.