#6 likely to keep running up to Dec. 19

The local AbitibiBowater paper mill will continue to run its #6 paper machine for longer than previously thought thanks to more customer orders.
“We’re anticipating keeping it in production to Dec. 19 at the latest,” mill manager John Harrison said yesterday.

“When we started up right after Labour Day there, on Sept. 8, we expected to maybe get through to the middle of October, the end of October at the very latest,” he noted.
“Then we got extended into November, and now we’ve been asked basically to run until Dec. 19.
“There’s been a bit of an uptick in that grade we’re producing, and so we’re doing what we can to help out, to satisfy customer needs,” Harrison explained.
The paper being produced is SCB grade—one step down from SCA (glossy) grade which #6 had used to make for years before.
SCB is a type of paper used to make flyers.
Harrison said it’s good news to keep #6 running.
“We’re glad we’re in a position to be able to help the company out in terms of satisfying customer demand, and it helps us keep the machine running for a bit,” he remarked.
#6 was first idled back on March 1 due to poor market conditions.
It was re-started for about a week in early July to run tests to see if it could be used to produce different types of paper other than SCA.
As noted above, the mill then re-started #6 in early September—and has been running it ever since.
In related news, Harrison said the local mill is working on engineering plans for upgrades to its #5 paper machine, which are expected to take place in April.
As first reported several months ago, the upgrades have been needed for several years now. They will include replacing the framing on the press section, which originally was installed in 1975.
The company is going to spend about $4.6 million to tear the old framing out and put new one in.
The project only was approved this summer.
And over at the biomass boiler, Harrison said efforts are continuing to fine-tune the operation.
“We’re not yet where we’d like to be, but we’ve made a lot of progress,” he noted.
Last month, 82 percent of the steam generated by the boiler came from burning biomass.
“That was our best month to date, so we’re continuing to make progress,” said Harrison.
“It’s a new process for us, so we’re learning our way.”
Loads of biomass fuels continue to be trucked to the site, with Harrison adding there is no shortage of fuel supply.