Helsinki, Finland, 23 December 2010 -- A Metso-supplied tissue production line came on stream successfully on 09 November 2010, at Shandong HengAn Paper Co.,Ltd, in Weifang, Shandong Province, China. The HengAn PM 10 started up smoothly on schedule, producing good-quality saleable product from the very beginning.

Metso’s delivery comprised a complete production line with stock preparation equipment and a tissue machine, including a multilayer headbox, Yankee cylinder, hood, dust management system, and reel. The delivery also featured Metso’s patented pressing technology. The production line is optimized to save energy and to enhance final product quality. A distributed control system, quality ocntrol system, and basis weight profiling system also were included in the delivery.

With a width of 5.6 m and an operating speed of 1900 m/min, the new line will add another 60,000 tons a year of high-quality facial, toilet, and towel grades to HengAn Group's total production, consolidating the company’s position as China's leading tissue producer. The raw material for the new line is virgin pulp.

A similar tissue machine, the HengAn PM 8, started up less than one year ago at Hunan HengAn Living Paper Products Co., Ltd, in Changde, Hunan Province. Together with the PM 4 and PM 6 tissue machines in the company’s Anhai mill in Fujian Province that started up in 2006 and 2008, respectively, HengAn now operates four tissue machines supplied by Metso.

HengAn is a leading Chinese consumer product company with a nationwide sales and distribution network. It is a fully owned subsidiary of HengAn International, whose shares are listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The company’s turnover in 2009 was approximately EUR 1 billion and it had 21,000 employees.