Metso Expands its Maintenance Cooperation With SAICA


Helsinki, Finland, 31 January 2011 -- Metso and Sociedad Anónima Industrias Celulosa Aragonesa (SAICA) have made an outsourcing agreement on the mill maintenance of Saica Containerboard UK Ltd’s paper mill in Partington, United Kingdom. With this multi-year agreement, which became effective as of 11 January 2011, Metso will assume full responsibility for establishment of maintenance operations, mill maintenance and management of improvement projects for the power stations, stock, and paper production facilities, as well as water treatment equipment at the Partington mill. The value of the agreement will not be disclosed.

The containerboard production line of the Partington mill also will be supplied by Metso. The order for the production line was received from SAICA in 2010 and published on 18 March 2010. The line is scheduled to start up in the first quarter of 2012.

SAICA and Metso have a long history of maintenance cooperation. Since 2005, the companies have operated a joint venture for the maintenance of the SAICA mills in Zaragoza, Spain. Since 2007, Metso also has had a mill maintenance unit serving the SAICA Venizel mill in France. Based on this cooperation and Metso’s other maintenance references, SAICA and Metso have together developed a maintenance outsourcing model for SAICA’s Partington mill. The model optimizes the use of proactive, condition based, predictive, preventive, and corrective maintenance, and is based on Metso's streamlined reliability centered maintenance (RCM). The model ensures the highest possible equipment efficiency and cost optimization.

Saica Containerboard UK Ltd. is a subsidiary of SAICA. SAICA is a family owned Spanish company and is a world leader in the production of high performance lightweight corrugated papers from recovered paper and cardboard. The company currently employs more than 8000 people in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and the UK. SAICA has an annual turnover of EUR 1.9 billion.

Metso (www.metso.com) is a global supplier of sustainable technology and services for mining, construction, power generation, automation, recycling and the pulp and paper industries. The company has about 27,000 employees in more than 50 countries.