Metso Paper will supply a complete tissue machine to Nuqul Group in Jordan. The value of the Metso order is not disclosed. The total project investment made by Nuqul Group is approximately EUR 80 million. The machine is scheduled to start production during the first quarter of 2005.
Metso's delivery will comprise a complete tissue machine, including air and ventilation equipment, a multilayering headbox, a long nip press as well as sheet transfer and stabilizing technology.
With a width of 5.5 m, an operating speed of 2000 m/min, and an annual production of 54,000 tons of high-quality facial, toilet and towel grades, the new machine will be one of the most modern in the world, and the largest in the region. The raw material for the new machine will be virgin pulp.
The tissue consumption in the Middle East has been growing by 25% during the past five years. Though the per capita consumption is low compared with Europe, with the population base of 220 million people the potential for growth is large.
The Nuqul Group, with headquarters in Amman, Jordan, is the leading tissue supplier in the Middle East. The Group already operates two paper mills, Al Bardi in Egypt and Al Keena in Jordan. The mills are well known throughout the Middle East and North Africa for their high-quality tissue products. Metso Paper delivered a tissue machine to the Al Bardi Paper Mill in 1991.
Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems, as well as know-how and aftermarket services. The corporation's core businesses are fiber and paper technology (Metso Paper), rock and mineral processing (Metso Minerals) and automation and control technology (Metso Automation). In 2002, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.7 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 28,500. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.