ZHENGYANG MACHINERY EQUIPMENT Co.,Ltd.

ND Paper Announces Strategic Upgrades at U.S. Mills

ND Paper, susidiary of Nine Dragons Paper Holdings Ltd., announced plans to make strategic investments in equipment upgrades at its U.S. mills next year. The investment is aimed at improving the asset quality of its Rumford, Maine and Biron, Wisconsin mill facilities, so as to ensure efficient operation of these facilities for many more years to come.

The company press release stated that the pulp dryer and all the three paper machines at the Rumford facility will undergo significant upgrades. The pulp dryer will take a downtime during Q1 next year, during which it will be upgraded to enable increased production.

The installation of new headbox and shoe press and upgrades to the forming section are expected to enhance product quality and increase productivity and capacity of R10 machine. The machine will pause operation in late March next year. The R12 machine will be converted to focus on specialty packaging products. In addition, the R15 machine will be out of operations during summer 2020 for the installation of a new shoe press. The company had carried out calendar enhancements to the machine earlier this year.

ND Paper plans to complete the conversion of the B25 machine at Biron facility from lightweight coated mechanical papers to recycled linerboard and corrugating medium during the initial quarter of 2020. This will help the company enter into new markets and ensure viability and job security of the division.

The high-return strategic investments will create world-class, first-quartile mills that deliver innovative, high-quality products to its valued customers, said Ken Liu, Group Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.