Voith successfully starts up production line 6 at Modern Karton in Turkey
Voith, Modern Karton and Harbin Electric International Company Limited (HEI) announced the successful start-up of the new high-speed XcelLine PM 6 and the associated BlueLine stock preparation plant at Modern Karton’s Zonguldak site in Turkey. The new facility is designed to produce up to 640,000 metric tons of recycled containerboard per year, increasing Modern Karton’s total production capacity to nearly two million metric tons annually. This expansion further strengthens Modern Karton’s role as one of the leading packaging paper producers in Turkey and among the largest in Europe.
The success of the project highlights the long-standing and trusted collaboration between Voith and Modern Karton. The cooperation with HEI, which was commissioned by Modern Karton to carry out the project, was also based on a spirit of partnership and trust.
“The successful start-up of our new production plant is a significant milestone for Modern Karton,” stated Hamdullah Eren, Chairman of Eren Holding. “The excellent cooperation with Voith has once again shown that together we are able to achieve outstanding results. This plant will significantly expand our production capacities and strengthen our position as a market leader.”
In support of the start-up, Modern Karton will also benefit from new e-learning and virtual reality training programs developed by the Voith PaperSchool, which will provide targeted training and further professional development for the company’s specialist staff.
Ralf Sorg, President Projects at Voith Paper, commented: “We are proud that Modern Karton relies on our most efficient technologies. The successful start-up of PM 6 is proof of the performance and reliability of our solutions. Our well-structured and customized concept enables high-performance and sustainable paper production. This puts Modern Karton in an excellent position for the future.”
“It was a great experience to fulfill this major milestone project with Voith and HEI,” noted Tamer Zengin, Project Manager of PM 6 at Modern Karton. “Voith proved to be a reliable partner with a consistent focus on project success and customer satisfaction, even in challenging times.”
Christian Deide, Project Manager at Voith Paper, added: “I am pleased and grateful for the excellent cooperation with our colleagues at Modern Karton and HEI. Thanks to our open and trusting exchange right from the start, we were able to overcome all challenges and successfully start up the machine.”
Xu Tie, Project Manager at HEI, emphasized: “For us, it was the first processing project in the paper industry, and we are proud of this achievement in collaboration with Voith and Modern Karton. We could not have asked for better partners for this endeavor.”
The supply scope for PM 6 included Voith’s comprehensive full-line portfolio, among them the BlueLine stock preparation system with approach flow system, the XcelLine paper machine, and a VariFlex Performance winder featuring SmoothRun vibration damping and TwinDrive double unwinding. Voith’s subsidiary Meri supplied a complete reject and sludge handling system.
In addition, the project integrated Voith’s advanced automation solutions such as the OnQuality quality control system, the OnCare.Health condition monitoring system, and the OnControl MCS and DCS. The package also included Papermaking 4.0 solutions, among them the IIoT platform OnCumulus, the digital process control system OnEfficiency.Strength, and the maintenance management tool OnCare.Asset, all of which provide Modern Karton with state-of-the-art digital technologies to maximize production efficiency.
About Modern Karton Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.
Modern Karton Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., headquartered in Istanbul, operates three paper machines in Ergene (Çorlu) in the European part of Turkey, approximately 100 km northwest of Istanbul. Founded in 1978, the company has become the largest packaging paper producer in Turkey and one of the most important in Europe. The mill’s annual production capacity exceeds 1,450,000 tons, based entirely on recycled fibers.
