Kruger dedicates linerboard machine at its Trois-Rivières, Quebec, mill

From left: Jean-Denis Girard, member  of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières;
Luc Blanchette, minister of forests, wildlife and parks; Gene Kruger, vice president, business development, Kruger Inc.; Julie Boulet, minister responsible for the Mauricie region;
and Michael Lafave, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Kruger Packaging

Montréal-based Kruger Inc. has announced it has dedicated its paper machine No. 10 (PM10), a project that was completely rebuilt to manufacture 100 percent recycled lightweight and high-strength linerboard at its Trois-Rivières, Québec, mill.

Kruger invested $250 million in this project. Well before work got underway, Kruger says its engineers toured numerous manufacturing plants in North America and Europe to find the best technology for manufacturing 100 percent recycled lightweight and high-strength linerboard “of the best possible quality.”

Commercialized as XTR, the new linerboard grades manufactured on PM10 meet increasing demand for ultralight packaging without compromising strength, performance or environmental footprint, according to Kruger.

PM10’s annual production will total 360,000 metric tons of XTR linerboard, an exclusive product that Kruger says is the first to manufacture in North America. A portion of the production will be used by Kruger’s packaging plants in LaSalle, Quebec, and Brampton, Ontario, while the remainder will be sold to packaging manufacturers across Canada and the United States.

Announced jointly by Kruger and the government of Québec in September 2015, this $250-million project required some 500,000 hours of work over a 20-month period that ended in spring 2017, when the machine entered its startup phase, says the company. The project also consolidated 270 jobs at the Trois-Rivières mill, in addition to generating benefits for the Mauricie region and Québec, Kruger says. More than 80 local businesses were involved in the project. Of the total budget, approximately $40 million was spent with local suppliers and $60 million with suppliers elsewhere in Québec, Kruger says.

The company says several dignitaries and project partners were present at the PM10 dedication, including Luc Blanchette, minister of forests, wildlife and parks; Julie Boulet, minister of tourism and the minister responsible for the Mauricie region; Jean-Denis Girard, member of the National Assembly for Trois-Rivières; and Gene Kruger, vice president, business development, Kruger Inc.

Kruger Packaging specializes in the manufacture of containerboard products and corrugated packaging made from 100 percent recycled fiber. The Montréal-based company was created in partnership with Kruger Inc. and Investissement Québec – acting as the Québec government’s agent – which has a 25 percent take in its assets. Kruger Packaging employs some 800 people, including more than 600 in Québec, and operates four production sites, namely the Trois-Rivières mill, the Place Turcot containerboard mill in Montreal, and the LaSalle and Brampton packaging plants.

Founded in 1904, Kruger Inc. is a major producer of publication and specialty papers, tissue products, containerboard and packaging made from recycled fibers, renewable energy, cellulosic biomaterials and wines and spirits. The company also is a leader in paper and paperboard recycling in North America. Kruger has facilities in Québec, Ontario, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as in Tennessee, Maine, New York, Virginia and Rhode Island.