ANDRITZ Paperchine

Key to expansion in North America. The acquisition of Paperchine helps ANDRITZ serve an important market with more technical offerings and better service. In turn, more papermakers have access to Paperchine’s unique technologies through ANDRITZ’s extensive global network.

ANDRITZ has become a leading supplier of paper machines in Europe – and tissue machines globally. Growth comes primarily from two areas: expansion of technical offerings and expansion into other geographic markets. Both of these growth strategies are in play in North America with the acquisition of Paperchine, a company devoted to paper machine engineering and services, as well as robust components such as formers, dewatering elements, foils and blades, moisturizers, and starch spraying products.

“To be seriously regarded as a full-line supplier in the region of the world with the largest installed base of paper machines, we needed to build up our technical and service organization, as well as provide local manufacturing,” says Michael Pichler, ANDRITZ Senior Vice President and Division Manager for Pulp Drying & Paper. “With its strong position in North America (85% of its revenue comes from this region), Paperchine was on our short list of companies to approach.”

The timing was opportune. AstenJohnson, Paperchine’s owner, was receptive to a purchase offer from ANDRITZ, having honed its strategy to focus on core strengths – machine clothing, technical textiles, and nonwovens. AstenJohnson was looking for a strong partner who would develop Paperchine further. ANDRITZ was a perfect fit.

The integration of Paperchine into ANDRITZ is well underway, according to the interim President of ANDRITZ Paperchine, Tim Ryan, who is leading the integration effort. “Things proceeded quickly from our initial discussions in November 2016 to moving forward as ANDRITZ Paperchine since July 1^st of this year,” Ryan says. “Part of the reason is that this is an ideal fit of complementary technologies executed at the right time.”

(Left to right): ANDRITZ Paperchine’s Ben Conner, Applications Engineer; Dean Miller, Business Leader for Wet End Products; Jean-Marc Boudreau, VP of Field Sales and Marketing; and Tim Ryan, President look over a manually adjustable DeltaFoil unit prior to shipment to a customer.

ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL, AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES

With its 180 employees in multiple locations in the USA, Canada, Germany, and Thailand, ANDRITZ Paperchine is well positioned to provide technical and mechanical services in support of paper machine maintenance and troubleshooting – as well as the technical auditing and design work required for machine rebuilds, conversions, or upgrades.

It is the combination of ANDRITZ and Paperchine technologies that Pichler believes will be most interesting to papermakers. “By combining Paperchine technologies with our own shoe presses, drying solutions, calenders, and coaters – ANDRITZ Paperchine is now able to supply complete solutions in North America for new machines, rebuilds, and conversions. We are also exploring the synergies from each other’s manufacturing facilities in Thailand and China,” he says.