“It all begins with the raw material,” says Tuomo Niemi. “Northern softwood is a superb choice for tissue paper in general. Its high strength is of huge importance in the case of tissue, as the paper is so thin, with a very low basis weight.” STRENGTH IN NUMBERS Metsä Fibre has recently been studying the effect of the fibre number of its tissue-grade pulps, and Niemi is keen to share the results. “When you produce low-basis-weight paper like tissue, the fibre number becomes more important than in the case of printing paper or board, WORLD PULP&PAPER 19 By Ian Fenton, Miltton Ltd., on behalf of Metsä Fibre Supporting tissue makers right down the line where you have thicker paper and more fibres. With thin structures, the fibre number is an important point to consider.” Niemi points out that the fibre number can be used in conjunction with the yield figures expressed in the Botnia FOX index to guarantee performance in both paper machines and converting lines beyond that of competitors’ pulps. “These are important characteristics for any paper maker,” he explains, “but they particularly support tissue makers with the challenges specific to their products.” BROADENING HORIZONS Observations like these are based on solid groundwork. Over the last two years, Metsä Fibre has been undertaking an ambitious development project to increase their competences in the field of tissue-grade pulps. Though constant improvement has always been a watchword across the entire Metsä Group, the company saw that to serve their customers even better, R&D should be taken beyond the laboratory and elevated to the pilot level. “The motivation was to improve customer satisfaction both in Europe and in Asia,” says Niemi. “Particularly Fibre numbers can be used in conjunction with the Botnia FOX index to guarantee performance beyond that of competitors’ pulps. With deep knowledge of tissue making and a long tradition of excellence in the field, Metsä Fibre is an ideal supplier of tissue-grade pulps. Tuomo Niemi, Director, Technical Customer Service, talks us through the company’s unique offering for tissue makers. Figure 1. The company saw that to serve their customers even better, R&D should be taken beyond the laboratory and elevated to the pilot level. TISSUE MAKER SUPPORT