Voith Paper is strengthening its presence in Central America by expanding its partnership with Painsa GrandBay, at the plant located in the city of Río Hondo, in the department of Zacapa, Guatemala.

 

Following the successful installation of Voith refiners on Tissue Paper Machine 7, the company decided to purchase a new TwinFlo refiner for Machine 6, with the goal of further improving operational efficiency and reducing production costs.

 

The plant is part of the GrandBay group, a long-standing customer of Voith Paper and Toscotec. Machine 7, previously supplied by Toscotec, already operated with Voith refiners and delivered strong results from its start-up, which contributed to Painsa’s decision to expand the use of the technology.

 

"By replacing the old refiners with the new Voith equipment, the plant managed to reduce energy consumption and move forward in its objective of producing tissue paper at the lowest possible cost," explains Rodrigo Ruffo, Sales and Fiber Systems Applications Manager at Voith Paper. 

 

"In addition, the local support provided by the Voith team was highly praised, reinforcing our commitment to excellence in customer service."

 

Another advantage noted by Painsa was the ability of Voith’s refiners to help optimize the plant’s cost structure, enabling greater use of recycled fibers and short fibers instead of long fiber. 

 

The pursuit of a more sustainable and efficient process was crucial to Voith being chosen as a technology partner for Machine 6 as well.

 

Synergy between suppliers has been another highlight. Toscotec and Voith have contributed to maximizing equipment performance through innovative solutions and specialized services. 

 

The strong partnership between the companies and the customer has already led to discussions about new projects in the region in the coming years.