GL&V’s pulp and paper group awarded a contract worth close to $60 million

Apr 20, 2007. /Lesprom Network/. Management of Groupe Laperrière & Verreault Inc. is pleased to announce that its pulp and paper group, through its new technology centre in Karlstad (Sweden), has been awarded its largest contract ever: an order worth approximately $60 million for the design, manufacture and turnkey installation of a complete pulp washing, oxygen delignification and pulp bleaching system, based on the new COMPACT PRESS™ wash press technology. This contract is part of a large-scale project to expand a eucalyptus-based bleached pulp mill owned by Cellulose Beira Industrial (Celbi), S.A., in Portugal. The system is planned for commissioning in September 2008. The contract includes the supply of the largest wash press in the industry. The washing, oxygen delignification, and bleaching technologies of Kværner Pulping, including the COMPACT PRESS™, DUFLO™ pumps, and DUAL™ line of mixers were acquired by GL&V in December 2006, concurrently with the acquisition of other state-of-the-art technologies including the SuperBatch cooking technology. These technologies were specifically designed to meet the global pulp and paper industry’s growing need for increased mill production capabilities and efficiency. Subsequent to this acquisition, GL&V’s pulp and paper group has established a chemical pulping technology centre in Karlstad, Sweden, in order to strengthen its European and global presence. “Being awarded this major contract reinforces GL&V’s position as a world-class provider of state-of-the-art solutions for the pulp and paper industry. Considering the size of the order and the quality of our customer’s facilities, it will also become an excellent showcase in the eyes of the global pulp and paper industry, and could hence pave the way for other significant market developments in the future,” states Richard Verreault, president and chief operating officer of GL&V. “This order also attests to the merits of our acquisition strategy, one of the key objectives of which is to equip each of our groups with high-performance technologies that will enable them to offer comprehensive value-added solutions to customers, and thereby position themselves solidly for the long term in their respective markets. In fact, thanks to the acquisition completed in December 2006 and the start-up of its new high-technology centre, our pulp and paper group now ranks among the world’s top providers of pulp process equipment, with a product portfolio using some of the most advanced technologies worldwide. The COMPACT PRESS™ is the latest washing technology on the market today.” Founded in 1975, GL&V is a world leader in liquid/solid separation technologies used in a large number of industrial, municipal and environmental processes. The pulp and paper group specializes in the design and marketing of equipment used in various stages of pulp and paper production, notably pulp preparation and sheet formation, and is a recognized leader in rebuilding, upgrading and optimization services for existing pulp and paper equipment. GL&V is present in 40 countries on six continents and has approximately 2 400 employees.