Valmet of Finland to invest in filter fabric manufacturing in India

Smart filtration solutions for demanding conditions

Valmet, the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries, has decided to invest in filter fabric manufacturing in Pune, India, in order to better serve its customers and improve delivery times of filter fabrics to the Asia Pacific and Middle East areas.

Valmet is one of the leading suppliers of filter fabrics and industrial textiles globally. Valmet’s filtration offering covers filter fabrics and felts for the mining and chemical, pulp and paper, dry filtration and laundry industries. The Finnish company has nearly 13,000 professionals around the world.

“This investment gives us the necessary assets to further develop our services close to customers and strengthen our position in the market. It also ensures our capacity for the coming years to deliver filter fabrics that respond to customer needs for maximized reliability and optimized performance of their production process,” says Tero Kokko, Vice President, Fabrics Business Unit, Valmet, Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland.

Valmet’s investment in India includes manufacturing equipment for filter fabric production. The new unit will start operation in the second quarter of 2021. According to the company’s press release, Varun Jain, Director, India Region, Valmet, can be contacted at tel. +91 (96548) 13696 for any related information. He is located at Gurugram, India.

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Valmet’s strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Valmet’s advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of various processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet’s net sales in 2019 were approximately EUR 3.5 billion. Valmet’s head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

About Valmet’s Filter Fabrics Business

Valmet develops and manufactures filter fabrics for the chemical and mining sectors, for the pulp, fiber, board and paper industries, as well as for energy production, waste processing plants, and the food manufacturing industry. The Company also specialize in ironer felts for commercial and institutional laundries.

As environmental legislation and requirements for filtering waste and sewage become higher, filter fabrics must be increasingly durable and reliable, with the ability to filter different types of sludge and various particle sizes. High-quality filter fabrics supply a clear filtrate and offer excellent cake release and a dry cake.

Valmet manufactures the world’s best filter fabrics for demanding process conditions. With over 50 years’ experience in mining and chemical filtration, Valmet offers the most extensive range of high-quality filter fabrics on the market as well as technical support for optimal performance. Valmet’s filtration technology covers both wet and dry filtration products as well as ironer felts.

Valmet has world-leading filtration knowledge and R&D

Valmet possesses extensive filtration process expertise and experience that cannot be imitated. They have modern production facilities, latest manufacturing technology, patents and in-house R&D laboratories that allow them to provide outstanding filtration results and innovative technical solutions. These include the world’s first RFID-based filter cloth recording system for preventive maintenance.

Valmet’s laboratory services also analyze raw materials and finished goods, including research into the fabrics used, chemical analyses, and wear studies of fabrics, filters and dewatering elements. To optimize the process performance, they also offer a wide range of on-site laboratory tests that can be performed at customers’ facilities.

Valmet’s filter fabrics

Some recent and related information as per their Interim Review January 1 – September 30, 2020

Valmet announced on January 21, 2020 that it is planning changes in the Fabrics Business Unit which is part of the Services Business Line in order to secure the unit’s profitability and future competitiveness. The most important action in the preliminary plan was to move the dryer fabric and wide filter fabric production from Tampere in Finland to Valmet’s unit in Portugal. Valmet started co-determination negotiations in Fabrics’ operations in Tampere on January 21, 2020. Valmet announced on March 17, 2020 that the co-determination negotiations have been completed. Valmet will relocate the dryer fabric and wide filter fabric production from Finland to Portugal. As a consequence of the relocation and re-organizing of the work, the need for workforce reduction in Tampere will be 78 persons mainly during 2021. In addition, the possibility for temporary lay-offs and part-time work remains if capacity adjustments need to be done later this year. For those affected by the reductions, Valmet will provide support measures like support for studies and re-employment.

On October 15, 2020, Valmet announced that it has completed the acquisition of PMP Group in Poland, effective as of October 1, 2020, following the agreement that was announced on September 11, 2020. PMP Group is a provider of technologies and services for the paper industry. The enterprise value of the acquisition is approximately EUR 64 million, plus a conditional and capped earn-out component. The acquired business becomes a part of Valmet’s Paper business line. PMP Group supplies process technologies and services for tissue, board and paper machines globally, focusing on small and medium-sized tissue machines and board and paper machine rebuilds. The net sales of the company were approximately EUR 70 million in the fiscal year 2019. The company employs about 650 people in Poland, China, USA and Italy.