OREANDA-NEWS. December 02, 2014. Valmet has made investments in its two service centers in Waigaoqiao and Guangzhou in China. The service centers are now able to offer pulp and paper customers a wider range of services, including manufacturing of pulp and paper process consumables and new press roll covers for board- and papermaking.

"Both Valmet service centers can now provide faster and more flexible support to an increasing customer base. This is in line with our target to increase our presence close to where our global customer base is operating. Valmet solutions and services help pulp-, paper- and power-makers maintain their competitiveness, meet their environmental protection goals and promote sustainable development," says Jukka Tiitinen, Business Line President, Services at Valmet.

Valmet has been concentrating its pulp and paper process parts manufacturing in China to Waigaoqiao service center. Operations in Waigaoqiao began in early 2000. In 2005, screen basket manufacturing started. Today, the Waigaoqiao service center also provides high-quality doctor blades and suction roll seals and related services.

The Guangzhou service center, which opened in 2008, is situated close to the pulp and paper industry in southern China. It offers dedicated roll expertise through its modern, well-equipped roll covering and maintenance workshop, advanced machinery maintenance and process development services. With this latest investment, Valmet is increasing the workshop's roll covering capacity for polyurethane roll covers.

The new roll covering line in Guangzhou will be fully operational at the end of November 2014, when the service center will start manufacturing PressPolar covers for board-making, PressFox and VacuFox covers for papermaking and PressHusky and VacuHusky covers for tissue-making. The new line includes roll cover technology that enables a longer cover lifetime, energy savings, and improved dewatering in customers' processes, as well as extended grinding intervals.

In addition to Waigaoqiao and Guangzhou, Valmet also operates service centers in Wuxi and Zibo in China.