With the startup of MP28, the Company’s annual pulp and paper production capacity increases to 4.7 million tons and represents the operation of the largest and most modern paperboard machine in the Americas

Paraná, June 9, 2023 – Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper and sustainable solutions in paper packaging, has taken another important step forward in its expansion strategy with the startup of Paper Machine 28 (MP28) in Ortigueira, Paraná. Equipped with advanced technology, the machine was designed to produce more resistant and higher quality paperboards, especially for the food and beverage segments, such as aseptic packaging, canned and bottled beer and processed foods (cereals, chocolate and pizza, among others), as well as the growing food service sector (cups and trays). The new 300-meter-long machine can produce 460,000 tons per year, with flexibility for White Top Liner and Kraftliner production. Machine 28 will also enable Klabin to develop white paperboard, underlining its integrated and diversified business model and consolidating its position as one of the world’s largest paperboard producers. 
 
At an outlay of R$12.9 billion, the Puma II Project is Klabin’s biggest investment in its 124-year history and the biggest by a private company in Paraná. The first phase of the project was marked by the startup in 2021 of Paper Machine 27 (MP27), which produces Eukaliner®, a kraftliner paper produced 100% from eucalyptus fibers, which enables lower density and higher resistance and better printing quality in corrugated board packaging, besides optimizing the forest area required for its production (less resources to produce the same volume of paper). “Klabin’s investment in the Puma II Project was essential for us to prepare for the growth we are pursuing in the packaging paper segment. We believe in paperboard as one of the routes for generating value from a diversified product mix, which gives greater flexibility to our business,” says Flávio Deganutti, director of Paper Business at Klabin. 
 
 “The startup of MP28 is the biggest milestone in the second phase of the Puma II Project and represents a significant moment in our history. We are advancing further in innovation and technology with a state-of-the-art project that will be a global benchmark in sustainability thanks to its less specific use of water, energy and chemicals, as well as the high level of automation, in line with industry 4.0,” says  Francisco Razzolini, director of Industrial Technology, Innovation, Sustainability and Projects at Klabin.
 
The two phases of the Puma II Project created over 44,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. Besides encouraging partner companies to hire local workers, Klabin also added value to the labor pool by investing in technical training in the municipalities across the Campos Gerais region in Paraná. 
 

                                                 Paper Machine 28, Puma II Project - Klabin