Metso rebuilds Stora Enso PM in China.

METSO REBUILDS STORA ENSO PM IN CHINA. Metso Paper, Helsinki, Finland, will deliver a large rebuild of PM1 at Stora Enso's Suzhou mill in China. Originally built by Metso Paper in 1996, the papermaking line manufactures coated art papers. The rebuilt production line will start up in mid 2005. The project includes modernization of the head-box and the wire and press sections; also, the press section will be equipped with a shoe press. Metso Automation will supply a large automation package.

In other Metso news: Metso Paper will supply a bleached chemi-thermomechanical pulp (BCTMP) line, a complete bale pulping line and a roll finishing line for Shandong Huatai Paper Co., Ltd., China. The lines are scheduled to start-up in December 2005 in Dong Ying City, Shandong Province. The pulp line delivery will include chip washing, mainline refining and screening, reject refining, pulp washing, high-consistency bleaching and steam separation. The line will manufacture high-quality BCTMP pulp from poplar for light-weight offset printing paper production. This is Metso Paper's third BCTMP line order from the Shandong Province within the past 12 months.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Other Metso activity in Asia includes the establishment of a new service center in Korea. The new facility will be located in the Daejeon area, about 150 km south of Seoul. The new center is centrally located with regard to the country's pulp and paper industry and will help Metso Paper expand its aftermarket operations in Korea.