Metso to perform maintenance at Chandler, Canada mill.

METSO TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE AT CHANDLER, CANADA MILL. Metso Paper, Helsinki, Finland, has signed an extensive five-year maintenance agreement with Papiers Gaspesia, Chandler, Quebec, Canada, for its Paper Machine Number 1 paper production line. Metso Paper will provide maintenance management services, preventive maintenance tools, and maintenance data integration jointly with Metso Automation.

In other news: Metso Paper will supply a coating machine rebuild to Board Machine 1 at Iggesund's Bruk Pulp and Paper Mill, Iggesund, Sweden. The rebuilt line will start at the end of 2004. It will be capable of producing highest quality triple-coated solid bleached board (SBB) for consumer packages with basis weights of 160-380 g/[m.sup.2]. The coating weight range of the ValCoat station is adjustable between 7-14 g/[m.sup.2]. The designed web width is 4016 mm, and maximum machine speed is 600 meters per minute.

Metso Paper and UPM have signed a nearly Euro 20 million (US$ 25 million) contract for delivery of a major rebuild of Paper Machine Number 6 at UPM's mill in Jamsankoski, Finland. The rebuilt paper machine will begin operations in the first quarter of 2005 manufacturing SC-paper, UPM aims to raise the operating speed to 1700 meters per minute. Annual capacity will increase from 325,000 tons to 350,000 tons.

Metso Paper units in Jyvaskyla and Jarvenpaa, Finland, have received Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 certification. Det Norske Veritas granted the certificates.