Voith announces successful starts and receipt of orders.

VOITH ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL STARTS AND RECEIPT OF ORDERS. Voith Paper, Heidenheim, Germany, has announced the following projects and updates:

* Hamburger Spremberg Paper Mill, a member of W. Hamburger AG, Pitten, Austria, is building a greenfield paper mill for white and brown corrugating medium in Spremberg, Saxony, Germany. Commissioning will be in the middle of 2005. Voith Paper Fiber Systems, Ravensburg, will supply the complete stock preparation system that will handle 100% recovered paper. Voith Paper will supply separate stock preparation lines for the topliner, underliner, and backliner, and approach flow screening and broke pulpers for the paper machine. Voith Paper AS, Tranby, Norway, will provide the fiber thickening technology consisting of a Thune disc filter and screw press. Meri Entsorgungstechnik, Munich, Germany, Voith Paper's joint venture partner, is responsible for the complete rejects handling and water treatment.

* Holmen Paper AB, Sweden, ordered from Voith Paper a paper machine for the production of standard newsprint for installation at Holmen's Papelera Peninsular mill in Madrid, Spain. The new Paper Machine Number 62 with a trimmed width of 8900 mm and a design speed of 2000 meters per minute will produce 300,000 metric tons per year of newsprint paper from 100% recovered paper. Start-up will be at the beginning of 2006.

* In November 2002, UPM placed an order with Voith Paper for the rebuild of its Shotton, North Whales, United Kingdom, Paper Machine Number 2. Originally installed in 1989, the machine produced newsprint from TMP. Before the rebuild, the furnish switched to 100% recovered paper that gave the project its name: 100% Shotton. Paper Machine 2 produces newsprint in a basis weight range of 40-49 g/[m.sup.2] at a trim width of 8720 mm at the reel. The high start-up speed of 1418 meters per minute was followed after only three days by the achievement of the original speed of the machine before the rebuild--1539 meters per minute. Notably, one week later the machine had reached a permanent average speed of 1620 meters per minute with approximately one to two sheet breaks per day.

* In September 2003, the Votorantim-Group, Brazil, started up a VariPlus single drum winder in its Piracicaba mill in Sao Paulo. The machine processing high quality uncoated grades and surface treated specialty papers produces a basis weight of 40-115 g/[m.sup.2]. The VariPlus has a working width of 4,250 mm and an operation speed of 2500 meters per minute with a system for automatic change of finished reels. The VariPlus is accompanied by a complete Jumbo-reel magazine and a system for the fully automatic handling of empty reel spools. This equipment was manufactured and supplied by Voith Paper in Sao Paulo.