Voith awarded Cascades contracts.

Voith Paper, Heidenheim, Get many, was selected by Cascades Inc., Kingsey Falls Quebec, Canada, as the supplier to provide coater rebuilds at mills in Toronto, Ontario and St. Jerome, Quebec. At Cascades Boxboard in Toronto, a single air-knife coater will he rebuilt with a new dual air knife metering assembly. Cascades Toronto produces coated multi-ply board. The dual air knife will allow continuous production during nozzle clean up, thereby considerably reducing machine downtime. The changeover to the new metering unit is set for September 2003.

Voith Paper was also selected by Cascades Fine Papers Group Inc. in St. Jerome to refurbish an existing film press coater for installation on PM8. The goal is to enhance the surface-treated grades and to improve the quality of uncoated paper. The film press will replace a size press. Film coating is an economical alternative to blade coating. The project will be complete in 2003.

In other Voith news: Voith Paper Automation, a division of Voith Paper, and LSC Process und aborsysteme GmbH, Neuwied, Germany, have agreed on development partnership for quality control technology. For its "OnQ" quality control system, Voith Paper Automation will use LSC frame systems in addition to its own sensor technology and software. The LSC frames, which are based on a stable, mechanical design, ensure fast data communication. LSC will use the high-tech sensors of Voith Paper Automation in its QCS.

Also, PM9 at SAICA paper mill in Zaragoza, Spain, achieved s a new production record. The machine produced 1518.6 tons of corrugating medium of 110 g/[m.sup.2] basis weight at a speed of 1260 m/min for 24 hours. Since its start-up in October 2000, this machine hats been the world's most efficient machine for its web width, according to Voith.

Also, Voith Paper and BASF have signed a long-term cooperation agreement to develop new technologies, such as curtain coating, and to design new paper machinery and accompanying chemical systems. Conventional coating trials will be conducted mainly at BASF's Ludwigshafen, Germany, paper technical center; machine optimization and new technology trials will take place at the Voith Paper site in Heidenheim, Germany.