The annual production capacity of 115 thousand tonnes of paper grade pulp makes Caima a smallscale company competing in a global market where mills currently produce an average of one million tonnes a year of pulp. More modern units can go as high as two million tonnes a year. Because of their size, these mills have an inherent competitiveness which Caima was just not able to match. It was difficult to keep the company relevant in this market. It was just a matter of time before this situation would be reflected in the business sustainability.<\/p>\n
It was time to diversify and dissolving pulp seemed to be an interesting option. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cCaima always sought to find market niches in which it could sell its product with added value to very specific customers. The majority \u2013 over 90% \u2013 of the factory\u2019s production is now for the Asian market and is used to manufacture rayon viscose which is used by the textile industry, or in products aimed more towards chemical specialities, used in sectors as diverse as foodstuffs and cosmetics.<\/p>\n
Also products like artificial silk, transparencies, films (LCD), photographic film, hairsprays and varnishes, automobile filters, cigarette filters, adhesives and emulsifiers for the food industry can be manufactured with Caima\u2019s dissolving pulp.<\/p>\n
Caima also produces 55 thousand tonnes of lignosulphonate, a product used in the construction industry as an additive to concrete, improving its characteristics and enabling it to be applied under more demanding conditions.<\/p>\n
The biorefinery of eucalyptus timber, which is what Caima now is, can also produce chemicals such as bioethanol, acetic acid, furfural, natural sweeteners (xylitol, xyloses), protein, vanillin or lignosulphonate, all for the chemical industry.<\/p>\n
Transforming Caima\u2019s production capacity enabled it to diversify its end products and its customers, and to position itself within a market with a future.<\/p>\n
Laboratory takes on new lease of life<\/h2>
\nWhen producing paper pulp, Caima\u2019s laboratory focused on checking and controlling the parameters demanded to meet the needs of the paper industry. Now, with the chemical industry as its main market, the laboratory plays a decisive role. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cIt is a cornerstone of our new era of dissolving pulp production.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caima invested in equipment and in human resources. \u201cIt\u2019s an area in which we invested much in reinforcing skills.\u201d He concludes, \u201cit would be impossible for Caima to be a stable presence\u00a0in the dissolving pulp market without the know-how of our laboratory team.\u201d
\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Caima is a company that dates back over a century. Founded in 1888 as The Timber Estate and Wood Pulp Company Ltd., it was one of the first pulp production mills outside of Sweden. The first plant was built in the district of Albergaria-a-Velha, on the banks of the river Caima. A company can only remain relevant for all these years if it has a remarkable capacity to adapt to change to new markets, to new dynamics, and if it has teams of dedicated workers and a highlyqualified management team.\r\n\r\nIn the beginning, Caima produced pulp using pine wood. In the 1920s the Company innovated and started using eucalyptus wood for pulp; the results were so promising that at the end of the 1940s it stopped using pine altogether and decided to use exclusively eucalyptus. In 1960 Caima built a new mill in Const\u00e2ncia. 2011 saw another change of direction when it stopped producing paper grade pulp and started focusing on dissolving pulp, and thus entered the demanding market within the chemical industry.\r\n\r\nIt all began in 2007 when the company decided to check out various different strategic options, aiming to increase value creation. The possibility of producing dissolving pulp was one of the options assessed. Technical studies were carried out to ascertain how dissolving pulp could be produced at the existing mill. A technical and economic feasibility study was started that year, which provided the guidelines to understand how Caima could produce dissolving pulp. The study was completed in 2008. We all remember the economic climate which pervaded the world and Portugal at that time.\r\n\r\nThe Altri group had other investments underway and the investment estimated in the report submitted to Caima was a large sum. The study ended up being shelved for quite some time. Two years later, in 2010, Caima\u2019s management team returned to the study in order to find outwhether it was possible to follow its guidelines using the existing plant without making any major investments. The report pointed the way, and the first trials began the same year; first, changes were made to the cooking and the bleaching was tweaked, essentially to test the process\u2019s capacity to achieve the desired pulp parameters.\r\n\r\nGualter Vasco, Caima\u2019s mill manager, highlights that this work was carried out without support from outside of Caima. \u201cWe did all this with the effort and commitment of the teams and people who work at the mill. The skills and dedication of our employees was crucial to this project\u2019s success.\u201d\r\n\r\nTests began in 2010 and with the material produced the company began to test the market. The sales department, headed up by Agostinho Dolores Ferreira, managed to find a market for the pulp produced during this initial stage. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cThey made some incredible work, considering that the pulp produced at the start was not in strict compliance with the typical specification for dissolving pulp. During that stage of the project we decided to label the pulp as semidissolving.\u201d\r\n\r\nDespite not being the desired end product, Caima was able to take advantage of the high demand resulting from the scarcity of dissolving pulp on the market. This climate helped to open doors to Caima\u2019s pulp. The lack of pulp available meant that the tonnage price of dissolving pulp increased on the international market. Caima\u2019s product was given a positive reception by the market. The comfort zone had been found. This was the right path.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, the company kept adjusting the process until it produced pulp which essentially complied with the dissolving pulp specification. This period of adjustment also served to find alternatives to the traditional customers of the paper grade pulp until then produced by aima. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cThe Sales Directors performed exceptionally well, and the transition went very smoothly; some of our former customers are now served by Celbi and by Celtejo.\u201d\r\n\r\n[image id=\"1018\" format=\"img-header-large\"]\r\n[blockquote text=\"Initial dissolving pulp production tests at Caima were developed with the effort, dedication and commitment of Caima's teams and employees, without any external support\" author=\"Gualter Vasco, Mill Manager at Caima\"]\r\n\r\n
Change<\/h2>\r\nThe time came for a new change of direction for the company. In August 2012, Caima ceased manufacturing paper pulp to produce only dissolving pulp. This decision was taken when the mill had all the features of a paper grade pulp mill.\r\n\r\nThe investment made up until then amounted to reinforcing its capacity to produce demineralized water, which is crucial in cleaning pulp, to ensure the low calcium content required for dissolving pulp. Caima\u2019s mill manager states \u201cUntil then we had invested little more than a total of 100 thousand Euros.\u201d\r\n\r\nFrom August 2012 onwards, the mill produced dissolving pulp keeping the plant\u2019s paper grade setup, by running the process in a different fashion. In some ways it was less efficient, but it produced a pulp which was given a thumbs up by the market. In 2013, with the potential of the new product having been confirmed and the decision consolidated, the Altri group decided to invest in the mill. The ceremony at which the investment contract was signed coincided with the celebration of Caima\u2019s 125th birthday. It took a total of 40 million Euros to adapt the production line to this new reality. There hadn\u2019t been such a major investment since the mill was built. As people said at the time, it was like a re-birth.\r\n\r\nThis investment enabled the mill set-up to be changed to restore the production capacity which had been lost when switching from paper grade pulp to dissolving pulp. During this change, the company\u2019s production had fallen from 115 thousand tonnes per year to 90 thousand tonnes per year. The changes made and the new equipment allowed for production of pulp which was in compliance with the standards and parameters demanded by customers. It also enabled plant\u2019s capacity to rise back to its previous level, close to 115 thousand tonnes a year.\r\n\r\nThe 40 million Euros were used to rebalance the different areas of the plant. Gualter Vasco explains that it was necessary to restore cooking capacity. To achieve this, a new digester was installed. The capacity for evaporation \u2013 a vital part of any pulp mill \u2013 was insufficient and had to be increased by installing new evaporators. The project was started up in 2014 when these equipments were brought on line, and was completed in July 2015 with the start of the new bleaching plant. Bleaching is a vital part of this project, as it is where the most important parameters of dissolving pulp are assured. Two new bleaching stages were installed. The changes made at the mill also meant that Caima\u2019s energy production and distribution area had to be redesigned. The steam network had to be changed. Dissolving pulp production consumes more energy than paper grade pulp production.\r\n\r\n[blockquote text=\"All construction works and changes were undertaken with the mill in normal operation and with minimal production loss\"]\r\n\r\nThe entire medium voltage primary distribution network was changed. The company also took \u00a0advantage of this project to stop using fuel oil, switching the entire facility over to natural gas. The \u201cancient\u201d auxiliary fuel oil boiler was replaced with a new natural gas boiler. The mill reconversion project finished in May 2016 when a new back-pressure steam turbine commenced operation, enabling electricity generation to be adjusted to steam consumption inthe factory.\r\n\r\nCaima is energy self-sufficient. There are two biomass boilers on the site which allow over 250 thousand tonnes of forest biomass per year to be converted into energy, thereby contributing towards clearing brushwood and as a result lowering the risk of forest fires in the region. The excess energy produced is injected to the national grid. In practical terms, over 170 GWh of renewable energy are generated per year, of which around 95 GWh are injected into the national grid. This is more than enough to meet the needs of a city of 150 thousand inhabitants the size of Coimbra.\r\n\r\nGualter Vasco underlines that between the project starting, in November 2013, and ending, in May 2016, \u201call construction works and plant changes were undertaken while the mill was running and with minimal production losses. Only someone who is familiar with our mill and has an idea of thespace limitations that we face can \u00a0understand the complexity of an operation to demolish part of a building with machinery working inside\u2026\u201d. This feat was only possible \u201cwith the cooperation and commitment of a fantastic and very dedicated team who never doubted the significance and importance of this change\u201d.\r\n\r\n[gallery-slick ids=\"994,967,964,979,1009,1012,1015,1021,1024,1027,1030,1033,1036,973,970\"]\r\n\r\nFinding new solutions<\/h2>\r\nThe annual production capacity of 115 thousand tonnes of paper grade pulp makes Caima a smallscale company competing in a global market where mills currently produce an average of one million tonnes a year of pulp. More modern units can go as high as two million tonnes a year. Because of their size, these mills have an inherent competitiveness which Caima was just not able to match. It was difficult to keep the company relevant in this market. It was just a matter of time before this situation would be reflected in the business sustainability.\r\n\r\nIt was time to diversify and dissolving pulp seemed to be an interesting option. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cCaima always sought to find market niches in which it could sell its product with added value to very specific customers. The majority \u2013 over 90% \u2013 of the factory\u2019s production is now for the Asian market and is used to manufacture rayon viscose which is used by the textile industry, or in products aimed more towards chemical specialities, used in sectors as diverse as foodstuffs and cosmetics.\r\n\r\nAlso products like artificial silk, transparencies, films (LCD), photographic film, hairsprays and varnishes, automobile filters, cigarette filters, adhesives and emulsifiers for the food industry can be manufactured with Caima\u2019s dissolving pulp.\r\n\r\nCaima also produces 55 thousand tonnes of lignosulphonate, a product used in the construction industry as an additive to concrete, improving its characteristics and enabling it to be applied under more demanding conditions.\r\n\r\nThe biorefinery of eucalyptus timber, which is what Caima now is, can also produce chemicals such as bioethanol, acetic acid, furfural, natural sweeteners (xylitol, xyloses), protein, vanillin or lignosulphonate, all for the chemical industry.\r\n\r\nTransforming Caima\u2019s production capacity enabled it to diversify its end products and its customers, and to position itself within a market with a future.\r\n\r\n[card title=\"Laboratory takes on new lease of life\"]\r\nWhen producing paper pulp, Caima\u2019s laboratory focused on checking and controlling the parameters demanded to meet the needs of the paper industry. Now, with the chemical industry as its main market, the laboratory plays a decisive role. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cIt is a cornerstone of our new era of dissolving pulp production.\u201d\r\n\r\nCaima invested in equipment and in human resources. \u201cIt\u2019s an area in which we invested much in reinforcing skills.\u201d He concludes, \u201cit would be impossible for Caima to be a stable presence\u00a0in the dissolving pulp market without the know-how of our laboratory team.\u201d\r\n[\/card]"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Converting a paper grade pulp mill to meet the needs of a market as demanding as the dissolving pulp market was no easy task. It required great commitment from everyone who works at Caima to face the challenges raised by a new and unfamiliar market.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Converting a paper grade pulp mill to meet the needs of a market as demanding as the dissolving pulp market was no easy task. It required great commitment from everyone who works at Caima to face the challenges raised by a new and unfamiliar market."},"author":3,"featured_media":985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_pt_post_content":"A Caima \u00e9 uma empresa centen\u00e1ria. Fundada em 1888, como The Timber Estate and Wood Pulp Company Ltd., foi uma das primeiras unidades fabris de produ\u00e7\u00e3o de pasta de papel fora da Su\u00e9cia. A primeira f\u00e1brica foi constru\u00edda no concelho de Albergaria-a-Velha, nas margens do rio Caima. Uma empresa s\u00f3 consegue manter-se relevante ao longo de tantos anos se tiver uma enorme capacidade de adapta\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e0 mudan\u00e7a, a novos mercados, a novas din\u00e2micas, e se possuir equipas de trabalhadores dedicados e uma equipa de gest\u00e3o altamente qualificada.\r\n\r\nNa origem, a Caima come\u00e7ou a produzir pasta de papel utilizando madeira de pinheiro. Nos anos 20 do s\u00e9culo passado inovou, come\u00e7ando a utilizar a madeira de eucalipto na produ\u00e7\u00e3o de pasta; os resultados foram de tal forma promissores que no final da d\u00e9cada de 40 abandonou mesmo a utiliza\u00e7\u00e3o da madeira de pinheiro, passando a usar em exclusivo o eucalipto. Em 1960 construiu uma nova f\u00e1brica em Const\u00e2ncia.\r\n\r\nEm 2011 a f\u00e1brica voltou a ter um momento disruptivo. Decidiu deixar de produzir pasta papeleira e dedicar-se \u00e0 produ\u00e7\u00e3o de pasta sol\u00favel, entrando num mercado exigente como o da ind\u00fastria qu\u00edmica.\r\n\r\nTudo come\u00e7ou em 2007 quando a empresa, numa l\u00f3gica de cria\u00e7\u00e3o de valor, decidiu avaliar diversas op\u00e7\u00f5es estrat\u00e9gicas. A possibilidade de produzir pasta sol\u00favel foi uma das op\u00e7\u00f5es avaliadas. Iniciaram-se estudos t\u00e9cnicos para entender como \u00e9 que, com a f\u00e1brica existente, se conseguia produzir pasta sol\u00favel.\r\n\r\nNesse ano arrancou um estudo de viabilidade t\u00e9cnico-econ\u00f3mica que proporcionou as linhas mestras para perceber como a Caima podia produzir pasta sol\u00favel. O estudo ficou conclu\u00eddo em 2008. Nesse per\u00edodo, todos se lembram da conjuntura econ\u00f3mica que se vivia no mundo e em Portugal. O grupo Altri tinha outros investimentos em curso e o esfor\u00e7o de investimento indicado no relat\u00f3rio entregue \u00e0 Caima era elevado. N\u00e3o era o momento certo. O estudo acabaria por ficar guardado durante algum tempo.\r\n\r\nPassados dois anos, em 2010, a equipa de gest\u00e3o da Caima voltou a debru\u00e7ar-se sobre o estudo para perceber se era poss\u00edvel seguir as orienta\u00e7\u00f5es do documento com a f\u00e1brica existente sem fazer investimentos relevantes. O relat\u00f3rio apontava o caminho e, ainda em 2010, deu-se in\u00edcio aos primeiros ensaios; come\u00e7ou-se com altera\u00e7\u00f5es ao cozimento e ajustes no branqueamento, essencialmente para testar a capacidade do processo para atingir os objectivos definidos.\r\n\r\nGualter Vasco, director fabril da Caima, real\u00e7a que este trabalho foi desenvolvido sem recurso a apoios externos \u00e0 Caima. \u201cTodo este caminho foi feito com o esfor\u00e7o e o empenho das equipas e das pessoas que trabalham na f\u00e1brica. A compet\u00eancia e a dedica\u00e7\u00e3o dos nossos colaboradores foi determinante para o sucesso deste projecto.\u201d Os testes iniciaram-se em 2010 e com a mat\u00e9ria produzida come\u00e7aram a testar o mercado. A \u00e1rea comercial, liderada por Agostinho Dolores Ferreira, conseguiu encontrar mercado para a pasta produzida nesta primeira fase. \u201cFoi um trabalho extraordin\u00e1rio, atendendo ao facto de a pasta produzida no in\u00edcio n\u00e3o cumprir rigorosamente a especifica\u00e7\u00e3o t\u00edpica da pasta sol\u00favel\u201d, conta Gualter Vasco. \u201cDurante aquela fase do projecto resolvemos designar a pasta como semi-sol\u00favel.\u201d\r\n\r\nApesar de n\u00e3o ser o objectivo pretendido, a Caima soube aproveitar um per\u00edodo de elevada procura, devido \u00e0 escassez de pasta sol\u00favel no mercado.\r\n\r\nUma conjuntura que ajudou a abrir algumas portas \u00e0 pasta da Caima. A escassez sentida no mercado fez com que o pre\u00e7o da tonelada de pasta sol\u00favel aumentasse no mercado internacional. O produto fabricado pela Caima foi bem acolhido pelo mercado. Estava encontrado o conforto necess\u00e1rio. Este era o caminho certo.\r\n\r\nEntretanto a empresa foi ajustando o processo at\u00e9 produzir pasta que no essencial cumpria a especifica\u00e7\u00e3o da pasta sol\u00favel. Este per\u00edodo de adapta\u00e7\u00e3o serviu tamb\u00e9m para encontrar alternativas aos clientes tradicionais da pasta de papel anteriormente produzida pela Caima. \u201cO trabalho da direc\u00e7\u00e3o comercial foi exemplar e a transi\u00e7\u00e3o decorreu sem sobressaltos; alguns dos antigos clientes s\u00e3o hoje servidos pela Celbi e pela Celtejo\u201d, diz Gualter Vasco.\r\n\r\n[image id=\"1018\" format=\"img-header-large\"]\r\n[blockquote text=\"Os primeiros testes de produ\u00e7\u00e3o de pasta sol\u00favel na Caima foram desenvolvidos com o esfor\u00e7o, a dedica\u00e7\u00e3o e o empenho das equipas e das pessoas da Caima, sem apoios externos\" author=\"Gualter Vasco, director fabril da Caima\"]\r\n\r\n
Mudan\u00e7a<\/h2>\r\nChegou o momento de um novo ponto de inflex\u00e3o na empresa. Em Agosto de 2012, a Caima deixou de fabricar pasta papeleira para produzir apenas pasta sol\u00favel. Esta decis\u00e3o foi tomada quando a f\u00e1brica mantinha todas as caracter\u00edsticas de f\u00e1brica de pasta papeleira. O investimento feito at\u00e9 ent\u00e3o resumia-se ao refor\u00e7o da capacidade de produ\u00e7\u00e3o de \u00e1gua desmineralizada, imprescind\u00edvel na lavagem da pasta, para garantir os baixos teores de c\u00e1lcio exigidos na pasta sol\u00favel. \u201cNo total, at\u00e9 essa altura t\u00ednhamos investido pouco mais de 100 mil euros\u201d, conta o director fabril da Caima.\r\n\r\nDe Agosto de 2012 em diante, a f\u00e1brica produziu pasta sol\u00favel com uma instala\u00e7\u00e3o preparada para a produ\u00e7\u00e3o de pasta papeleira, conduzindo o processo de forma diferente, nalguns aspectos menos eficiente, mas produzindo uma pasta que era bem recebida pelo mercado.\r\n\r\nConfirmado o potencial e consolidada a op\u00e7\u00e3o, em 2013, o grupo Altri decidiu investir na f\u00e1brica. A cerim\u00f3nia de assinatura do contrato de investimento coincidiu com a da comemora\u00e7\u00e3o dos 125 anos da Caima. Um total de 40 milh\u00f5es de euros para adaptar a linha de produ\u00e7\u00e3o a esta nova realidade. Desde a constru\u00e7\u00e3o da f\u00e1brica que n\u00e3o havia um investimento desta import\u00e2ncia. Foi uma esp\u00e9cie de renascimento, comentou-se.\r\n\r\nEste investimento permitiu alterar o setup da f\u00e1brica para recuperar a capacidade de produ\u00e7\u00e3o perdida ao passar do fabrico de pasta papeleira para pasta sol\u00favel. Nesse processo de mudan\u00e7a, a empresa passou de uma produ\u00e7\u00e3o de 115 mil toneladas\/ano para 90 mil toneladas\/ano. As altera\u00e7\u00f5es feitas e os novos equipamentos permitiram a produ\u00e7\u00e3o de uma\u00a0 pasta que cumpre com os padr\u00f5es e as caracter\u00edsticas que os clientes procuram. Permitiu ainda que a capacidade de produ\u00e7\u00e3o voltasse \u00e0s 115 mil toneladas anuais.\r\n\r\nOs 40 milh\u00f5es de euros foram utilizados para rebalancear diversas \u00e1reas da f\u00e1brica. Gualter Vasco explica que era necess\u00e1rio recuperar capacidade no cozimento. Para esse efeito instalaram um novo digestor. A capacidade da evapora\u00e7\u00e3o, parte fundamental de qualquer f\u00e1brica de pasta, era insuficiente e foi aumentada com a instala\u00e7\u00e3o de novos evaporadores. O projecto arrancou em 2014 com a entrada em funcionamento destas duas instala\u00e7\u00f5es e foi finalizado em Julho de 2015 com o arranque do novo branqueamento. Foram instalados dois est\u00e1gios de branqueamento, parte crucial deste projecto. \u00c9 onde se garantem os par\u00e2metros mais importantes da pasta sol\u00favel.\r\n\r\n[blockquote text=\"Todas as obras e as altera\u00e7\u00f5es foram realizadas com a f\u00e1brica em funcionamento e com um m\u00ednimo de perda\"]\r\n\r\nAs altera\u00e7\u00f5es feitas na f\u00e1brica obrigaram tamb\u00e9m \u00e0 reformula\u00e7\u00e3o da \u00e1rea da produ\u00e7\u00e3o e \u00e0 distribui\u00e7\u00e3o de energia da Caima. Foi necess\u00e1rio alterar a rede de vapor. A produ\u00e7\u00e3o de pasta sol\u00favel leva a um consumo de energia superior ao necess\u00e1rio para produzir pasta papeleira. A rede de distribui\u00e7\u00e3o de m\u00e9dia tens\u00e3o foi toda ela alterada. Aproveitou-se tamb\u00e9m este projecto para abandonar o uso do fuel\u00f3leo, migrando toda a instala\u00e7\u00e3o para o uso de g\u00e1s natural. Ainda na \u00e1rea da energia, a \u201cvelhinha\u201d caldeira auxiliar a fuel\u00f3leo foi substitu\u00edda por uma nova caldeira a g\u00e1s natural. O projecto de reconvers\u00e3o da f\u00e1brica encerrou-se em Maio de 2016 com a entrada em funcionamento de uma nova turbina de contrapress\u00e3o que permitiu ajustar a gera\u00e7\u00e3o de energia el\u00e9ctrica aos consumos de vapor na f\u00e1brica.\r\n\r\nA Caima \u00e9 uma empresa energeticamente auto-suficiente. No site existem duas caldeiras de biomassa que permitem a valoriza\u00e7\u00e3o energ\u00e9tica de mais de 250 mil toneladas por ano de biomassa florestal, contribuindo para a limpeza das matas e a consequente redu\u00e7\u00e3o de risco de inc\u00eandio florestal na regi\u00e3o. O excesso de energia produzida \u00e9 injectado na rede el\u00e9ctrica nacional.\r\n\r\nEm termos pr\u00e1ticos, geram-se mais de 170 GWh por ano de energia renov\u00e1vel. Cerca de 95 GWh s\u00e3o injectados na rede nacional. Mais do que o suficiente para satisfazer as necessidades de uma cidade com 150 mil habitantes com a dimens\u00e3o de Coimbra.\r\n\r\nGualter Vasco n\u00e3o deixa de sublinhar que entre o arranque do projecto, em Novembro de 2013, e a sua conclus\u00e3o, em Maio de 2016, \u201ctodas as obras e altera\u00e7\u00f5es foram realizadas com a f\u00e1brica em funcionamento e com um m\u00ednimo de perdas\u201d. \u201cS\u00f3 quem conhece a nossa f\u00e1brica e tem a no\u00e7\u00e3o das limita\u00e7\u00f5es e espa\u00e7o existentes consegue compreender a complexidade de uma opera\u00e7\u00e3o de demoli\u00e7\u00e3o de parte de um edif\u00edcio com equipamentos em funcionamento no seu interior\u2026\u201d Um feito que s\u00f3 foi poss\u00edvel \u201ccom a colabora\u00e7\u00e3o e o empenho de uma equipa fant\u00e1stica, muito dedicada e que sempre entendeu o significado e a import\u00e2ncia desta mudan\u00e7a\u201d.\r\n\r\n[gallery-slick ids=\"994,967,964,979,1009,1012,1015,1021,1024,1027,1030,1033,1036,973,970\"]\r\n\r\nEncontrar novas solu\u00e7\u00f5es<\/h2>\r\nA capacidade de produ\u00e7\u00e3o anual de 115 mil toneladas de pasta papeleira posicionavam a Caima como uma empresa de pequena dimens\u00e3o concorrendo num mercado global onde as f\u00e1bricas actuais produzem, em m\u00e9dia, um milh\u00e3o de toneladas\/ano de pasta.\r\n\r\nAs unidades mais modernas chegam a produzir mais de dois milh\u00f5es de toneladas\/ano. Pela dimens\u00e3o, essas empresas possuem uma competitividade com a qual a Caima n\u00e3o conseguia ombrear. Era dif\u00edcil manter a empresa relevante neste mercado. Era uma quest\u00e3o de tempo at\u00e9 esta realidade se reflectir na viabilidade e na sustentabilidade do neg\u00f3cio. Tornava-se necess\u00e1rio diversificar o mercado e a pasta sol\u00favel apresentava-se como uma op\u00e7\u00e3o interessante.\r\n\r\n\u201cA Caima sempre procurou encontrar nichos de mercado nos quais pudesse comercializar o seu produto com valor acrescentado, para clientes muito espec\u00edficos\u201d, adianta Gualter Vasco. A produ\u00e7\u00e3o da f\u00e1brica destina-se maioritariamente ao mercado asi\u00e1tico \u2013 mais de 90% da produ\u00e7\u00e3o \u2013 e serve para produzir rayon viscose que \u00e9 utilizada pela ind\u00fastria t\u00eaxtil, ou em produtos mais vocacionados para especialidades qu\u00edmicas, usados em sectores t\u00e3o diversos como o alimentar ou a cosm\u00e9tica. Produz 55 mil toneladas anuais de linho-sulfonato, um produto usado na ind\u00fastria da constru\u00e7\u00e3o, como aditivo do bet\u00e3o, melhorando as suas caracter\u00edsticas e permitindo a sua aplica\u00e7\u00e3o em condi\u00e7\u00f5es mais exigentes.\r\n\r\nDa biorrefineria de madeira de eucalipto que \u00e9 actualmente a Caima, podem ainda obter-se qu\u00edmicos como o bioetanol, \u00e1cido ac\u00e9tico, furfural, ado\u00e7antes naturais (xilitol, xiloses), prote\u00edna, vanilina ou linho-sulfonato, destinados \u00e0 ind\u00fastria qu\u00edmica. Estes produtos permitem produzir seda artificial, transparentes, filmes (LCD), pel\u00edcula fotogr\u00e1fica, lacas, vernizes, filtros de autom\u00f3vel, filtros de cigarros, adesivos ou emulsionantes para a ind\u00fastria alimentar. A transforma\u00e7\u00e3o da capacidade produtiva da Caima permitiu diversificar os produtos finais, os clientes e posicionar a empresa num mercado com futuro.\r\n\r\n[card title=\"Laborat\u00f3rio ganha vida nova\"]\r\nNa produ\u00e7\u00e3o da pasta papeleira o laborat\u00f3rio da Caima focava-se na verifica\u00e7\u00e3o e no controlo dos par\u00e2metros exigidos para satisfazer as necessidades da ind\u00fastria papeleira. Agora, tendo a ind\u00fastria qu\u00edmica como principal mercado, o laborat\u00f3rio desempenha um papel determinante. \u201c\u00c9 uma pedra angular nesta nova realidade que \u00e9 a produ\u00e7\u00e3o da pasta sol\u00favel\u201d, diz Gualter Vasco. A Caima investiu em equipamento e em recursos humanos \u201c\u00c9 uma \u00e1rea em que se investiu muito no refor\u00e7o das compet\u00eancias\u201d, \u201cera imposs\u00edvel a Caima estar no mercado da pasta sol\u00favel de uma forma s\u00f3lida sem o know-how existente no nosso laborat\u00f3rio\u201d, conclui o gestor da f\u00e1brica.\r\n[\/card]","_pt_post_name":"a-reinvencao-de-uma-empresa-centenaria","_pt_post_excerpt":"Converter uma f\u00e1brica de pasta papeleira para satisfazer um mercado exigente como o da pasta sol\u00favel n\u00e3o foi tarefa f\u00e1cil. Obrigou a um grande compromisso de todos os que trabalham na Caima para enfrentar os desafios colocados por um mercado novo e desconhecido.","_pt_post_title":"A reinven\u00e7\u00e3o de uma empresa centen\u00e1ria","_en_post_content":"Caima is a company that dates back over a century. Founded in 1888 as The Timber Estate and Wood Pulp Company Ltd., it was one of the first pulp production mills outside of Sweden. The first plant was built in the district of Albergaria-a-Velha, on the banks of the river Caima. A company can only remain relevant for all these years if it has a remarkable capacity to adapt to change to new markets, to new dynamics, and if it has teams of dedicated workers and a highlyqualified management team.\r\n\r\nIn the beginning, Caima produced pulp using pine wood. In the 1920s the Company innovated and started using eucalyptus wood for pulp; the results were so promising that at the end of the 1940s it stopped using pine altogether and decided to use exclusively eucalyptus. In 1960 Caima built a new mill in Const\u00e2ncia. 2011 saw another change of direction when it stopped producing paper grade pulp and started focusing on dissolving pulp, and thus entered the demanding market within the chemical industry.\r\n\r\nIt all began in 2007 when the company decided to check out various different strategic options, aiming to increase value creation. The possibility of producing dissolving pulp was one of the options assessed. Technical studies were carried out to ascertain how dissolving pulp could be produced at the existing mill. A technical and economic feasibility study was started that year, which provided the guidelines to understand how Caima could produce dissolving pulp. The study was completed in 2008. We all remember the economic climate which pervaded the world and Portugal at that time.\r\n\r\nThe Altri group had other investments underway and the investment estimated in the report submitted to Caima was a large sum. The study ended up being shelved for quite some time. Two years later, in 2010, Caima\u2019s management team returned to the study in order to find outwhether it was possible to follow its guidelines using the existing plant without making any major investments. The report pointed the way, and the first trials began the same year; first, changes were made to the cooking and the bleaching was tweaked, essentially to test the process\u2019s capacity to achieve the desired pulp parameters.\r\n\r\nGualter Vasco, Caima\u2019s mill manager, highlights that this work was carried out without support from outside of Caima. \u201cWe did all this with the effort and commitment of the teams and people who work at the mill. The skills and dedication of our employees was crucial to this project\u2019s success.\u201d\r\n\r\nTests began in 2010 and with the material produced the company began to test the market. The sales department, headed up by Agostinho Dolores Ferreira, managed to find a market for the pulp produced during this initial stage. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cThey made some incredible work, considering that the pulp produced at the start was not in strict compliance with the typical specification for dissolving pulp. During that stage of the project we decided to label the pulp as semidissolving.\u201d\r\n\r\nDespite not being the desired end product, Caima was able to take advantage of the high demand resulting from the scarcity of dissolving pulp on the market. This climate helped to open doors to Caima\u2019s pulp. The lack of pulp available meant that the tonnage price of dissolving pulp increased on the international market. Caima\u2019s product was given a positive reception by the market. The comfort zone had been found. This was the right path.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, the company kept adjusting the process until it produced pulp which essentially complied with the dissolving pulp specification. This period of adjustment also served to find alternatives to the traditional customers of the paper grade pulp until then produced by aima. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cThe Sales Directors performed exceptionally well, and the transition went very smoothly; some of our former customers are now served by Celbi and by Celtejo.\u201d\r\n\r\n[image id=\"1018\" format=\"img-header-large\"]\r\n[blockquote text=\"Initial dissolving pulp production tests at Caima were developed with the effort, dedication and commitment of Caima's teams and employees, without any external support\" author=\"Gualter Vasco, Mill Manager at Caima\"]\r\n\r\nChange<\/h2>\r\nThe time came for a new change of direction for the company. In August 2012, Caima ceased manufacturing paper pulp to produce only dissolving pulp. This decision was taken when the mill had all the features of a paper grade pulp mill.\r\n\r\nThe investment made up until then amounted to reinforcing its capacity to produce demineralized water, which is crucial in cleaning pulp, to ensure the low calcium content required for dissolving pulp. Caima\u2019s mill manager states \u201cUntil then we had invested little more than a total of 100 thousand Euros.\u201d\r\n\r\nFrom August 2012 onwards, the mill produced dissolving pulp keeping the plant\u2019s paper grade setup, by running the process in a different fashion. In some ways it was less efficient, but it produced a pulp which was given a thumbs up by the market. In 2013, with the potential of the new product having been confirmed and the decision consolidated, the Altri group decided to invest in the mill. The ceremony at which the investment contract was signed coincided with the celebration of Caima\u2019s 125th birthday. It took a total of 40 million Euros to adapt the production line to this new reality. There hadn\u2019t been such a major investment since the mill was built. As people said at the time, it was like a re-birth.\r\n\r\nThis investment enabled the mill set-up to be changed to restore the production capacity which had been lost when switching from paper grade pulp to dissolving pulp. During this change, the company\u2019s production had fallen from 115 thousand tonnes per year to 90 thousand tonnes per year. The changes made and the new equipment allowed for production of pulp which was in compliance with the standards and parameters demanded by customers. It also enabled plant\u2019s capacity to rise back to its previous level, close to 115 thousand tonnes a year.\r\n\r\nThe 40 million Euros were used to rebalance the different areas of the plant. Gualter Vasco explains that it was necessary to restore cooking capacity. To achieve this, a new digester was installed. The capacity for evaporation \u2013 a vital part of any pulp mill \u2013 was insufficient and had to be increased by installing new evaporators. The project was started up in 2014 when these equipments were brought on line, and was completed in July 2015 with the start of the new bleaching plant. Bleaching is a vital part of this project, as it is where the most important parameters of dissolving pulp are assured. Two new bleaching stages were installed. The changes made at the mill also meant that Caima\u2019s energy production and distribution area had to be redesigned. The steam network had to be changed. Dissolving pulp production consumes more energy than paper grade pulp production.\r\n\r\n[blockquote text=\"All construction works and changes were undertaken with the mill in normal operation and with minimal production loss\"]\r\n\r\nThe entire medium voltage primary distribution network was changed. The company also took \u00a0advantage of this project to stop using fuel oil, switching the entire facility over to natural gas. The \u201cancient\u201d auxiliary fuel oil boiler was replaced with a new natural gas boiler. The mill reconversion project finished in May 2016 when a new back-pressure steam turbine commenced operation, enabling electricity generation to be adjusted to steam consumption inthe factory.\r\n\r\nCaima is energy self-sufficient. There are two biomass boilers on the site which allow over 250 thousand tonnes of forest biomass per year to be converted into energy, thereby contributing towards clearing brushwood and as a result lowering the risk of forest fires in the region. The excess energy produced is injected to the national grid. In practical terms, over 170 GWh of renewable energy are generated per year, of which around 95 GWh are injected into the national grid. This is more than enough to meet the needs of a city of 150 thousand inhabitants the size of Coimbra.\r\n\r\nGualter Vasco underlines that between the project starting, in November 2013, and ending, in May 2016, \u201call construction works and plant changes were undertaken while the mill was running and with minimal production losses. Only someone who is familiar with our mill and has an idea of thespace limitations that we face can \u00a0understand the complexity of an operation to demolish part of a building with machinery working inside\u2026\u201d. This feat was only possible \u201cwith the cooperation and commitment of a fantastic and very dedicated team who never doubted the significance and importance of this change\u201d.\r\n\r\n[gallery-slick ids=\"994,967,964,979,1009,1012,1015,1021,1024,1027,1030,1033,1036,973,970\"]\r\n\r\nFinding new solutions<\/h2>\r\nThe annual production capacity of 115 thousand tonnes of paper grade pulp makes Caima a smallscale company competing in a global market where mills currently produce an average of one million tonnes a year of pulp. More modern units can go as high as two million tonnes a year. Because of their size, these mills have an inherent competitiveness which Caima was just not able to match. It was difficult to keep the company relevant in this market. It was just a matter of time before this situation would be reflected in the business sustainability.\r\n\r\nIt was time to diversify and dissolving pulp seemed to be an interesting option. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cCaima always sought to find market niches in which it could sell its product with added value to very specific customers. The majority \u2013 over 90% \u2013 of the factory\u2019s production is now for the Asian market and is used to manufacture rayon viscose which is used by the textile industry, or in products aimed more towards chemical specialities, used in sectors as diverse as foodstuffs and cosmetics.\r\n\r\nAlso products like artificial silk, transparencies, films (LCD), photographic film, hairsprays and varnishes, automobile filters, cigarette filters, adhesives and emulsifiers for the food industry can be manufactured with Caima\u2019s dissolving pulp.\r\n\r\nCaima also produces 55 thousand tonnes of lignosulphonate, a product used in the construction industry as an additive to concrete, improving its characteristics and enabling it to be applied under more demanding conditions.\r\n\r\nThe biorefinery of eucalyptus timber, which is what Caima now is, can also produce chemicals such as bioethanol, acetic acid, furfural, natural sweeteners (xylitol, xyloses), protein, vanillin or lignosulphonate, all for the chemical industry.\r\n\r\nTransforming Caima\u2019s production capacity enabled it to diversify its end products and its customers, and to position itself within a market with a future.\r\n\r\n[card title=\"Laboratory takes on new lease of life\"]\r\nWhen producing paper pulp, Caima\u2019s laboratory focused on checking and controlling the parameters demanded to meet the needs of the paper industry. Now, with the chemical industry as its main market, the laboratory plays a decisive role. According to Gualter Vasco, \u201cIt is a cornerstone of our new era of dissolving pulp production.\u201d\r\n\r\nCaima invested in equipment and in human resources. \u201cIt\u2019s an area in which we invested much in reinforcing skills.\u201d He concludes, \u201cit would be impossible for Caima to be a stable presence\u00a0in the dissolving pulp market without the know-how of our laboratory team.\u201d\r\n[\/card]","_en_post_name":"reinventing-a-hundred-year-old-company","_en_post_excerpt":"Converting a paper grade pulp mill to meet the needs of a market as demanding as the dissolving pulp market was no easy task. It required great commitment from everyone who works at Caima to face the challenges raised by a new and unfamiliar market.","_en_post_title":"Reinventing a hundred-year-old company","edit_language":"en","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[32,95,223,220,217],"class_list":["post-946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tema-de-capa","tag-caima","tag-edicao-2","tag-fabrica","tag-laboratorio","tag-reinventar"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=946"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1663,"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946\/revisions\/1663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conteudos.xl.pt\/altri-news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Gualter](\"https:\/\/cdn.xl.pt\/conteudos\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2018\/02\/15040408.jpg\")