DS Smith has started up a stock preparation line and reject treatment system supplied by ANDRITZ at its Porcari mill in Italy.

The equipment is part of a paper production set-up for packaging grades made from "100% recycled fibre" and aimed at the fast-moving consumer goods and e-commerce markets.

Built for a capacity of 1,650tpd, the line can handle various recovered paper grades.

A central component is a FibreFlow drum pulper described as the largest of its type in Europe.

The machine is also the 300th FibreFlow drum pulper supplied by ANDRITZ worldwide.

It is intended to pulp material gently while removing coarse contaminants, helping maintain steady operations and uniform fibre quality.

The line also includes screens and LC-cleaners to maintain stock quality and reduce energy use under changing raw material conditions.

The reject treatment section has a shredder and reject compactors to process material removed during pulping and coarse screening.

ANDRITZ’s scope for the project also covered basic and detailed engineering, commissioning, installation supervision, and operator training.

DS Smith project head Alessandro Romagnolo said: “The successful start-up of this line is an important milestone for our Porcari mill. The project demonstrates the strong cooperation between our team and ANDRITZ.

"With the new system now in operation, we are able to efficiently process a wide range of recovered paper grades and reliably produce high-quality packaging papers from 100% recycled fibre.”

ANDRITZ is an international technology group supplying plants, equipment, services, and digital systems to sectors, including pulp and paper, metals, hydropower, and environmental industries.

Founded in 1852 and based in Austria, the listed company has 30,000 employees across 280 locations in more than 80 countries.