The start-up speed was 622 m/min. The Metso-supplied PM 9 board machine has a wire width of 7,250 mm and a design speed of 1,150 m/min.

The new 400,000 t/a 3-ply kraftliner board machine features the latest Metso technology for board making from the wet end to the reel. The delivery also included metsoDNA machine controls and PaperIQ quality control systems by Metso Automation.

Earlier in March this year, the Metso-supplied PM 8 kraftliner line was successfully started up at Lee & Man's Changshu mill, and the mill is presently running at full capacity.

PM 9 will produce kraftliner board grades in a basis weight range of 90 -175 g/m2, mainly for the surrounding Guangzhou-Dongguan area in southeastern China.

Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is one of China's largest containerboard producers. The company, founded in 1994 and listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has three containerboard mills: one in Jiangsu province in Changshu and two in Guangdong province, in Huangyong and Hongmei. Today, the three mills have a combined annual production capacity of 2.2 million metric tons. Metso Paper will supply Lee & Man Paper Co. with a kraftliner board machine for their new mill, to be built in Vietnam. The machine is scheduled to come on stream in July 2008.