MALAYSIA - Metso Paper will supply Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), a subsidiary of one of India's largest paper companies Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT), a major rebuild of its pulp mill in Sabah, Malaysia.

This rebuild project, scheduled to start during the second half of 2009, has a total value of about US$46.5 million (EUR 30 million), and includes a new wood handling line, rebuild of the cooking plant and the fiber line and an upgrade of the white liquor plant.

The new wood handling line will include log feeding, debarking, chipper and screen room. The cooking plant will be completely rebuilt. The rebuild of the fiber line includes installation of new wash presses, oxygen reactors, medium consistency pumps and mixers.

The upgrade of the white liquor plant will include a rebuild of the recausticizing plant including pressure disc filter technology for white liquor separation and a number of main machinery including slaker and filter as well as an upgrade of the lime kiln.

SFI currently has a production capacity of 140,000 tonnes of paper and 120,000 of pulp.

Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) is one of India's largest manufacturers of writing and printing paper and is part of the US$3 billion Avantha Group, one of India's leading business conglomerates. BILT acquired SFI, one of the largest pulp and paper companies in Malaysia, in March 2007 for US$261 million.

Metso is a global engineering and technology corporation with 2007 net sales of over US$9.3 billion (EUR 6 billion). Its over 27,000 employees in approximately 50 countries serve customers in the pulp and paper industry, rock and minerals processing, the energy industry and selected other industries.