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Kruger Packaging invests $30M to modernize containerboard mill

Kruger Packaging today announced investments of over $30 million to modernize its Place Turcot containerboard mill in Montreal, Que.

With this important transformation to be completed in 2025, the Place Turcot facility will be the first in North America to manufacture 100% recycled saturating kraft board, a product that is used to make high-pressure laminates for furniture, countertops and decorative paneling.

In support of this innovative project, the government of Canada is contributing $10 million through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation  program, while the Quebec government is providing a combined sum of more than $3 million through the Innovation Bois Program, as well as the ÉcoPerformance program, which stems from the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy.

In addition to eco-friendly saturating kraft board, Place Turcot will make other specialty products from 100 per cent recycled fibres, including gypsum board paper, customized board for residential construction, folding box board for FDA-compliant food packaging, and white top linerboard. The transformation project will help to secure the mill’s 153 jobs and contribute to reducing its overall environmental footprint, while also reinforcing Kruger’s leadership as the largest recycler of paper and paperboard in Canada.

A key aspect of the Place Turcot mill’s transformation is the implementation of state-of-the-art machine learning and artificial intelligence technology. Together with upgrades to manufacturing equipment, these new capabilities will enable the plant to increase its productivity, reduce waste, and diversify its product lines to meet growing market demand for saturating kraft and other specialty paper grades.

The modernization will allow Place Turcot, which is the only consumer of old corrugated containers (OCC) in the Greater Montreal area, to consolidate its role as a crucial player in the circular economy. The mill consumes the equivalent of all OCC generated in the region. The Mill is also expected to reduce its GHG emissions by more than 2,200 tonnes per year once the modernization is completed.

Strategically located next to Kruger Recycling’s Sorting and Recovery Centre, near downtown Montreal, Kruger Packaging’s Place Turcot mill has been making 100 per cent recycled linerboard for over sixty years.

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