95 000 tons of tissue paper and 25 000 tons of baking and cooking paper of the well-known brands Katrin, Leni, Serla and Lambi are produced at Metsä Tissue in Mänttä, Finland each year. In 2000, Metsä Tissue had approximately 45% of the market share of the tissue paper products sold to households in the Nordic countries. Metsä Tissue has production not only in Finland and Sweden but also in Poland and Germany.

“The benefits of using FlexLink are several”, says Alpo Lalli. “We really appreciate that the system easily can be reused when rebuilding, without any welding needed.” 

“Metsä Tissue has developed several solutions in co-operation with FlexLink. FlexLink’s broad assortment of components also means that we can solve almost anything, our imagination is the limit.”

Up and running after 17 years 
The first FlexLink conveyors in Mänttä were installed in 1984. The requirement was a line that could create valuable floor space and give access to the machinery to make maintenance easier.  Alpo Lalli, Development Engineer at Metsä Tissue since 1996, says: “The oldest line has been running for seventeen years with the same drive units!”

Easy adjustment and maximized floor space
Several types of tissue papers had to be transported on the same line. With a quick adjustment, by turning a handle, the diverter with three input lanes was varied to two or three output lanes depending on the final package size. It may be inclined with the roll elevator to maximize floor space and create a buffer zone. 

Reliable solutions increase the profitability 
Metsä Tissue has used quite a number of reliable FlexLink solutions to increase their profitability. There are a several different wedge modules in their production, used to elevate rolls or wrapped packages to an overhead conveyor line. The wedge modules can easily be adjusted to transport products of different sizes. 

Quality tests during transport 
To prevent incorrect products from being sent to the final packaging there are a number of quality tests during the transportation. By taking advantage of the strength in a perfect wrap when squeezed, a vertical wedge is used. The decreased strength of an incorrect package means the wedge loses its grip and the package is rejected. At another control toilet rolls lacking plug are sorted out. The rolls are transferred to another line by a 90 degree angle and continue with the plug facing forward.