The machine would make newsprint using 100% recycled material, made of newspapers and magazines, and would sit alongside the company's existing paper machine, known as PM14.
 Aylesford Newsprint's site has been developed with a second machine in mind |
A full decision to build the machine would represent a massive boost to the UK's domestic recycling and manufacturing capacity for newsprint. A report on the proposal is likely to go to the board later this year.
The new machine, known as PM15, has been on the cards for a number of years and the company had sought support from the Waste and Resources Action Programme to build it in 2002. The Aylesford site has been designed with a second machine in mind. Instead, WRAP opted to support infrastructure work at the Shotton mill owned by UPM-Kymmene to convert the plant to using 100% recovered fibre rather than wood.
The Aylesford project stalled with some disagreement on the board of Aylesford, questions about the future directions of the joint owners of the business and also concerns about the demand in the newsprint sector.
A statement from Aylesford said today: “Aylesford Newsprint has been asked by its shareholders about the prospects for building PM15.”
Ownership
The decision now by the board to ask for detailed reports on the potential for the new machine come alongside speculation as to the future ownership of the company which is owned jointly by Anglo-American subsidiary Mondi and Swedish paper giant SCA.
There has been speculation that both might even be willing to sell their stake in the mill. And the situation is also complicated by the decision of Anglo-American to demerge Mondi as a separate company to be listed on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges this summer.
Any decision to build a new machine at Aylesford will impact on plans by Ecco Newsprint to build a similar machine at a proposed new mill on the Wilton International Park on Teesside. The company is thought currently to be in close talks with finance providers about the proposals which have won planning permission.
Engineers are also involved in helping develop the project which is thought to be progressing well and the company is understood to be optimistic that it will go-ahead.
Local authorities
For local authorities a new machine would provide a crucial new outlet for material in the UK with attention focussing in recent months on the issue of using more recovered material in domestic production.
It could also impact on two other areas, prices and quality of material. When Aylesford installed the 250 million PM14 in 2005 there was a huge increase in prices for used newspapers although this was partly connected to world market trends. On quality of material, Aylesford is a major advocate of separate sorting of materials and is opposed to the sorting of used newspapers in materials recycling facilities.
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