At its Braviken mill in Sweden, Holmen has transformed PM52 from a machine historically focused on graphic papers into a flexible production asset capable of making both graphic grades and lightweight containerboard based on thermomechanical pulp.
The rebuild reflects the company’s broader effort to adapt existing assets to changing paper and packaging markets.
As demand patterns shift across the paper industry, existing machines are increasingly being evaluated for new applications. At Holmen’s Braviken Paper Mill, that process has given PM52 a new role while preserving its ability to produce established graphic paper grades.
The project began with a SEK 450 million investment announced in 2023. Holmen set out to broaden its book paper range while increasing its capacity to produce packaging grades, particularly fluting for corrugated boxes. The rebuild was carried out in 2024.
Technology supplier ANDRITZ developed a production concept allowing PM52 to switch between book paper, newsprint and containerboard based on thermomechanical pulp (TMP). The machine has a wire width of 9.3 metres and operates at speeds of up to 1,600 metres per minute.
Bringing TMP into containerboard
One of the more distinctive elements of the project is the use of TMP, a furnish long associated with graphic papers, for containerboard production.
Producing strong packaging grades at low basis weights required changes to the papermaking process and a machine configuration capable of meeting very different requirements. Containerboard requires high dewatering capacity and specific strength properties, while book paper depends on good formation and controlled filler retention.
Rather than converting PM52 entirely to packaging, Holmen retained the ability to move between substantially different paper grades. The company has described the rebuilt PM52 as a “swing machine,” giving Braviken greater flexibility to respond to changes in both graphic paper and packaging markets.
That flexibility is significant for a mill with roots in newsprint and other graphic grades. Instead of replacing an existing production asset, Holmen has expanded what the machine can produce and opened a new route into containerboard.
From machine rebuild to new packaging grades
The redevelopment of PM52 has supported Holmen’s expansion into lightweight containerboard. Its Elevate range now includes both kraftliner and fluting made from fresh fibre, with grades starting at 72 g/m². Applications include e-commerce, shelf-ready retail and food packaging.
Holmen Elevate kraftliner is available in 72, 82 and 92 g/m², while Elevate Flute is produced in 72 and 92 g/m². Both product families are approved for food-contact applications.
The lightweight approach is intended to allow corrugated packaging producers to reduce the amount of material used while maintaining the strength required for the application. According to ANDRITZ, Holmen’s mechanical-pulp-based containerboard can reduce basis weight by up to 20% compared with conventional products, depending on the grade being replaced.
Giving an existing asset a broader role
The Braviken project illustrates how an established paper machine can be repositioned as markets evolve.
For Holmen, the rebuild does more than add packaging capacity. It gives the mill an asset capable of serving different product segments while making use of existing papermaking infrastructure and expertise.
PM52’s transformation from a graphic-paper machine into a flexible platform for both paper and containerboard offers a practical example of how mills can adapt existing assets rather than relying solely on new production lines to enter growing markets.
Holmen is a Swedish forest industry group active in forestry, wood products, board and paper, and renewable energy. Its Board and Paper business produces paperboard, paper and lightweight containerboard from fresh fibre at four mills in Sweden and the UK. Holmen employs around 3,500 people and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.
