Noviembre 2024
PASCUAL GÓMEZ Y JORDI CANALS, Cominter
EL PAPEL MAGAZINE
Paper: What is Cominter Group’s annual production volume and revenue? How many people does the group currently employ?
Pascual Gómez and Jordi Canals: We currently have a total of 270 employees distributed across our two factories in Hernani and Burriana, as well as our headquarters in Barcelona, which houses management, administration, and the commercial department.
What investments have been made in recent years at the Burriana and Hernani plants to enhance production capacity and product quality?
A significant investment was the 2014 acquisition of the production unit at the Hernani plant (Gipuzkoa), which was renamed Cominter Tisú S.L. This facility features a tissue paper machine with an annual production capacity of 25,000 tons, becoming the group’s third paper machine (PM3).
In November 2019, we launched PM4, a new paper machine at Kartogroup (Burriana), along with a rewinder and a cogeneration unit powered by two gas engines. This €15 million investment allowed us to grow both quantitatively and qualitatively, increasing our production capacity and enhancing the quality of our product. As a result, the PM1 machine, which was becoming obsolete, was retired. With this new setup, our total production capacity is approximately 85,000 tons annually across the three machines.
That same year, we also invested in a converting line from the Italian brand Perini, which allows us to produce products for both end consumers and the industrial market.
In 2021, we replaced the Yankee dryer on the PM2 machine in Burriana with a steel one from Andritz, with a diameter of 4.2 meters and a width of 3 meters. This upgrade enables more efficient drying and improves the overall performance of the machine.
In 2023, we completed the first phase of a 1.7 MWp photovoltaic plant, and we are currently executing the second phase, adding an additional 0.9 MW, bringing the total capacity to 2.6 MWp. We decided to install the project as a solar farm outside the factory, integrating the panels on our own land, among orange trees. The total investment comes to €2 million.
In January 2024, we installed a new hood from Andritz on the PM4 machine. With this latest upgrade, we have maximized the energy efficiency. This improvement has significantly reduced gas and steam consumption, as well as emissions at our factory, making our production more sustainable and cost-effective.
Also in 2024, we launched a new Omet napkin line with an Insert robotic end-of-line system, representing an investment of €1.7 million. We also installed new fire protection systems across all our facilities and warehouses, which involved an investment of over €2 million.
Finally, we upgraded part of our packaging and palletizing equipment in the converting area by incorporating new Plus Line and TMC packagers and an Electtric80 palletizing station.
As you can see, we have made significant investments in our facilities in recent years.
What is the current status of paper machines and converting lines at Cominter’s plants in terms of products and capacity?
We currently have three machines across our two factories, with a total capacity of 85,000 tons: two machines at the Burriana factory, each with a capacity of 30,000 tons, and one at the Hernani plant, with a capacity of 25,000 tons. As for converting, we have five roll lines and three napkin lines, all located in Burriana.
How is production distributed and what are the target markets?
With the start-up of the PM4 in Burriana, we no longer need to transport paper reels from Hernani to Burriana, as we had been doing since 2014, when we acquired the Basque factory. Now, we export between 50% and 70% of our tissue paper production in Hernani to the reel market, supplying markets in England, France, Central Europe, Portugal, and other non-European countries (such as the United States, Cuba, and Morocco) through the ports of Pasajes, Bermeo, Bilbao, and Santander. The remainder of the production is allocated to converters in Spain.
Kartogroup’s production focuses on paper converting, targeting both large-scale distribution and the Away from Home market, a segment we have been able to develop thanks to the investment made in 2019. We also sell reels from Kartogroup for the domestic market and, to a lesser extent, for markets outside Spain, using the Port of Valencia for exports.
What certifications does the Cominter Group have?
We hold certifications for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, Ecolabel, FSC, Silver Medal from EcoVadis, the Carbon Footprint Reduction Seal from OECC, and IFS HPC. We are currently in the process of obtaining ISO 45001 certification.
What energy efficiency measures has the Cominter Group implemented, and what results have you achieved in terms of savings or emissions reductions?
With the launch of the new machine and the improvements made over the last five years, including the hoods and steel Yankees, we have significantly reduced our gas and electricity consumption. We are currently exploring the possibility of investing in a biomass boiler to eliminate 10,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually.
In terms of sustainability, what environmental goals have you set for the coming years, particularly regarding water consumption?
We have made significant progress in reducing water consumption per ton produced, achieving a 30% reduction over the past five years. In terms of electricity consumption, our investments have allowed us to cut it by 9%, and we expect further improvements once the photovoltaic plant is in operation.
Elsewhere, thanks to the investment in Yankee dryers and hoods, we have improved gas consumption efficiency per ton by 10%. Similarly, with the biomass project, we will significantly reduce CO2 emissions. As for waste, we generate virtually none, as our paper trimmings are reused within our factories. Being a virgin pulp facility, we produce very little waste. We are currently working to reduce the plastic used in packaging, aiming to replace it with recycled plastic. This initiative is already a reality: approximately 50% of the plastic in our packaging is recycled.
From a business perspective, how do you address the challenges of recruiting and providing continuous training for your technical staff?
There is a structural problem across the entire industry. On one hand, it is difficult to find skilled personnel, and on the other hand, to find people willing to work rotating shifts—morning, afternoon, night, and weekend shifts. The new generations have different aspirations. Regarding training, we maintain relationships with vocational training centers, but these are very young individuals who are better suited for training in-house.
Over the past two years, we have worked on implementing a sustainable continuous improvement system using Lean methodology in collaboration with the consultancy SGS Productivity. The implementation of this system has helped us better identify our recruitment and training needs.
How do you manage the company’s growth and maintain operational efficiency while integrating new technologies, machinery, and personnel?
We maintain a very close relationship with our clients to move forward together in meeting their goals and needs. We strive to anticipate the necessary investments in new machinery and technologies, as well as in the search, recruitment, and training of personnel, to ensure we are prepared to meet their demands.
Are you prepared to comply with the new European regulation on deforestation, whose entry into force will ultimately be delayed? What’s your view of this law, and what impact do you think it could have on the paper industry in terms of supply, sustainability, and traceability in your processes?
We are ready for it. We have been working on the implementation of the EUDR regulation for months. We are currently in the testing phase and will soon be ready for the regulation to be rolled out. We have contracted the services of a renowned software development company that allows us to automate the entire process, from collecting Due Diligence Declarations (DDD) from our suppliers to creating new DDDs for our products and communicating with the EU’s EUDR portal. We are working closely with our usual pulp suppliers to ensure that everything is properly coordinated and managed.
This is a reform that adds new complexity to our operations, introducing more bureaucracy and paperwork. Its impact is still unknown. What is clear is that clients are concerned and are asking us to be ready, especially large-scale retail players. It’s what the market demands, and there is no option to operate outside the regulation. Because of this, we were convinced that we needed to be prepared in advance.
What are the occupational safety standards in your plants, and how do you ensure your employees are properly trained?
We hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, and IFS HPC certifications at the Burriana plant, and we have started the process of implementing the ISO 45001 standard for occupational health and safety. Burriana will likely be certified before next summer. And every day brings something new, there’s never a dull moment!
Interview by Sophie Ozanne
