Inland Empire Paper Company - About Us

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The Papermaking Process

Wood chips, provided by our forestry operation, are processed to produce over 235 tons of mechanical pulp per day. Two types of mechanical pulp, refiner (RMP) and chemi-mechanical (CMP), are blended in the pulp mill to achieve special paper strength characteristics.

Recycled newspapers are purchased throughout the western United States to supply our ONP deink plant. 350 tons of recycled fiber is produced each day and blended at a ratio of 40 percent with the refiner mechanical pulp prior to brightening.

The blended, brightened pulp is mixed with water to lower its consistency to 1 percent solids, then introduced to the paper machine through a precision nozzle called a headbox. A Voith TQv former is used to extract 85 percent of the water and form the sheet of paper. Additional water is removed in the press section and dryers to produce paper with an 8.0 percent final moisture content. Two soft-nip calenders finish the paper to the required thickness and smoothness prior to reeling into 24-ton jumbo rolls. These rolls are then cut and rewound on a winder to provide finished rolls with the required width and diameter. The rolls are wrapped and labeled, then shipped, either by truck or rail, to their final destinations.

The latest state-of-the-art equipment and technology is installed in our mill to produce the highest quality groundwood papers available.

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