Büttner dryers and energy plant for ENBoard Co. Ltd

Japan Novopan Industrial Company Ltd has been the quality leader among Japanese wood-based material manufacturers for decades and has established itself in the local market. Most recently, the company entered into a joint venture with Eidai Co. Ltd. and founded the new company “ENboard”. Together, the companies are regarded as market leaders in the Japanese wood-based panel industry. The order for the new SIEMPELKAMP production plant at the foot of Japan’s landmark Mount Fuji covers everything from wood preparation and final production through to overall plant planning. Around ten years ago, the company purchased a plant in Krefeld and has now once again placed its trust in the same team, which has maintained a close relationship with the Japanese partner for many years. 

Büttner’s scope of supply consists of two indirectly heated rotary bundle dryers – unusual in the wood-based panel industry, but a proven Novopan concept. Like an increasing number of SIEMPELKAMP customers, the Japanese company opted for the proven “dryer plus energy plant” combination, because Büttner’s expertise in supplying both systems as a complete and efficient package is convincing in the market. “The control and closed-loop control of our systems alone are designed in such a way that all production parameters can be taken into account and, if necessary, varied. If, for example, the energy demand changes, this can be handled much more precisely with an integrated control process between the dryer and the energy plant than if both systems were operated separately from one another,” explains Carsten Otto, Head of Sales at Büttner, describing the concept.

The dryers together provide a throughput of 30,000 kg/h, and the energy plant delivers a firing thermal power of 18.5 MW, generated from a grate and two dust burners. The scope of supply comprises the complete plant, including radiant and convective heaters as well as evaporator and economizer. A combined steam and thermal oil plant ensures the energy supply. The indirectly heated dryers are heated with steam, the ContiRoll® and the downstream process with thermal oil. Büttner’s interface expertise is also reflected in the complete planning of the steam and thermal oil piping, the cyclones, and the combustion chamber walls.

EnBoard order: the full spectrum

The order volume for ENboard Co. Ltd. covers, in addition to overall plant planning, all core machines for wood processing technology, energy generation and drying, as well as classification and gluing systems. SIEMPELKAMP is also supplying the forming and press line and the panel handling systems. The heart of the new plant is a ContiRoll® press of Generation 9 with a so-called PMDI package (PMDI = polymers of diphenylmethane diisocyanates), the indirect drying technology from Büttner, and an energy plant. The plant is to be operated predominantly with recycled wood and will mainly supply the local market with formaldehyde-free bonded, primarily heavy particleboard. 

Yes, we master JIS!

A special feature of this order is the strict alignment with the Japanese Industrial Standards, or JIS standard. This is not only about ensuring that the materials used comply with the JIS standard. The design and calculation of the scope of supply are also subject to the standard, as are quality management and the complete documentation of a project.

Already in Germany, the Büttner team ensures that the JIS standards are taken into account during the manufacturing process. This is a complex process that not every company is able or willing to undertake. “The JIS standard is not necessarily stricter than comparable European standards such as DIN, for example. But it is different. For us, embracing this is a matter of course – and perhaps attractive for further projects in the Japanese market,” says Jörg Melin, Sales Manager at Büttner. The design work for ENboard Co. Ltd. has now been completed. Deliveries to Japan are on the agenda for the beginning of 2020 – and many important milestones in a tight schedule have been reached!

JIS

The Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) define standards for a broad range of products and technologies. They are developed by the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), the national standardization body in Japan. Products standardized according to the JIS standard include those from mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, mining, the automotive, rail, and shipbuilding industries – as well as ceramics, medical equipment, and management systems.