P&P Int'l - PPI Feb 2011 - p13 to 16 -...

Burrows: 90 years of specialty paper

w w w . r i s i . c o m - F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

P&P Int'l - PPI Feb - Cover - 7.75x10.5.indd 1 2/25/2011 8:42:28 AM

MAKING PAPER PERFORM

By GRAEME RODDEN, Executive Editor

Burrows Paper uses this trademark phrase to tell customers it is ready to meet any requirements they may have

Pulp & Paper International (PPI) F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

Nestled in the woods of the Mohawk Valley in

upstate New York is a specialty paper maker

that just celebrated its 90th anniversary,

founded and still in the hands of the family of its own-

ers. Burrows Paper Corporation was founded in 1919

by Andrew Burrows in Little Falls, NY, still the site of its

corporate headquarters. The company has grown to in-

clude four mills, two in Little Falls (Mohawk Valley and

Mill St.), one in Lyons Falls, NY, and one in Pickens, MS.

Still privately owned, today, R.W. “Bill” Burrows,

the third generation of the family, is CEO. Remark-

ably, the company has remained in continuous

operation and never had a shutdown since it first

opened. Burrows also operates packaging facilities in

Ohio, Nevada, Iowa and the Netherlands.

People play an important role in Burrows’ suc-

cess. There are about 700 employees; 250 of who work

in the paper group. Most have lots of experience; av-

erage service is close to 20 years. The plant manager

at Pickens recently retired after 43 years at the mill.

For a small company to compete, staying away

from commodities is a must. Burrows has found a

niche in lightweight specialty paper, including fast

food packaging. Its recently introduced Eco-Flute™

line of packaging is eco-friendly and gives restaurants

an alternative to polystyrene containers. However,

food is by no means the only application for Burrows’

wide range of papers. The company also serves the

industrial, consumer and medical markets.

“We compete on specialty papers, not commodi-

ties,” says president and COO Michael Lengvarsky,

who was named to this position in April 2009. With

more than 25 years’ experience in the insurance

industry, Lengvarsky joined the board of Burrows in

1998 and came on board fulltime in 2005 as executive

vice president. “It’s my vision that Burrows becomes

the premier ‘go to’ producer in our industry,” he said

in a release marking his first anniversary as president.

Being responsive to market demands and developing

innovative products will be the keys.

Thus far, it seems to be working. “All our grades are

made to order; there is no stock product”, he tells PPI.

P&P Int'l - PPI Feb 2011 - p13 to 16.indd 13 2/25/2011 8:40:04 AM

Burrows produces a wide range of products but

there are redundancies built into the mills so produc-

tion can be shifted if necessary. “We have a number of

customers for whom we are the sole source,” Lengvar-

sky explains. “So, having a number of mills able to make

their products assures them of uninterrupted supply.”

As noted, the company runs four mills and five

paper machines. There are two machines in the Mill

Street facility (the company’s original mill), where Bur-

rows started as a tissue maker, using Burline as the trade

name. Today, PM 3 produces 22,000 tons/yr of machine

glazed (MG) paper and PM 2 produces 8,000 tons/yr of

MG paper. This paper is used as base paper for waxing

and some for foil laminating. Also on the Mill St. menu

is interleaving paper, used for glass and precious metals.

At Mill St., the company still produces a small amount

of base paper for gift tissue and crepe streamers. And it

still makes some one-time carbonizing base paper.

Acquired in 1952, the Mohawk Valley unit is adjacent

to the company headquarters, which used to be an old

knitting mill. Its sole machine, PM 12, produces 11,000

tons/yr of MF and wet crepe paper, used for coffee filters

and moist towelettes. The machine also makes a small

amount of specialized paper for food applications such

as pan liner. It also produces knit twist. This is paper that

is cut into thin strips, twisted and formed into products

such as shopping bag handles and carpets.

The Lyonsdale mill in Lyons Falls was acquired in

1966 and its PM 32 produces 18,000 tons/yr, mostly wet

crepe with some MF papers. This is destined for con-

version into many products: filters, towelettes, medical

papers, and industrial specialties for automobile bat-

teries, knit twist and repulpable pulp bale strapping.

Acquired in 1967, the Pickens mill produces

10,500 tons/yr of MG paper. This is used as a waxing

base grade for food packaging, foil lamination papers,

fruit wrap and medical grades. Burrows is one of the

few companies able to produce a printable light-

weight (7.5 lb) sheet. This is used, for example, for

dress patterns, and is also made at Pickens.

The company used to operate a pulp mill (100%

recycled fiber) across the tracks from the Mohawk

Valley mill and any production that could not be inte-

grated into Burrows’ product lines was sold. The pulp

mill was shut in 2005 after escalating waste paper

prices made it nonviable.

Burrows now sources its pulp worldwide. Some

F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1 Pulp & Paper International (PPI)

millprofile

Michael Lengvarsky, president and COO:

“We compete on specialty papers,

not commodities.”

Bu iLd ing CustOMer LOyaLty

Customer requests drive product development. “We

are asked to create products that customers use or

want to use and we try to do it better,” Lengvarsky ex-

plains. “One difference with us is that we make our pa-

per with unique performance attributes. And, when we

satisfy the customer with that special attribute versus

the competition, we can keep that customer longer.”

This means that most of what Burrows makes is

specific to each customer. Further, Lengvarsky says,

Burrows can offer customers lightweight grades in

relatively small runs, backed by service, high quality

and technical expertise.

the Mohawk Valley machine is used

for most of Burrows’ new product trials


Pulp & Paper International (PPI) F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

grades require a specific pulp in small lots. It uses

mostly kraft pulp, hardwood and softwood, bleached

and unbleached with some non-wood pulp thrown

into the mix at times. As Lengvarsky notes, it all helps

to underscore the specialty of Burrows’ papers.

Keeping smaller, older machines producing

highly specialized grades at the high quality level that

customers demand is a never-ending task. John Ster-

zinar, vice president, manufacturing and engineering,

says that Burrows does constant upgrading at all its

mills. Capex averages 3-4% of sales annually, and on

occasion, Burrows will finance projects exclusive of

the 3-4%. For example, in 1990 the Lyonsdale mill had

one of the first paper machines in North America to

be equipped with digital AC drives. All of the com-

pany’s paper machines now have them.

The Mohawk Valley machine received a new dryer

section and winder in 1998 and is used as the company’s

R&D machine, with most trial work run on it. Sterzinar

says it is more specialized than the others. A major capex

project has just wrapped up at the company’s Pickens

mill and is one project specially financed outside of

annual capex. An extensive rebuild of PM 41 entailed

the replacement of a 1980s-era press section with a new

stainless steel press section. A 15-ft MG drying cylinder

and integrated hood were also installed. These replaced

an aged 1939-era cylinder. Metso supplied the press

section and dryer. Earlier in 2010, Burrows installed

a Kmec-Webco winder. Floyd Johnson, mechanical

engineering manager, was the project manager for

both projects. At about the same time, the Pickens mill

received an ISRA Parystec defect detector, the third such

unit that Burrows has purchased for its mills. Production

at Pickens is expected to grow to 17,000 tons/yr.

“The justification for the Pickens project is

increased speed and improved quality and diversity,”

explains Sterzinar. “We’re looking for a good solid

payback over the next five to seven years.”

Profiles, specifically moisture, should also im-

prove. Other benefits include improved quality and

consistency.

taking adVantage Of What’s there

There were actually two projects at the Pickens mill.

The second one was environmentally related and

involves geothermal power. The mill’s water needs are

met by a drilled well where water leaves the ground

at 83°F. Along with the waste heat captured from the

papermaking processes, these sources will be used to

heat the mill in the winter. With new heating and ven-

tilation units installed, the result will be a 4% reduction

in the use of natural gas and a 342-tonne/yr reduction

in greenhouse gas emissions. Burrows manager of

energy services, Michael McCormick, says the project

is unique as Burrows is extracting low-grade energy

directly from the geothermally heated well water used

during production. The project was funded in part

(75%) by US stimulus funds issued through the Missis-

sippi Development Authority for energy projects..

BurrOWs runs On saP

As noted, producing highly specialized grades

requires constant attention. As well as predictive and

preventive maintenance, Burrows does all its own

optical alignment. Led by Floyd Johnson, Burrows

recently implemented a maintenance reliability

initiative. “We have a very experienced maintenance

crew in each plant with lots of training,” Sterzinar

says. “And, we are switching to the SAP maintenance

module to advance it even further. We use the SAP

millprofile

the Mohawk Valley mill on a snowy day soon after opening


impact on the bottom line, says Lengvarsky.

Despite its relatively small size, Burrows has

a worldwide presence. “We are an international

company for most of our products,” says Duane Judd,

vice president, paper sales. Burrows recently opened

an offi ce in China. “We want to increase our existing

business there as well as enter new markets, particu-

larly for our lightweight papers.”

Other offshore markets served include Thailand,

Finland, Central America, Indonesia, Singapore and

India. About 10% of Burrows’ production is exported.

About 25% of production is sent to Burrows’ packag-

ing plants.

Looking ahead, Lengvarsky says that Burrows will

continue to concentrate on lightweight paper. “It is

our niche and our specialty.

We will continue to develop products based on

customer requests to stay ahead of the competition,

both domestic and foreign. We are looking to diversify

our customer base in terms of geography; we want to

increase our customer base outside the US.”

There is a strong commitment to re-invest in the

operations, Lengvarsky adds. “There is a strong focus

on quality. Customers are always setting the bar higher,

especially with regard to operability in their processes.”

And, it goes without saying, it is Burrows’ responsi-

bility to see it can reach that bar and even surpass it. PPI

millprofile

To read more articles on Papermaking, visit our Papermaking Technology Channel at www.risi.com/ technologychannels/papermaking

The power baseThrough a hydroelectric affi liate, Burrows produces enough electricity to meet about two-thirds of its needs company-wide in the US. There is a 3 MW hydro generating station at the Lyonsdale mill. In Little Falls, there is a 13 MW hydro generating station across from the Mill St. facility. However, it is all sold into the New York state grid. Bur-rows buys back what it needs.Lengvarsky says the goal is to continue to increase the amount of energy it generates from renewable resources to equal or exceed 100% of what it consumes.“It’s more about neutralizing energy costs and fl uctuating prices rather than any cap and trade issue,” he adds. “And it’s about sustainability, to generate more and use less. In the last eight years, we have achieved a 20% reduction in the amount of energy we use for every ton we produce.”

module in our four packaging plants and the aim is to

extend it to the paper group in 2011.”

Burrows completely converted to SAP for fi nance,

and paper mill shop fl oor operations were completed

across the company in 2009. Sterzinar says the sys-

tem “brings more discipline and a better understand-

ing of costs.”

He adds that it improves the procurement pro-

cess for maintenance but perhaps more important, it

really improves the timeline for maintenance.

This has been a substantial investment and initia-

tive for the company over the past four years and as

well as better insight into costs, it has provided better

insight into work order variances: “what we make

and where we make it.” It all translates into a direct

R e p r i n t e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f ro m P u l p & P a p e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l © F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1


North America Paper Group Contact InformationToll Free: 1 800 272 7122Phone: +1 315 823 2300Fax: +1 315 823 3892E-mail: [email protected]

Burrows Paper Corporation501 West Main StreetLittle Falls, New York 13365, USAwww.burrowspaper.com

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