Paper demand drives state-of-the-art starch supply
Even a global pandemic couldn’t stop Manildra Group’s team of innovators from advancing an ambitious and exciting expansion into cationic starch, a key ingredient used when making many paper products.
Manildra Group is thrilled to announce the construction of a new world-class cationic starch facility at their integrated Shoalhaven Starches site in Nowra, New South Wales.
The state-of-the-art plant will manufacture a range of high-performance cationic starches produced from high-quality Australian wheat, a crucial wet-end additive in the paper making industry.
Manildra Group’s cationic starch is highly versatile and will be used for a variety of applications, from printing paper to brown packaging papers and plasterboard liner.
The innovative manufacturing plant is German engineered and features sophisticated control systems that deliver optimum efficiencies throughout the production process.
Manildra Group’s International Business Manager (Industrial), Adam Cox is part of the expert team of engineers and chemists leading the project. He told The Cultivator that the range of cationic starches is perfect for sheet strength and the improvement of retention values.
“Our sales, technical support and fully resourced research and development teams are dedicated to meeting customer requirements with the supply of cationic starches,” said Mr Cox.
In addition to the world-class cationic starch plant, Manildra Group has also commissioned an advanced paper testing laboratory, a welcome addition to the company’s extensive research and development programs.
This laboratory enables preliminary work to be conducted for customers and provides an effective platform to better understand how our cationic products will perform in specific wet-end systems.
“We have been leaders in wheat starch production globally for more than four decades, exporting our range of native and modified starches to the food and industrial sectors, with our two largest markets the United States and Asia,” Mr Cox said.
“Manildra Group has established a highly efficient supply chain, which provides our international customers with the utmost confidence with on-time supply and cost-effective logistics.
“Commercially available from mid-2021, we will be rolling out our premium cationic starch range here at home in Australia, then New Zealand
and finally we will extend globally, all the while working closely with customers to optimise applications,” said Mr Cox.
Manildra Group General Manager, Peter Simpson said, “The opportunity to produce high-quality, modified starches at Nowra for the paper milling industry was a natural fit.”
“As a company, we have grown with the paper and packaging industries globally to expand our range of wheat starches, with size-press starch and wet-end starches, including the newly developed, cationic wheat starches.”
To meet a recognised demand for both industrial and food-grade starches, the Shoalhaven Starches manufacturing plant, established at Nowra in 1970, has become the world’s largest vital wheat gluten and starch manufacturing facility of its kind.
Maintaining the highest quality, Manildra Group uses premium GMO-free wheat feedstock at the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001-certified Shoalhaven Starches facility.
“With our unwavering commitment to quality-control systems and value-adding innovation, Manildra Group continues to set a global standard for starch production,” said Mr Simpson.
To receive a sample of Manildra Group’s cationic starches or for further information regarding the new-build facility, contact 1300 227 862 or manildra@manildra.com.au.
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