Mantua, Italy 12 October 2018 -- The new recycled corrugated case material machine in Mantua, Italy has still not started up. Pro-Gest was ordered by the province of Mantua to stop trial runs.

Italian packaging company Pro-Gest is facing further bureaucratic obstacles when it comes to the start-up of its new recycled containerboard machine in Mantua. According to a statement by the province of Mantua, the province has warned Cartiere Villa Lagarina, the Pro-Gest subsidiary which will operate the plant, that it has failed to comply with a number of regulations. Pro-Gest is accused of not having complied with building permits and provisions of the environmental permit.

The province has therefore ordered that the test runs at the plant be stopped. This is already the second warning of this kind within a few weeks.

Pro-Gest is currently in the start-up phase of its new PM for lightweight recycled containerboard in Mantua. The machine is designed for a maximum production capacity of 550,000 tpy and, according to the project description, is meant to produce more than 400,000 tpy of paper. At the moment, however, the mill is subject to environmental regulations and is only allowed to produce 200,000 tpy. In order to have the authorised annual production increased to the originally planned 1,159 tpd or 405,000 tpy, Cartiere Villa Lagarina submitted an application for the environmental reassessment of the site in October last year.