Background
In the paper industry, the winder area is a collection of motors and drums used to wind large production rolls of paper or cardboard onto smaller, more manageable-sized rolls. It plays a crucial role in the post-manufacturing process by resizing the wide rolls produced by the paper machine into smaller, narrower rolls. These rolls are suitable for various end uses, such as printing or packaging, depending on the client’s needs. The winder area includes rolls for unwinding, slitters, and roll-handling equipment.
WML needed to increase production at their Whakatāne plant after the Smurfit Consortium purchased the Mill in 2021, along with the planned upgrade project. Mainstream Engineering was awarded the contract to design and manage the upgrade process and brought Tiaki on board for the Civil, Structural, and (limited) architectural elements. The project started in early 2022, with foundation concepts being developed for feasibility and estimation purposes.
August 2022 saw the first stages of detailed design emerging, followed by on-site construction facilitation and “live” line modifications where possible, in early 2023. This culminated in the machine line shut and equipment install from July 2023. After the successful commissioning of the plant, the first “new” roll reached the winder in mid-September.
Objectives and Constraints
The construction timeline was very tight, as the plant shut was envisaged to last only 4-6 weeks. The design had to be carefully considered, with the aim to build as much supporting structure without interrupting paper production prior to the shut. This greatly reduced the work to be done during the shut.
The winder machine itself was supported on 800 mm concrete foundation walls and a 2 x 2 m concrete perimeter pile cap founded on 48 x 10 m deep screw piles over a plan area of 17.8 x 8 m. To reduce construction times, especially limiting the amount of concrete that needed to be poured (and cured) during the shut, the surrounding operational floor was designed to be part concrete and part pre-manufactured steel.
Project Outcomes
By the end of the shut, the project was completed, with some minor additional work required for its finalisation. This did not, however, come without some serious engineering input during the process—the combination of a tight timeline and an equally tight workspace produced some interesting challenges. These were collaboratively solved by the contractors, the mechanical engineers, and the machine installers.
Of the challenges faced, the biggest one to overcome was the intricate staging of the works for the area’s timely access by the next trade to install the machinery. Solutions included the use of high-strength concrete to accelerate concrete strength gain to achieve design values within the shut, post-installed anchors to facilitate install, and oversizing of holes in steel plates. To anticipate potential clashes and ensure construction tolerances, as-builts were updated throughout construction.
Donald Richardson
Project Manager
Project Details
| Type of work | Design / Management |
| Project name: | Whakatāne Mill Winder Support Structure |
| Client: | Whakatāne Mill Limited (WML) |
| Department: | Civil / Structures |
| Physical Address: | Coastlands, Whakatāne |
| Total Project Budget: | 2.2 Million |
| Final Cost of TECL Work: | 200k |
| Commencement: | January 2023 |
| Project Partners: | MEL |
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Email TECL directly and we’ll forward your enquiry to the most appropriate person.