APR to ramp up VSF production

Asia
Pacific Rayon (APR) plans to increase its production capacity to 600,000 tonnes
to meet the strong growth potential of viscose staple fibre (VSF) and
strengthen its market position in Indonesia 
and regional export markets. The additional capacity will be achieved
through improved  optimisation and
efficiencies, and by adding a 300,000-tonne viscose production facility in
Pangkalan  Kerinci, where APR is co-located
with sister company and fibre supplier APRIL Group. 

The
expansion will utilise APRIL’s current AE pulp capacity from existing pulp
production lines, with fibre supply sourced from APRIL’s existing responsibly
managed renewable fibre plantations in compliance with internationally
recognised forest certification standards and its Sustainable Forest Management
Policy (SFMP2.0). It is also consistent with the company’s recently announced
APRIL 2030 commitments and targets.

Construction
of the additional APR production lines is scheduled to commence in the second
half of 2021 and will include features such as a chemical recovery process
upgrade, slush-pulp processing 
installation and other investments aimed at reducing APR’s energy use
and environmental footprint. Upon the additional lines’ completion in 2023, APR
will be the world’s largest single-site integrated viscose manufacturing
facility, seamlessly integrating dissolving wood pulp from APRIL’s renewable fibre
plantations.

“As
a relatively new entrant in the VSF market, APR has established a strong market
presence within two years with a growing network of customers in Bangladesh,
India, Pakistan and Turkey. Our VSF business will continue to expand into the
international markets by partnering with others in the  textile value chain. With the advantage of
economies of scale, we are committed to responding to customer demand for
sustainable viscose with quality, differentiated product offerings, and
competitive pricing,” said Sachin Malik,
APR Sales Head. 

Formally
inaugurated by Indonesia President Joko Widodo in February 2020, APR is a
vertically integrated operation from renewable fibre plantations to high-value
textile development, located in  Riau,
Sumatra. In the same year, Asia Pacific Yarn (APY) and Jakarta Fashion Hub
(JFH) were established to respectively support yarn research and development,
and promote fashion design  talent and
collaboration. 

APR
ensures that dissolving wood pulp sources come from internationally recognised,
credible forest certification systems such as PEFCâ„¢ which guarantee the wood
fibre to be from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources. APR will
continue to maintain 100 per cent PEFC Chain of Custody certification for our
viscose.

APR’s
products carry the labels MADE in GREEN by OEKO-TEX®, USDA Bio-based, Seedling,
OK  biodegradable, and Medically
Tested-Tested for Toxins by FKT. The company obtained ISO 9001 quality
management and 14001 environmental management systems, and 45001 for
occupational health and safety management systems.