The Specialty Minerals European Research Center (SMERC) is located in Kaarina, near Turku (Åbo), Finland, close to the renowned Coating Technology Center (CTC) in Raisio, an important resource base that is partly owned by a Specialty Minerals joint venture partner. The facility was built in 2001 and dedicated in 2002. In about 1,200 square meters (13,000 square feet) of space distributed over two floors, SMERC houses state-of-the-art papermaking and testing instrumentation, laboratory coater equipment, and about 20 scientists and support staff as well as regional sales offices and personnel.
Personnel at SMERC strive to meet multi-faceted objectives. Above all, their goal is to help papermakers, particularly in Europe, use SMI technology and knowledge to produce quality products that employ precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) as filling and coating pigments. This application of PCC technology is paper mill specific. For example, water is a critical component of the papermaking process—the water at a mill in France differs from that in, say, Finland. A thorough understanding of the impact of such variables is vital, and is achieved through extensive testing. Similarly, the lime used as a raw material in the production of PCC can vary from region to region.
Filler or coating PCC pigments must be engineered to meet the specifications and expectations of each mill. All of the scientific testing necessary for this—as well as research into the economics of production—is done at SMERC. Other paper testing includes measurement of brightness, opacity, caliper, smoothness, and gloss, as well as formulation and testing of coating colors. For coated paper applications, the laboratory coater at SMERC provides the initial data sets used to formulate candidates for pilot-scale trials, which are often carried out nearby at CTC.
SMERC personnel are actively involved with paper mill trials to test new pigments or develop new paper grades. As much as possible—while respecting and protecting the confidential information of its clients and customers—SMERC scientists collect and organize data into a vast informational database that they use to guide customers to the quickest and best solutions for their particular needs. For European papermakers especially, this foundation of technical knowledge exists in close proximity, thus allowing a rapid and cost-effective transfer of information, both initially and in the longer term.
The scientists and technicians at SMERC are dedicated to applying the aggregated knowledge of almost a century of papermaking expertise. In continuing partnership with the papermakers of Europe and throughout the world, Specialty Minerals has a firm institutional commitment to continually advancing the industry beyond new thresholds of technology, quality, and cost-effectiveness. The goal of this partnership is to achieve greater paper quality, decrease papermaking costs, and increase profitability.
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