At JPT, we manufacture tonnes of recycled cardboard paper cores and tubes and ship out to dozens of clients every day. Over the decades, we’ve served thousands of happy clients who often have wondered how we manage to deliver quality products, such as carpet tubes and cardboard tubes every time and maintain consistency in our production process.
We are a bit different to other cardboard tubes manufacturers; we always welcome our customers to our factories, on multiple occasions and let them tour our production process from A to Z for a comprehensive understanding.
We want each of our stakeholders to learn about our production process, help them have faith in our organisation and commitment to quality. We truly believe in being open and honest, which is why we have full transparency at our manufacturing sites. But since it’s impossible to invite all our stakeholders over, especially during COVID-19, we’ve decided to write a blog and walk them through the process of making recycled cardboard paper, which is our raw material. This process takes place at our suppliers sites. To see cardboard tubes production, click here to view our video.
We buy coreboard from various suppliers around the world but the process is the same. Making paper out of recycled cardboard is an exciting process. Starting from pulp and paper processing to winding onto a reel, the whole journey takes quite a few steps. Our suppliers keep an eye on several parameters during production so that the quality standard we require is met.
Step 01: Processing of pulp and paper:
At first, JPT’s paper suppliers mix all the recycled waste cardboard that they bring from places such as supermarkets, local councils waste systems & industrial manufacturing with previously processed hot water. The saying “what you put in is what you get out” is no more true then in paper manufacturing! The mills who use higher quality waste will make better coreboard, and then we can make stronger cardboard tubes. Tonnes of recycled cardboard are stirred with water inside a big vat made of stainless steel. The pulper (steel vat) stir the mixture into a suspension. Stapler pin, glasses, and other impurities are separated through a number of screens, ensuring reduced contaminates into the coreboard, which is important for our cardboard tubes.
Throughout the process, they use industry leading technologies to ensure minimum waste. Our suppliers take the environment into consideration from the very first step of our production, most suppliers recycle heat generated, only use 100% recycled raw materials and audit their waste suppliers. Some go one step further and generate the heat from renewable sources, the unused heat can be used for district heating in the surrounding town.
Step 2: Diluting the fibers
During step 1, the solution consists of 99% water. After processing of pulp and paper, water is taken out of the solution, making the fiber thin and uniform.
Step 3: Automatic Wire Section
In a wire section machine, a watery paper jet is distributed in a uniformed way over the solution. Water falls onto the forming fabric sitting on the wire or felt. There’s a layer of foils beneath the wire which sucks out water from the solution and improves the uniformity of fiber. This helps fibres to weave and form in a better way.
The process removes almost all the water and leaves a soft pulp mat. This pulp mat transforms into a paper sheet going forward. For JPT this is the key stage, it decides the paper’s structure and characteristics which are of vital importance in cardboard tubes production.
Step 4: Press Section
The pulp sheet still contains 75%-80% water which is significantly removed in this step. Pressing through a number of metal nip rollers, the water content is brought down to around 45% to 55%.
Step 5: Drying
In this step, the paper sheet is passed through a series of drying cylinders. These cylinders are steam heated. The whole process is done in an enclosed space. The process is repeated a couple of times until the water content drops to 6% to 7% turning the paper sheet almost dry. This is why our supplier have such large production lines, the full length of the machine can be 30 metres.
Step 6: Finishing
After drying, the paper sheet passes through a number of smooth rollers. This process gives a uniform and smooth sides to the paper sheet.
Step 7: Quality control
Throughout the production process, a team of experts closely monitors each step, ensuring the highest quality. JPT’s suppliers use the most advanced technology in ensuring the quality of the paper sheet. JPT receives data files from suppliers will full pallet traceability so should we need to carry out an investigation our paper suppliers can provide in depth data as many have lasers & cameras that record the data.
Step 8: Winding
When the sheet completes its journey, it’s wound onto massive jumbo reels. The winding, like other steps, is done automatically through a machine.
The reel is then cut into rolls as per JPT’s requirements.
What JPT does:
At regular intervals, we send samples of our suppliers coreboard away to be tested to look at the paper in great detail. We also carry out weekly checks on the specification of the paper to make sure its going to make the perfect cardboard cores.
If the quality ever deteriorates by a margin, we take immediate action by addressing this with our suppliers.
