The retrofit began in September–October 2007, with the machine starting up in November 2007. The time between the design phase and implementation was very short, and the deadlines of various suppliers had to be taken into account. Furthermore, any delay in starting up the production line would have had major financial consequences for the customer. Despite the tight schedule, all deadlines were met. Oudegem Papier sought to set an important milestone for the future of its paper mill in Oudegem by investing in the retrofit of Paper Machine 7. Within this project, they had three key objectives:
– Achieving improved product quality;
– Reducing energy consumption and environmental emissions per metric ton of paper;
– Increasing paper production capacity (up to 450,000 metric tons per year).