A boost for Sunpine

​SunPine's new second factory is starting to take shape. The main column is now in place in the stand.

“It is a challenge to transport and handle such large parts,” says Ulrika Hagman, project manager for the investment.

The big lifts are now complete. Larger vessels and columns that form the backbone of the process of releasing tall oil diesel have now been installed. The most spectacular lift was the big column.

Just transporting the enormous piece to Haraholmen in Piteå was a challenge in itself. On slippery inland roads with its own sand-spattered car in front, the team rolled at 20 kilometers per hour.

Ulrika Hagman, project manager for the investment at SunPine:

– Everything must be carried out with safety first. It has taken time, but it has gone well. Just maneuvering the column into the factory area is a challenge in itself and then carrying out the lift itself. We have systematically solved a series of complex lifts, so now it feels good to have these large parts in place.

The lifting of the spectacular piece was carried out without any problems, thanks to careful detailed planning and risk analysis. It was slowly lifted horizontally from the trailer by two cranes, then straightened vertically and in a crane the last piece was lifted up and into the factory stand.

Peter Drugge, acting CEO, SunPine, is pleased that the work is progressing:

– Of course, it feels good that we are making progress in the project step by step. It is a big project to build a completely new factory next to a fully functioning process industry. There are many things that must be weighed up and taken into account.

According to the plan, the new second factory will be completed in November 2020. The company's investments in the existing factory and the new factory facility will amount to over SEK 400 million.

Jonas Vinblad von Walter, production manager, is looking forward to starting up a second factory:

– We get greater flexibility with a second factory, with larger volumes and two production lines we will be able to handle a greater variation in the raw material. We get a wider range that we can run, which is good.

– We also become more energy efficient per ton of tall oil diesel we produce. This way we become even more sustainable, which is important.

In the fall of 2019, a new laboratory and a new office were inaugurated to make room for a new, larger SunPine. During the year, approximately ten new recruitments will be carried out, where the company is looking for electricians, engineers, mechanics and process operators, among others.