Jamar has just completed a significant project at Willamette Paper in Kingsport, Tennessee. A subcontractor under Metso Air Systems Knoxville (formerly Valmet), Jamar began last October on the installation of an air system for a new, 131,000 square foot building at Willamette Paper. Employees also installed a paper machine hood and the process air systems that provide air to and from the machine and hood.

Charlie Rollins, Project Manager, says the building houses a state-of-the-art paper machine, which requires top-quality air flow for success. "Air systems keep the paper aligned by creating a negative pressure, keeping the paper closer to the dryer felt," explains Rollins. "The closer it stays to the felt, the faster the machine can run. If you can gain 100 feet per minute, and the plant runs 24 hours per day, that makes a big difference." Running full peak, the machine goes almost 60 mph, outputting 4,870 feet of paper per minute, which equates to 1,480 tons of paper per day.

At the height of the project, 28 Jamar employees were in the field. Simultaneously, several employees were fabricating the ducts and air make up units at the Jamar plant in Duluth. The products were then trucked down to the site on a weekly basis.

The hard work of Jamar employees largely contributed to the record completion date for the project.