HERGEN strengthens its presence and expands opportunities in North America following Tissue World Miami and TAPPICon 2026
May 4, 2026
HERGEN has just reached another important milestone in the supply of the new tissue machine destined for POL-MAK in Poland. The recent shipment of the 18-foot Smart Yankee Dryer Cylinder, the last major component of the project, marks the conclusion of a strategic stage of the supply and brings the project closer to the beginning of the commissioning and start-up activities, which will be coordinated by the HERGEN team.
POL-MAK, located in Batorowo, near Poznań, is recognized for low-basis-weight bathroom tissue, double- and triple-ply products, as well as napkins and other sanitary papers for local converting operations. This investment reinforces the company’s strategy to expand its production autonomy and further strengthen its competitiveness in the tissue segment.
Learn more about the project
The new PM#2, fully supplied by HERGEN, was developed to meet high standards of productivity, operational stability and paper quality. The second PM suppplied by Hergen will produce papers in the 15-25 g/m² range, optimized for special Papers. Designed to operate at speeds of up to 2,000 m/min, with a sheet width of approximately 2,920 mm, the supply scope includes stock preparation, approach flow, forming section with Crescent Former, press section, drying system and rewinder, in addition to engineering services and specialized technical support.
Among the project’s main highlights is the 18-foot Smart Yankee Dryer, built in steel and featuring a grooved internal surface.
Productivity with responsibility
Integrated into the HERGEN ECOPerformance, concept, the new PM#2 was designed to combine productivity, energy efficiency and sustainability.
In tissue machines, both the approach flow and drying process account for a significant share of total energy consumption. With this in mind, energy efficiency was considered from the very beginning of the project through the adoption of the Double Dilution Concept in the approach flow system. This configuration allows the use of smaller pressure screens, providing improved overall energy efficiency while also ensuring better stock consistency control, superior sheet quality and enhanced CD profile control, essential requirements for premium tissue grades and high-speed machines.
In addition, the use of the steel Smart Yankee Dryer, combined with HERGEN’s optimized drying concept, provides higher heat transfer and better utilization of available thermal energy, reducing specific energy consumption per ton produced. The Yankee’s grooved internal surface further increases heat exchange efficiency, enabling higher drying capacity and directly contributing to lower energy consumption and associated CO₂ emissions, without compromising machine performance or paper quality.
Next steps
With the shipment of the last major component completed, the project now advances to its field phase.
The commissioning and start-up activities coordinated by HERGEN are expected to begin soon, mobilizing multidisciplinary teams and all the experience accumulated by the company in international tissue projects.
The expectation is to repeat the track record of fast start-ups and safe stabilization that characterizes HERGEN projects around the world.
HERGEN and POL-MAK: excellence in every sheet
