In February, the Japanese Voith Paper company Voith IHI Paper Technology Co., Ltd., received the "Energy Conserving Machinery Award 2011" from the Japanese Minister of the Natural Resources and Energy Agency for the DF Coat product. This prize is awarded annually by the Japan Machinery Federation (JMF), a national organization representing Japan�s machine and engineering industry. With the award, JMF honors products that save energy in industrial machines. In 2011 JMF selected 13 products which are especially energy-conserving � among them the DF Coat from Voith. The selection committee assessed the actual energy savings data of each nominated product by visiting end users and analyzing performance during operation. With current projects, DF Coat saves approx. 80% in energy compared to the predecessor model.

DF Coat is a standard unit from Voith for direct coating of the paper web. Development of the product started more than 20 years ago in Japan. With the coating method used with the DF Coat - the curtain coating - the paper sheet undergoes no mechanical stress, resulting in outstanding running characteristics. Compared to other coaters, a better coverage of the paper web and a higher dry content are achieved. This reduces costs for the paper manufacturer and increases paper quality.

Voith Paper is a division of the Voith Group and the leading partner to and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-saving products to reduce the use of energy, water, and fibers.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transportation & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs almost 40,000 people, generates € 5.6 billion in sales, operates in about 50 countries around the world and is today one of the biggest family-owned companies in Europe.