Displaying items by tag: abb

ABB’s appointment by Voith to deliver end customer electrification package enables SCA to transform kraftliner production capabilities at Swedish pulp and paper mill

ABB has been contracted by machine supplier Voith to deliver drives and electrification to support the build of SCA’s new kraftliner machine PM2 at its Obbola mill in Umeå, Sweden.

The contract is in addition to an automation and control system upgrade based on the ABB Ability™ System 800xA distributed control system (DCS), drives and instrumentation package that SCA awarded to ABB for the brownfield expansion, complementing ABB’s existing installed base and long-standing service agreement.

The installation of a new machine, infrastructure and optimized capabilities means that SCA’s annual production at Obbola will increase from the current 450,000 tonnes of kraftliner to 725,000 tonnes. The feat of bringing a brand new, large and wide machine online will meet the growing demand for renewable packaging with higher production capacity and efficiency.

“Increased focus on sustainable packaging and e-commerce is boosting demand for high-quality packaging paper,” said Per Strand, Project Director at SCA. “The new machine from Voith and the associated ABB product selection will allow substantial increases in production and will allow the Obbola mill to meet increased market demands.”

Voith, as a full-line supplier, is taking responsibility for the entire papermaking process and project handling of the new Obbola mill. ABB’s scope includes sectional drives suitable for high power and high power density machines as well as specialized motor requirements, ABB Ability ™ System 800xA drive control system with ABB Ability ™ Data Logger tool and Safety PLC solution for the drive system safety functions.

“This contract allowed the opportunity to demonstrate ABB’s willingness to share a project scope with OEMs like Voith and serve the end customer in a way that harnesses our local presence and global know-how,” said Per-Inge Bengtsson, Sales Manager for ABB Pulp & Paper, Sweden.

“We are able to work closely with contracted parties to offer a more agile management style that enables us to better mitigate risks and balance expectations for both the OEM and customers.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

Niko Lahtinen, Paper Machine Drives Business DriverAuthNiko Lahtinen

Forest industry operations rise or fall on system reliability and energy efficiency. Traditionally, geared drive motors have been the workhorse of pulp and paper mills, and thousands are still in place globally. In many ways these are simple designs, however they come with complexities and limitations due to a number of moving parts. Maintenance requirements are typically high to ensure reliability and availability, but over 20-30 years deterioration is inevitable.

A gearless direct drive motor system, such as those available from ABB, bring benefits and savings to the user, particularly when it becomes a ‘connected drive’ through digital solutions. These direct drive systems are based on a permanent magnet motor and connect directly to the production equipment without a gearbox. ABB has developed and delivered this technology to more than 60 pulp and paper mills around the world and several advantages have been identified from seeing direct drive systems in action. These are energy efficiency, precise torque control, reliability, safety and security, lower engineering costs and reduced maintenance.

Nuts and bolts

Removing the gearbox from the equipment set-up and replacing its functions with a modern, fit-for-purpose alternative coupled directly to the paper machine has proven to be practical and efficient. A gearbox suffers from energy losses during mechanical movements, which means higher energy consumption. When the drive is directly attached to the production machine using the permanent magnet technology, energy consumption is reduced.

The main advantage of this direct drive access is that it is gearless. When there are no gears, the motor speeds are lower. This way, a much longer service life can also be expected from the bearings. In ABB motors these last up to 200,000 hours or approximately 23 years in operation. The system is reliable right from the start and remains this way throughout its lifecycle, reducing electricity consumption and reaching high horsepower at low voltage.

Due to the permanent magnet motor, stator current is not needed for rotor magnetization, which further increases energy efficiency. This system has energy savings of around five percent compared to conventional induction motors. This is significant when the lifecycle of 20-30 years is also considered.

The permanent magnet technology combined with ABB's patented direct torque adjustment (DTC) mean it is possible to achieve high torque at low speeds. The specific energy efficiency achieved and the wide range of torques separate ABB's direct-use solution from those of other manufacturers. ABB's solution includes motors with over 50,000 Nm of torque.

AC-powered permanent magnet motors have proven high performance over a wide speed range of approximately 200-600 rpm. Reliability is simply increased by the fact that they have fewer moving parts. Moreover, ABB's patented DTC solutions do not require any pulse sensors for precise speed control, which improves reliability.

ABB enables connected drives by going gearless

Data drives higher performance  

Paper mills have the potential to gain a deeper understanding of drives system performance when digital monitoring services are applied to collect and analyze data. Paper Machine Drives Performance is an ABB Ability™ service that captures and continuously updates performance indices to provide maintenance and production teams with up-to-date drive performance status, advanced warnings on potential failures and predictive root cause insights.

Runnability and quality improve with better coordinated drive control performance while availability increases through predictive monitoring. Providing a digital twin of the system, it can assess the number of deviations or errors impacting performance and can be used to define limits to form predictive alerts. With better root cause analysis mill operators can focus their attention where it is most critical, resulting in improved runnability and high drive reliability.

A clear vision of the future

ABB launched direct drives more than 20 years ago, with energy efficiency essential. Today, direct access technology still provides an excellent opportunity for forest industry operators to improve productivity and achieve significant energy savings.

Digitalization of the system uses advanced analytics and ABB’s proprietary data analytics tools. These are available via an operator-friendly interface and dashboards, and customers can receive industry-proven expert support and advice from ABB.

Overall, safety, security and maintenance risks can all be lowered through the use of direct drives and associated digital solutions. With fewer components configurations are straightforward and installations easier, with the floor area of the factory also more efficiently used. There are also fewer consumable parts which also reduces requirements for spare parts stocks. As mechanical gears and pulse sensors are not required, this reduces the amount of equipment and space needed. Subsequently, this means lower installation and commissioning times.

ABB's direct drives design focuses on energy efficiency and an economical set-up, which creates value for customers. The system fulfils all necessary functions while minimizing energy losses and enabling cost-effectiveness throughout the system's lifecycle.

RAK Mill, Indonesia, signs new ABB contract as part of digital transformation project to help achieve its highest ever production.

ABB has won a first order for its recently-launched Sheet Break Performanceas part of a major digital transformation project at PT. Riau Andalan Kertas mill (RAK) in Indonesia, part of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited.

ABB is a long-standing digital transformation partner to RAK, helping the papermaker to reach its optimization goals and improve paper machine runnability, with the end objective to move from diagnosis to prediction and eventually prevention measures. The mill has recently reported achieving its highest ever annual paper production.

RAK had experienced a high number of sheet breaks and wanted to better understand the causes. ABB started with base level control tuning and Paper Machine Fingerprint and is implementing recommended actions, all delivered via Collaborative Operations, to enable RAK to reach the next level.

Sheet Break Performance is the latest addition to several other ABB Performance Services, including Wet End Control and Paper Machine Drives Performance, at the mill. The site is capable of producing up to 2.8 million tons of pulp and 1.15 tons of paper per year.

“ABB was the natural digital partner for our ambitious mill transformation, and we have complete confidence in their vision to help us to accurately diagnose sheet breaks and move up the curve to a more predictive approach to operations,” said Mr Clinton Vught, RAK BU Manager. “The digital transformation journey that we have been on with ABB has so far enabled us to increase overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and set a new output record. With our mill being one of the top five most efficient pulp and paper mills in the world, sustainability is equally important to us, so we look forward to using ABB’s Sheet Break Performance to enhance our operational performance while fulfilling our ambitious sustainability goals.”

“The RAK operators desired to improve OEE by reducing web breaks,” said Ramesh Satini, Product Manager at ABB. “We recommended following our three-phase methodology that first benchmarks performance followed by a systematic implementation of solutions that would address any uncovered issues. Digital services were implemented to sustain and further improve the performance in key areas with remote support made possible via Collaborative Operations. The customer’s positive approach and confidence to try new digital solutions has enabled them to make signficant headway in reaching their end goal.”

With automatic curation and contextualization of multiple data points into an intuitive user interface, Sheet Break Performance enables immediate diagnosis and action. RAK will further benefit from root cause analysis within a minute after the break happens, and operators will get alerts when a break is imminent in order to take corrective actions sooner.

The system’s connected service element in addition to its operational and process variability analyzer modules will help the mill achieve the ‘golden run’ by finding planned operational times to run the machine, further contributing to their objectives of increased EBITA, runnability and availability.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

New features on ABB’s Color Control for QCS800xA take guesswork out of color control and help customers reach shade targets faster

ABB has launched its latest generation of Color Control with new features that improve overall quality and enable faster color matching, making it easier for operators of all levels to match specifications and eliminate the guesswork normally associated with shading.

ABB’s upgraded automated Color Control for QCS800xA is a powerful tool for paper mills that make colored board, paper and tissue products – from whites and pastels to dark shades – to help reduce color variability, dye usage and costly rejects associated with off-shade production.

The system utilizes the full power of ABB’s unique High-Performance Color Measurement – the first LED-based continuous color measurement device on the market – and combines it with the fastest Multivariable Color Control to establish full shade property insight and traceablity. It stabilizes sheet color faster by using control algorithms, based on advanced models rooted in the Kubelka-Munk theory of paper coloring.

The new functionalities build on a renowned control package, particularly when it comes to more powerful shade change capabilities, including improved dye state visualization, shade change selection and boost control. It features an enhanced operator user interface for faster responsiveness, with less system lag, improved data graphic interactions and faceplate control-state and interlock-condition awareness.

Designed for customers already using ABB’s High Performance Color Sensor and those considering a new/replacement color sensor for Smart Color, this is an important tool for mills facing a challenge in Color Management, whether that be reaching shade targets, facing excessive recalls or reject levels, or spending too much manual resource on color management.

“Our latest innovation in color measurement and control capability allows mills to benefit from a robust and smart system that delivers the best color in all operating conditions,” said Carl-Magnus Tjeder, Global Product Manager at ABB. “Because it only requires one calibration for each dye, which is integrated into the dye management handling system, it also places fewer demands on operators to intervene manually, leaving more time for other, more pressing tasks.”

ABB’s system capability makes for even higher color property awareness because of the higher sampling rate for control. If paired with ABB’s latest color measurement, it provides feedback control with a high signal to noise ratio, hence feedback error is reduced and less noise is fed back through the controller, achieving truer color process control and less noise influence.

ABB in pulp and paper is working in more than 50 countries to provide its comprehensive portfolio of integrated digital solutions, automation and electrification systems, industry-focused products and services to help customers optimize all phases of the papermaking process. The company works across packaging, paper, tissue and pulp disciplines to help drive availability, performance, cost and quality improvements.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

Innovative tour to showcase ABB’s cutting-edge mill solutions and vision of operational excellence for the paper mill of the future

ABB has announced its European Pulp and Paper Tour, which will officially launch on June 9 at ZELLCHEMING, Germany, a virtual event organized by the European Pulp & Paper Industry Association.

ABB’s interactive experience will offer papermakers the opportunity to experience a fully automated, optimized and connected mill setting, complete with laboratory, operator and paper machine environments onboard a custom-designed truck. A virtual tour is currently an option, with ABB offering customers the chance to have the experience physically at their mills or facilities across Europe when COVID-19 restrictions allow.

Whether virtually or during a visit, customers will get a glimpse of ABB’s vision of the paper mill of the future and experience the latest solutions and insights that will help them to operate their mills to the highest quality standards.

Process measurement sensors, L&W Autoline, components of the ABB Ability™ Quality Management System including a scanner frame, actuators, and web inspection solutions, and demonstrations of ABB Ability™ Management Execution System are all available. The entire integrated package is controlled by the ABB Ability™ System 800xA Extended Operator Workplace (EOW), which integrates with Paper Machine Drives and many other advanced solutions.

Local ABB country teams will take it in turns to host the virtual tour, with Germany the first in June, followed by countries in Central Europe over summer. The tour will include Northern and Southern European countries in the months ahead. The truck will eventually take to the road to bring ABB’s portfolio of integrated pulp and paper technologies and products to customers in the form of a travelling showcase.

“This is a seminal moment for the pulp and paper industry. Now more than ever, it is imperative that papermakers look to maximize output of the highest quality and increase productivity in the most cost-effective manner,” said Joachim Braun, Division President, Process Industries at ABB. “Our virtual and in-person tours will emulate a real mill setting in a way that has never been done before, showcasing not only the innovations that ABB can offer now, but also in the future.”

“Whilst we miss seeing our customers face-to-face, bringing them a virtual experience that is authentic and informative in a safe and effective manner is the next best thing until COVID-19 rules eventually allow us to visit customers across Europe,” said Paul Goss, Head of Global Sales for Pulp & Paper, ABB. “The choice of this virtual experience allows us to put our customers in the hotseat as paper mill operators of the future, showcasing our vision of what’s possible in a truly innovative way.”

Customers are invited to book an appointment by sending a request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information see the European Pulp & Paper Tour webpage.

Technologies include:

ABB Ability^TM suite - a suite of pulp and paper digital solutions that utilize mill data to visualize trackable KPIs on a user-friendly dashboard to optimize mill performance

ABB Ability^TM Management Execution System - applications from order management through production planning and quality management to provide the efficiency and transparency needed to optimize production

Control room solutions - human-centered control room design puts focus on the operator for safer and faster operations

Fully integrated control system - ABB Ability^TM System 800xA demo integrates distributed control system (DCS), quality control systems (QCS), safety and paper machine drives control functionality into one single operator interface for a wholistic view of the process.

Advanced Process Control (APC) solutions - large portfolio of APC applications, such as Wet End Control, that help stabilize and optimize process performance

Process imaging suite - web imaging and web monitoring systems that enable operators to effectively troubleshoot operational issues, reduce cost, increase machine efficiency, and improve product quality

Automated paper and board testing - ABB L&W Autoline reduces testing variation and measurement uncertainty

Process measurements - innovative solutions for accurate measurement and process optimization

ABB Ability™ Manufacturing Execution System for pulp and paper to be implemented across Sappi's production assets worldwide

ABB has been selected by Sappi Limited to support a major digital transformation project across its global manufacturing footprint in Europe, North America, and South Africa.

The rollout of ABB’s Ability™ Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for pulp and paper will be a key focus in the digital transformation across Sappi’s entire production fleet. The project has begun and will extend over several years.

The implementation of ABB Ability™ MES, specifically designed for pulp and paper process optimization, will enable the improvement of Sappi’s Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) through optimized production planning and execution. Project goals also include making better use of materials and inventory, reducing costs of production and ownership, and reducing its environmental impact by increasing its sustainability performance.

Sappi’s own IT teams will be able to deploy the solutions either collaboratively with ABB or independently in some cases, maximizing user acceptance and supportability. This will also enable Sappi to contribute to the continued innovation of their MES platform.

“For Sappi this is a key global IT initiative that will drive alignment with our Thrive25 Vision, putting in place state-of-the-art systems that will allow Sappi to thrive as the future unfolds,” said Jeff Wright, Project Director and North American CIO for Sappi. “We have partnered with ABB because of their demonstrated commitment to the pulp and paper industry, their proven technical solutions and worldwide team, as well as their clear strategies for future investment and improvement in their MES solutions.”

“ABB’s commitment to a collaborative partnership with Sappi, which supports our desire to innovate for operational performance not only during this multi-year implementation but thereafter, was also key to our decision to choose ABB.”

“We are pleased to be supporting Sappi on their digital transformation journey that will help them realize their operational goals,” said Steve St. Jarre, Global Business Development Manager at ABB. “Our MES will provide transparency across the value chain, and includes optimization of material flow within the pulp mills. We are proud to be Sappi’s chosen partner and provide the traceability needed to enable Sappi to produce the right quantity and quality of any product at the lowest cost, for optimized operations.”

ABB is working in more than 50 countries to provide its comprehensive portfolio of integrated digital solutions, automation and electrification systems, industry-focused products and services to help customers optimize all phases of the papermaking process. The company works across packaging, paper, tissue and pulp disciplines to help drive availability, performance, cost and quality improvements.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Sappi Limited (SAP: JSE) is a leading global provider of powerful everyday materials made from woodfibre-based renewable resources. Together with our partners, we are quickly moving toward a more circular economy. As a diversified, innovative and trusted leader focused on sustainable processes and solutions, Sappi is powered by the expertise of more than 12,000 people worldwide; with headquarters in four key regions: South Africa, Europe, North America and Asia. Our raw material offerings (such as dissolving pulp, wood pulp and biomaterials) and end-use products (packaging and specialities papers, graphic papers, casting and release papers and forestry products) are manufactured from woodfibre sourced from sustainably managed forests and plantations, in production facilities powered, in many cases, with bio-energy from steam and existing waste streams. Many of our operations are energy self-sufficient. Sappi works to build a thriving world by acting boldly to support the planet, people and prosperity. www.sappi.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

Upgrade at Arauco Licancel Cellulose Plant will deliver increased response times and reliability, while enhancing flexibility for remote working

Global technology company ABB has been contracted by manufacturer of forest products, Arauco, to modernize its Licancel Cellulose Plant in Chile to deliver faster response times, greater cyber security, upgraded operator interfaces, enhanced process reliability and flexibility for remote working.

Arauco will continue to utilize ABB Ability™ System 800xA distributed control system (DCS) and extend its use as the foundation for all operations at the plant. This will be done in two key stages: updating the existing System 800xA to version 6.1 and migrating from older DCS Infi 90 systems to new process communication and termination units to modernize the communications, network and controllers.

Moving to an ABB Ethernet network will allow more flexibility with the control system, enabling remote working and reliability improvements.

This will support Arauco’s process improvement plans for Licancel, its 154,000 ton capacity plant for unbleached kraft pulp (UKP) cellulose located in the Licantén district of Maule region. Arauco is driving sustainable forest management and use of renewable sources across the country through local research and development into technologies to meet these aims.

Following detailed engineering studies, teams from ABB will collaborate with Arauco staff on site to complete the upgrade and system commissioning, resulting in a fully-migrated system and a platform fit for future adaptations and trends.

“This modernization marks a departure from technologies that have been in place since the 1990s,” said Jorge Mesa, Licancel Plant Manager, Arauco. “Having the new, improved distributed control system and applications in place will better equip us to facilitate tackling our additional technological development projects, and achieving our best ever process performance at Licancel.”

“The latest version 6.1 of the ABB Ability ™ System 800xA offers the advantage of improved security, performance and interaction,” said Julio Arellano, Service Group Leader of ABB’s Minerals and Pulp & Paper Plant in Chile. “Operators will be able to quickly identify and respond to faults using new tools and protocols on the modern graphical interface units. Compared to the previous infrastructure, there will be fewer control system uncertainties to overcome, allowing Arauco’s people to focus on what they do best.”

“This project builds on our existing and longstanding relationship with Arauco across its wood pulp and processing portfolio. The renewed activity with Licancel is testament to the quality and service of the original system, which served the plant for more than two decades. Arauco not only entrusted to us the technology involved, but also the integration process.”

ABB is working in more than 50 countries to provide its comprehensive portfolio of integrated digital solutions, automation and electrification systems, industry-focused products and services to help customers optimize all phases of the papermaking process. The company works across packaging, paper, tissue and pulp disciplines to help drive availability, performance, cost and quality improvements.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

Digital sheet break solution provides a root cause analysis within one minute and acts as early warning system in a way not possible with current manual solutions

ABB has released Sheet Break Performance, an ABB Ability™ Performance Service that automatically curates, calculates and contextualizes key data points into an intuitive user interface to reduce the time to identify the root cause of sheet breaks for swift corrective action, while also determining optimal operational parameters to help prevent unplanned downtime.

The digital service quickly pinpoints the underlying issues and recurring trends that prohibit optimum performance in paper mills and specifically addresses pain points such as frequent sheet breaks, long recovery times and increases in paper rejects.

The diagnosis and root cause identification of each sheet break event is traditionally performed manually by operators who often need to access the information from different sources, such as process control systems, drives and quality management systems. This requires the breakdown of data from multiple systems and interactions between process variables, which is time consuming.

ABB’s digital offering, which is built on a powerful combination of a proprietary analytics engine, advanced algorithms and online monitoring , provides a root cause analysis within one minute after the break.

With the ability to monitor the real time variations in the operating parameters as well as the interactions between the various sections of the paper machine, operators are alerted to abnormalities and detrimental changes in the system that could lead to sheet breaks. This serves as an early warning system allowing the operators to take corrective actions and prevent unplanned downtime.

This switch from manual to digital analysis can prove to be a useful stepping stone in a mill’s transformation and can also help to make a mill more sustainable by lowering energy usage, raw material and water footprint while improving fiber recovery. Plus, it reduces safety concerns with operators less frequently having to enter the dryer to extract broken paper.

“ Unlike similar offerings, ABB’s deep process and domain expertise - coupled with an integrated data fusion technique that curates and contextualizes data from multiple sources - provides a holistic view across multiple systems and processes for both customer and ABB experts to better identify root causes of sheet breaks and prevent downtime ,” says Ramesh Satini, Global Product Manager, Pulp & Paper Control Systems, ABB.

“ This overcomes the issue of mills having limited time or resource to manage manual break analysis, which cannot account for correlation among hundreds of process parameters and their impact on each other. ABB guides operations and fast-tracks improvement initiatives with recommended grade-specific parameters and predictive alerts to maximize operational effectiveness. ”

Delivered via the ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations service delivery model, it is fully integrated with ABB Ability™ Analytics framework, with on-premise or cloud deployment options.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

Paperboard producer standardizes operations with ABB’s next generation L&W Autoline for rapid, consistent measurements to ensure long-term process optimization and quality

ABB will provide the paperboard producer Metsä Board with its L&W Autoline automated paper testing solution at five of the group’s mills in Finland: Kemi, Kyro, Simpele, Tako and Äänekoski.

Metsä Board is standardizing its operations with ABB’s L&W Autoline, which has a recently enhanced design that requires less service while increasing uptime. Plus, L&W Autoline measures according to testing standards, minimizing the needs for correlation to lab instruments.

Headquartered in Finland, Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and is taking this step with its continuous assessment of operations, efficiencies and minimizing environmental impacts in mind. The company produces premium lightweight folding boxboards, food service boards and white kraftliners for consumer goods packaging as well as retail-ready and food service applications. ABB’s automated paper testing solution will help the company meet its broader production and sustainable development targets.

ABB and Metsä Board have worked together on numerous projects over the years; this latest group of orders builds on this history of successful collaboration with a solution known to reduce testing time by up to 90 percent compared with manual testing.

“ABB has proven that with this latest technology that they can enable us to reach new levels of performance in our board mills,” said Ville Jokinen, quality engineer at Metsä Board’s Tako mill. “It is with this confidence that we install L&W Autoline across our sites to maximize our investment and achieve the returns in quality and efficiencies, which will help us meet our objectives of using materials and energy resources wisely.”

“We have worked closely with Metsä Board over the years and have helped them achieve and maintain their high quality standards and address their sustainability themes around raw materials and supply chain, products and services, resource efficiency and environmental impacts, and stakeholders and social impacts,” said Per Sandstrom, head of lab and process testing measurements for ABB Pulp and Paper. “L&W Autoline’s ability to quickly deliver results helps to rapidly enable smart decision-making and apply process adjustments to ensure that all quality specifications across these mills continue to be met.”

ABB’s latest L&W Autoline is 10 times faster than manual testing, enabling rapid reduction of off-spec production. Scalable to fit any lab and extremely easy to use, the system incorporates a unique, visual touchscreen interface, requiring minimal training. Other features include the smoothest and most reliable feeding system on the market to minimize jamming; a unique dual test function to reduce queuing by allowing simultaneous testing; high-volume information storage, enabling identification of quality trends over time; and real-time visualization, providing direct feedback to operators on the unit and throughout the mill.

L&W Autoline is part of the ABB Ability™ Quality Management System (QMS) solution suite, ABB’s complete offering for optimizing paper quality. ABB is the market leader in automated paper testing solutions, with experience of helping more than 550 customers to achieve their targets.

For more information about the solution go to new.abb.com/pulp-paper/abb-in-pulp-and-paper/products/lorentzen-wettre-products/automated-paper-testing

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

Classed as one of the most energy-intensive manufacturing sectors, the paper industry has ambitions to achieve climate protection goals while also maintaining competitiveness and long-term employment.

Modellfabrik Papier, founded in Düren, Germany, will bring together players from across the paper industry including ABB, paper producers Essity and Schoellershammer, supplier Voith, and research institute Darmstadt Technical University, with the opportunity for others to participate. Together, this innovation-driven society will develop a model paper factory with the aim to design a more energy efficient and future-proof paper production.

The city of Düren is an example of where this project could have a big impact. Known as the City of Paper, Düren has a long tradition in the industry with a locally embedded supply chain and more than 2,000 people directly employed in the paper industry.

As a contributor in the modern paper mill transformation, specialists from ABB will focus on building digital solutions that deliver real customer value. By leveraging technology, analytics and the deep process expertise developed over decades serving the industry, ABB is well positioned to help the society – and the global pulp and paper industry – improve productivity and efficiency.

“ Automation and digitalization are essential elements for a sustainable future,” said Alexander Fach, Technology Manager, Process Industries, ABB. “As a partner, we will contribute our expertise in these areas to Modellfabrik Papier, turn ideas into new realities and work together with visionaries, engineers and experts to shape the paper industry of tomorrow. We are eager to contribute our domain, analytical and automation expertise to drive the digital transformation of the paper industry.”

Initially drawing on expertise from Germany, the society’s representatives have joined forces to actively shape the development of the model paper factory. The participants aim to fundamentally rethink paper production in whole or in part and identify ways to achieve climate neutral paper production - enabling a transformation that could be replicated globally.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Process Automation: ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.