ANDRITZ'S DIGITAL VISION IN ACTION

At ANDRITZ, digitalization starts with a simple question: What does the customer actually need? “AI is a tool, not a solution in itself,” says Rohitashwa Pant, Group Chief Automation Officer. “We focus on making it concrete – on turning it into something useful.” This philosophy is part of a broader vision that places digitalization at the heart of our strategy. By transforming both customer-facing solutions and internal operations, we embrace digitalization as a driver of efficiency and sustainability.

DIGITAL EVOLUTION: FROM INTERNAL EXCELLENCE TO CUSTOMER VALUE

By prioritizing internal digitalization with tools like Microsoft Copilot, we’re streamlining operations and automating routine tasks such as data entry and reporting. This empowers our employees to focus on innovation and strategic initiatives. 

“It’s about creating an environment where people can think creatively and make a bigger impact,” says Jaakko Virevesi, Group Chief Information Officer. This internal transformation not only enhances our operational efficiency but also enables us to deliver better digital solutions to our customers while maintaining agility in rapidly evolving industries.

METRIS: DIGITAL MONITORING DRIVES REAL-WORLD SUSTAINABILITY

Central to this approach is the Metris All-in-One platform – a modular, open suite of applications designed to address complex manufacturing challenges. With 50+ plug-and-play apps, it improves production quality, tracks performance, and simplifies processes. “Our goal is to integrate seamlessly into customers’ ecosystems, not create closed systems,” Pant explains.

The platform delivers real-world results. In Brazil, it reduced pulp mill downtime, enhanced reliability, and cut emissions. In mining, Metris Digital Twins – virtual replicas that simulate real-time operations and enable predictive optimization – boosted output by 40% while lowering environmental impact by 50%.

SACALING FOR THE FUTURE

“One of the biggest challenges industries face, explains Rohitashwa Pant, is knowing where to start.” Metris offers them transparency: the monitoring of critical parameters like energy use and production bottlenecks, helps them to make more informed decisions in less time – reducing waste, optimizing the use of energy, and shrinking their environmental footprint in the process. The platform also drives scalability: by offering AI-driven modular features that can adapt to a variety of customer needs, Metris allows industries to access cutting-edge solutions as easily as they would download an app.

THE NEXT FRONTIER: AUTONOMOUS FACTORIES

ANDRITZ’s approach to autonomy adapts to customer preferences – whether maintaining human oversight or enabling fully automated processes. Solutions like Metris act as virtual assistants, providing insights to make factories more efficient and address workforce challenges, as successfully showcased at the Suzano pulp mill in Brazil and with the industry’s first autonomously operated logyard cranes at Metsä Fibre in Finland. Over the next few years, we aim to scale autonomous systems across pulp and paper, mining, and battery production, paving the way for more adaptable and sustainable industries.

SOLUTIONS THAT LAST

By treating AI and automation as tools to solve real problems, we’ve created a digital ecosystem that delivers measurable results. “We focus on what matters – helping our customers achieve their goals in smarter, more sustainable ways,” says Pant.