In just two years, ANDRITZ has launched two completely new machine concepts for tissue producers to provide the very best in technology available for making specialty products with maximum efficiencies. The two concepts, the PrimeLineTEX and the PrimeLineVRT, are now available on the market and can be tested at the ANDRITZ tissue pilot plant in Graz.

Major upgrades and a series of smaller innovations have been incorporated into the new ANDRITZ PrimeFilter D to improve performance and reduce maintenance. The new design includes the latest bagless technology, which is well-proven in over 65 installations to date. The upgraded PrimeFilter D has been well-received already – 15 units have been started up and more orders are being received from leading papermakers.

To avoid unplanned plant shutdowns, it is important to know at an early stage when vital components need to be replaced or maintained. Condition monitoring enables operators to work proactively and keep shutdown time to a minimum.

Reliable measurements from inside the digester. ANDRITZ has teamed up with Savcor, a Finnish technology provider specializing in the use of electrochemistry for corrosion prevention and structural health monitoring, and have together developed a novel method to measure alkali levels inside the digester.

It´s all about the data

Franz Harrer is the director of the ANDRITZ Steel Yankee and Technology Tissue team. He joined ANDRITZ about 13 years ago as a design engineer for tissue and paper machines providing a product development focus early on.

ANDRITZ received an unusual request: The world famous Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna needed help to grate and process raw bamboo into refined flour for its giant pandas Yuan Yuan and Yang Yang. ANDRITZ, of course, accepted the challenge.

ANDRITZ has utilized visual technology, combined it with the latest in digitization methods and created the Metris AVA Recovery Boiler Toolbox, designed to revolutionize the monitoring and managing of critical boiler operations and activities.

ANDRITZ is once again providing opportunities for pulp producers to increase the range of added value bio-products in their product portfolios with its A-ConCrystal™ continuous technology for microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) production. There is still an increasing demand for the use of MCC in several fields of applications, strengthening the position of being one of the fastest growing areas in the use of specialty celluloses.

Running a pulp mill successfully requires that all processes, technology, and equipment work in harmony across the entire system with the whole chain being only as strong as its weakest link. Metris DryQ™ is the new intelligent solution from ANDRITZ, designed for monitoring data from drying systems, helping to strengthen a vital link in the production chain to optimize the drying performance.

Suzano Imperatriz, located in Maranhão, northern Brazil, is one of the new breed of giant pulp mills. The mill has recently undergone a number of improvements including the implementation of a smart bleaching system from ANDRITZ that is making a real difference when it comes to chemical consumption.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world’s industries, shutting down operations and leading to the mass furloughing and laying off of workers and contractors. However, due to its massive importance to the country of Chile as well as to the global pulp and paper industry, Arauco’s MAPA project has continued, although in a much-adapted way.

ANDRITZ is fully aware of what downtime means to its customers in the paper and board industry – however, to keep ahead in a competitive environment, rebuilding, updating, and refurbishing equipment is essential. The secret is to plan well in advance, shut down quickly, get the work done fast, and then be up and running again as soon as possible.

The pulp making process hasn’t inherently changed over the years; however, ANDRITZ has had a lot of success with reinventing processes and technology in and around mills to increase capacity, improve quality, and cut operating costs. The LimeWhite-H White Liquor Disc Filter is another game-changing development.

ANDRITZ continues to service its customers around the world despite the COVID-19 pandemic. However, strict precautions are insisted upon both in our own operations and at our customer sites to ensure the safety of our own personnel as well as of our customers and any people working on or around projects in which we are involved.

Wood, pulp, and paper have long determined the fortunes of the Pöls community in Styria. Here Zellstoff Pöls AG produces longfiber sulfate pulp and kraft papers. With an additional production line based on the exceptional ANDRITZ PrimeLine paper machine, the Heinzel Group site is now focusing more than ever on the world market.

CMPC Biopackaging – Boxboard and ANDRITZ have been collaborating successfully on ramping up mechanical pulp production for a number of years. The mill has gone from strength to strength, increasing capacity, to supply the demanding global market for high-quality, lightweight, folding boxboard.

Stora Enso’s Imatra Mill, located in eastern Finland, is one of the world’s largest producers of liquid packaging board. Now, thanks to the latest ANDRITZ flash drying technology, the mill is also able to fully utilize its BCTMP plant, which can now produce dry pulp for its internal use, as well as for the market.

Due to its perfect climate for fiber growth, Chile has become a major pulp and paper making nation over recent decades, with some of the world’s largest producers now situated in the South American country. ANDRITZ has also grown its base in Chile, and now offers complete equipment sales, project management, service, and maintenance support for its thriving pulp and paper mills.

The recovery boiler smelt spout area is an unwelcoming and potentially dangerous place to work. However, essential regular tasks need to be carried out in the area for efficient and smooth operation of the boiler. A combined team of ANDRITZ design experts and workshop engineers have come up with a smart solution, the Smelt Spout Cleaning System, that enables essential work and maintenance to take place in a harsh environment.

A closer look at the way roll covers, spreader rolls, SMART™ technology and Rezolve predictive analytics improve paper machine productivity, enhance product quality, and reduce operating costs.

In Spectrum, we often have the privilege of reporting on new technological breakthroughs. But in this article about upgrading BM1 at PJSC Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill in Ukraine, that is not so much the focus. The new shoe press and calender from ANDRITZ have brought gains, true, but what was arguably most interesting in this case was …

ANDRITZ recently supplied the very first Bubbling Fluidized Bed (BFB) biomass boiler to the country of Denmark, which will assist in nationwide efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. The new boiler is installed at Helsingør Kraftvarmeværk’s new district heat and power generation plant, which is immaculate in design as well as operation.

Arauco’s MAPA project in Horcones, Chile is now in full swing; the earthmoving and foundation building has almost been completed and the civil works have started. ANDRITZ is a major supplier to the project and has been closely working together with Arauco, which will see the Chilean company become the third largest producer of eucalyptus pulp in the world. Start-up is scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

An innovative concept – ANDRITZ Screen Booster – helps any mill upgrade the performance of its Screen Room. The Booster modules – Basket, Bearing Unit, Rotor, and Dilution Rotor – were created to enhance any of four critical components in a screening system. Any one, or all, of these upgrades can be easily installed on a screen as needed, regardless of the original equipment manufacturer.

Customers confide in us that a major source of pain is being locked into a single automation supplier with a control system that cannot be easily upgraded. Why can’t it be like their smartphone with an App Store where they can download and add functions with ease?

ANDRITZ is regarded as an innovator in developing technologies for the manufacture of premium tissue grades that are in high demand today. Yet the majority of the world’s tissue is produced using conventional dry-creping techniques. To serve this large market, ANDRITZ continually enhances the reliability and performance of its “standard” technology.

Harri Makkonen took over as Arauco MAPA Project Director for ANDRITZ on October 1, 2018. In July 2019, Makkonen moved to Concepción, Chile, together with his family after accepting the demanding challenge of being ANDRITZ Project Director for Arauco’s huge MAPA project. Makkonen’s family includes his wife Susanna and his 18-year-old daughter Matilda. Both support him in every way they can, and Makkonen is delighted to have his family with him in Chile.

ANDRITZ has designed a broad range of high-consistency (HC) refiners to meet the demands of pulp, paper, panelboard, and recycle producers. At the top of the line in terms of throughput and motor power is the TX68 twin refiner.

The downturn in global manufacturing activity during the last year has created a difficult demand environment for many packaging grades. However, this is expected to be relatively short lived, since there are several factors that suggest better times are ahead, once the uncertainty on the manufacturing front eases. Global demand for packaging paper and board should grow 2.4% annually during the next five years, even if conditions remain challenging in 2020.

ANDRITZ is always exploring ways to take the ever-important issues of Health & Safety to new levels. We have recently launched the internationally recognized IOSH Managing Safely courses for all employees engaged in responsible positions within our pulp and paper activities around the globe.

The production area of Turkish specialist nonwovens producer Sapro is more like a group of clinical laboratories than the production hub of one of the world’s largest producers of wet wipes. And it’s not just super clean; the company has embarked on a journey utilizing Metris solutions that will see it become one of the most efficient wet wipe producers in the industry.