We are at your Service!

Starting in the pulp and paper industry in the early 90s, Tomi Suikki is responsible for ANDRITZ’s global Pulp & Paper Service Business Area Segment which has more than 100 locations, 70 service centers and manufacturing facilities, manned by nearly 7,000 service experts. ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper Service covers wood processing, fiber and drying, recovery and power, paper, fabrics and rolls, and maintenance. 

With a motto of “work should be fun”, Suikki lives in Kotka, Finland, and counts running and biking as his hobbies. 

Can you provide examples of how ANDRITZ has driven innovation in service product offerings within the industry over recent years?

All our product groups have the target of coming up with two new innovative products every year. This has worked very well, and to date we have released new products that have clearly benefited our customers in the areas of sustainability, safety and improved efficiency. The latest successes now on the market include the Smelt Spout Robot for improved safety in recovery boilers, Smart Series Solutions to bring intelligence to our machines and processes for improved operational performance and our new service cooperation with HolyPoly for recycling used paper machine clothing.

Any exciting developments ANDRITZ is working on in Pulp & Paper Service you would like customers to know about?

As well as acquisitions and innovations, we are also focused on expanding our local capabilities by new service centers around the world. Our latest development is a new service center at Palembang on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, which will be fully operational at the end of the year. This will allow us to service the larger mills on the island as well as provide services to other mills in southeast Asia. Furthermore, early next year, we will open our very modern Três Lagoas service center in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. This is a region where there are a number of large mills located, and we are very excited to have an increased ANDRITZ presence there.

How important is new technology, including digitization and AI, to service operations at ANDRITZ?

Digitalization and AI are central to transforming service operations at ANDRITZ. Customers worldwide use our digital tools to optimize maintenance, monitor equipment health, and boost performance. Spare parts remain a cornerstone, and we’re streamlining global operations by integrating AI into ordering processes for faster, more accurate transactions. This initiative supports our commitment to being a responsive, local partner with global capabilities. Digitalization and AI are strategic enablers of smarter, more sustainable service in the pulp and paper industry.

Can you tell us about the health and safety aspects of your operations?

The service division constitutes of some 9 million working hours per year across our manufacturing and on-site operations, and health and safety are top priorities for us. We rigorously track any incidents and we run a proactive safety culture across all our operations. All incidents, including lost time and near misses, are reviewed globally to ensure shared learning and prevention. Furthermore, we have successfully introduced robotic technology to eliminate personnel having to work in hazardous locations, for example, the smelt deck of the recovery boiler.

How do you ensure quality and consistency in service delivery across different regions and cultures?

We have standardized processes that are implemented worldwide. As defined in our strategy, the fast and successful service is based on our local presence and local know-how. We measure our operational excellence with KPIs like customer satisfaction, and sales and project execution process performance. Quality management is led by a dedicated global quality manager and in all our operations we apply a continuous improvement philosophy.

Can you share your experience of managing such a vast service operation?

Well, I can tell you that every day is completely different! And yes, this is a vast service operation; over the course of a year, we handle over 60,000 quotations for our customers. But the key here is people.

We have dedicated management locally and globally in place who are empowered to handle daily operations and make decisions that matter on the ground for our customers.