ANDRITZ opens remote online customer support center in Kotka

A new control room fitted out with the very latest in digital and IoT technology has opened in Kotka, Finland and is already making an impression across the pulp and paper world. The online Customer Support Center was utilized in two major pulp mill start-ups in recent months, Metsä Group’s Äänekoski in Finland and Fibria’s second pulp production line at Três Lagoas in Brazil. Utilizing the center enabled mill operators and ANDRITZ experts on the ground to collaborate in real time via DCS screens with ANDRITZ experts based in Kotka during the crucial start-up phase.

The center at Kotka is connected in real time to customers wherever they are located in the world. The very latest in Metris IoT tools from ANDRITZ, combined with video wall technology, enable 24/7 support from dedicated experts who view the operation in “read only mode”, allowing vital advice to be given. The new center will be utilized for many different operations at mills, not just start-ups, including production ramp-ups, stabilizing production, and trouble-shooting of technical and process issues.