ANDRITZ SPECTRUM Podcast

Cooking and fiberline processes are much like conducting an orchestra – dozens of variables must work in perfect harmony. Chip quality, liquor composition, time, temperature, washing efficiency, and bleaching stages all interact to make the final product. Traditionally, long manual test delays, raw material variability, and limited online measurements have forced mills to operate conservatively. T...

The Through-air Drying (TAD) process has been well accepted across the tissue industry as a major breakthrough in terms of final product quality; however, the process is notoriously known for its excessive energy demands. ANDRITZ has come to the rescue with the ATAD concept, which is set to revolutionize the energy-intensive demand of TAD production. ANDRITZ has tackled the TAD energy challenge he...

Panelboard producers have a major challenge when balancing fiber quality, energy consumption, and raw material efficiency. Since 80% of the board is wood fiber, any small variation in fiber length or width has a huge impact on the final product. Traditionally, quality checks are done offline and intermittently, meaning operators had to rely on experience rather than data. The biggest challenge is...

Maximizing efficiencies and flexibility on paper machines is essential in the highly competitive market of paper and board production. Producers are now actively looking for flexibility in new machine lines or alternatively have reached the limit of their existing forming technology. ANDRITZ‘s PrimeForm TW Shoe-Blade GapFormer provides a highly flexible solution that enables strength and formation...

One of the toughest challenges in the production of nonwovens is maintaining product uniformity at high speeds. Issues like the 'smile effect,' where fiber accumulates on the edges of the mat, lead to quality losses and wasted material. Producers are also under pressure to cut costs, save fiber, and reduce manual interventions, all while meeting sustainability goals such as lowering energy usage a...

ANDRITZ recently acquired Diamond Power International, a global company which brings a large range of complimentary cleaning products and services to boiler operators in the pulp, paper and power industries. The company has been supplying specialist boiler cleaning services for over 100 years, and has a comprehensive portfolio covering boiler cleaning systems and process optimization tools includi...

The tissue industry is driven by high-speed production, fast grade changes, and constant pressure to reduce waste and energy use. However, many mills struggle with visibility and knowing exactly where and why losses happen. From sheet breaks and quality deviations to energy and fiber overuse, hidden inefficiencies cause losses everyday. ANDRITZ addresses this challenge with an integrated portfolio...

As demand for quality wood chips increases at pulp mills across the globe and the sourcing of logs in some regions becomes more difficult, the wood chip side stream at sawmills can often be a significant revenue source. This means sawmill operators have a genuine opportunity to fill the gap by supplying wood chips to pulp mills. However, top quality chips are key. To ensure the production of quali...

Today’s pulp mills are operating under intense pressure to be more sustainable, more efficient, and more reliable. One of the biggest challenges is dealing with process variability. These include fluctuations in raw material quality, changing production demands, and complex chemical dosing requirements. These issues not only affect the stability of the operation but also drive up costs and reduce...

ANDRITZ recently acquired A.Celli Paper, an Italian company with extensive experience in tissue, paper and board machinery and services. The company offers turnkey tissue plants and tissue machines including key components and services, as well as winders, unwinders, and rewinders, and packaging solutions for all kinds of tissue, paper, and board production. The company operates in more than 60 co...

With rising pressures to reduce costs and increase productivity, paper manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to improve all aspects production. Inefficiencies in the stock preparation stage can lead to high costs, poor fiber yield, and inconsistent quality in the paper making process. The challenges are compounded by raw material variations, unexpected breakdowns, and a lack of real-time d...

Yes they can! With the ANDRITZ OCCasion program, existing mill operators can benefit from customized solutions tailored exactly to their own mills’ needs with the goal of improving efficiency and maximizing profitability. The program includes access to the very latest innovations and advanced products to optimize production processes. ANDRITZ OCC experts work with customers on improving fiber yiel...

The often used saying “what you put in is what you get out” is very true when it comes to the mechanical pulping process (TMP). Good quality chips are essential for efficient and profitable production, as well as high quality paper products. Chip pretreatment is a crucial stage in the TMP process as it sets the foundation for effective fiber separation during the refining process. With the latest...

An average lime kiln at a pulp mill will use up to 75 m3 of heavy oil to produce 450 t/d of burnt lime. This adds up to around 25,550 m3 of fossil fuel use per year. Some mills produce much more burnt lime, up to 1,000 t/d, which represents a significant cost in heavy oil use as well as adding to the mill’s CO2 emission penalties. It is now possible to completely replace fossil fuel burning in the...

The mill is set to produce up to 2.1 million tons per year of high-quality eucalyptus pulp. It is deeply impressive that such a large production site operates unobtrusively and almost silently in the middle of Uruguayan cattle ranching country. Clearly, sustainability and protection of the environment at the mill is a No. 1 priority for UPM. The Paso de los Toros mill is the second of UPM’s pulp m...

The request from Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) owner of Bracell in Brazil was a tough one; to build the world’s largest and greenest pulp mill in the world, and then further, to build a tissue mill right next to the pulp mill located at Lençóis Paulista, São Paulo state, Brazil. And there was more; The pulp mill, Project STAR, would need to switch quickly between kraft and dissolving pulp as the market...

Due to the use of older technology at existing thermo mechanical (TMP) mills, production can significantly suffer with a lack of efficiency and quality in a highly competitive marketplace. Also on the horizon is the rapid decline in the availability of skilled operators. There is no-doubt that these older TMP mills have big challenges going forward. ANDRITZ has been quick to react to these challen...

Out of all the direct costs at a pulp mill, wood raw material represents the highest proportion - as much as half the overall costs. By reducing wood losses, there’s a direct impact to the overall costs. Furthermore, the fiber yield increase gained by improving chip quality, has an even bigger impact on the mill’s profit increase. ANDRITZ has developed a chipping technology that can be customized...

In this episode, we explore the dynamic world of ANDRITZ Paper & Tissue through the eyes of Wojciech Niemczyk, the newly appointed head of sales and applications. With over 27 years of experience in the pulp and paper industry, Wojciech brings valuable insights and fresh perspectives to the team. We discuss Wojciech’s initial impressions of ANDRITZ, where he highlights the company’s advanced techn...

Improved efficiency leads to less overall energy use which in turn means the lowering of carbon footprint. In the search for improvements in white liquor plant operations ANDRITZ has developed a uniquely simplified and ultimately more efficient technology, LimeDry-H, for improved lime mud feeding. The LimeDry-H system has seen a number of improvements including the implementing of a hollow central...

The Pulp & Paper business area at ANDRITZ is the largest business area within the company with an order intake of more than EUR 3 billion and roughly 14,000 employees. This global business area covers the pulp and paper industries, as well as the rapidly growing textile sector. Jarno Nymark has recently been appointed to the Group Executive Board of ANDRITZ and also functions as Business Area Mana...

Welcome to Season 5 of the ANDRITZ SPECTRUM Podcast. We’re back with fresh perspectives, expert insights, and in-depth discussions on the future of our industries. In this season we focus on latest highlights and new developments in automation as well as digital products and solutions, alongside key industry trends and innovations. We’ll explore how advanced automation, smart digital technologies,...

Suzano’s Cerrado pulp project in Mato Grosso do Sul state in mid-western Brazil is progressing well and on schedule to start-up in June 2024. The mill is truly a giant and will be the largest single line eucalyptus mill in the world, producing 2.55 million tons per year of pulp. A project this size obviously involves some challenges, especially with the enormous size of the equipment being supplie...

You can witness the remarkable evolution of servicing and maintenance in the automotive industry when you consider how far it has advanced over the past few decades. Breakdowns by the roadside have become increasingly rare, primarily because vehicle manufacturers have established clear service agreements and schedules to ensure that cars remain on the road. This approach to maintenance has now bee...

Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance, or ESG, as it is more commonly known, has rapidly become a defining factor for investors as they look for companies that have sound environmental performance and social and employment standards. But what does ESG mean when applied to the pulp and paper industry? For producers this means ensuring that sustainable development takes place across the ent...