Voith Starts-up New Kraftliner Machine at SCA's Obbola Pulp and Paper Mill in Sweden

In early November, Voith started-up the new PM 2 at SCA's Obbola mill in Sweden. PM 2 has the capacity to produce 725,000 tons per year of high quality kraftliner.

Nov. 28, 2022 - Voith announced that it successfully started-up a new 725,000 tons per year kraftliner machine at SCA's Obbola pulp and paper mill in Umeå, Sweden, earlier this month. The new machine, PM 2, will replace the mill's existing kraftliner machine, PM 1, which currently has the capacity to produce 450,000 tpy of kraftliner.

PM 2 is a Voith XcelLine paper machine that features a design speed of 1,400 meters per minute and a wire width of 10,200 mm. It will produce high-quality kraftliner in a range of basis weights between 100 and 200 gsm.

"Thanks to the excellent cooperation with Voith, the start-up of the most modern kraftliner machine took place ahead of schedule," said Per Strand, Project Director at SCA. "With this high-tech plant, we are setting new standards in the market. We are very pleased to have chosen Voith as our full-line supplier. The highly efficient solutions reduce our resource consumption and enable maximum productivity with the lowest overall production costs."

Voith supplied the complete line and is responsible for all relevant auxiliary systems, from hall ventilation to roll transport, and together with Meri for a highly efficient water and wastewater management system.

PM 2 will be supplemented by a new BlueLine stock preparation system, which is scheduled to replace the existing system next year. According to Voith, the new stock preparation plant will save up to 40 kWh per ton produced compared to conventional plants. In addition, the fresh water requirement is around 30 percent lower than the previous production.

Voith has supported the SCA team throughout the start-up with a comprehensive training program, along with long-term service and efficiency partnership.

To ensure high production line availability, SCA also ordered a spare and wear parts package from Voith and its subsidiary Meri that was perfectly matched to the system. This was delivered in due time before start-up.

"It was very good that we started the spare parts process so early," said Per Asplund, Project Manager at SCA. "Everything went smoothly and efficiently. In addition, the good documentation from the technical teams helped us a lot. Now we have a perfectly matched package that also meets the highest standards in terms of safety."

Intelligent automation and digitalization solutions include a range of applications from the Voith Papermaking 4.0 portfolio are used along the entire paper machine. These include solutions from the OnEfficiency family that significantly increase line efficiency and stabilize product and process quality. SCA also uses applications from the OnCare family to monitor productivity and enable optimization measures to be taken quickly.

Machine availability is also increased by digital services such as the OnCall.Video remote maintenance service. The Voith Paper Webshop enables fast ordering of spare and wear parts as well as services. The digital portfolio is integrated on the Voith IIoT platform dataPARC cloud, which features the highest security standards.

Dr. Michael Trefz, President Projects at Voith Paper, said, "We are very proud to have successfully set up this major project with SCA. The plant sets new standards in terms of resource efficiency, productivity, safety and quality. We were only able to achieve this through our joint commitment, the very good cooperation and the highest demands on both sides. PM 2 shows how the latest technologies in combination with innovative automation and digitalization solutions can lead to significant efficiency advantages."

Voith Paper, part of the Voith Group, is the full-line supplier to the paper industry, providing a wide range of technologies, services, components and products, and offers paper manufacturers solutions from a single source. To learn more, visit: www.voith.com.

SOURCE: Voith Group