HomeSUPPORTINDUSTRIESSOLUTIONSPRODUCTSSERVICESNEWS & EVENTSABOUT USMY ACCOUNT
Powerflute Selects Honeywell Life Cycle Management for Full Plant Automation - Boosting Performance, Efficiency and Quality

“Honeywell’s LCM solution provides us with the most cost-effective method to ensure that our assets were supported and that our technology was kept current and protected from being obsolete while boosting performance and increasing efficiency. In addition, Honeywell’s engineers have worked in constructive cooperation with our own process and automation experts at all group levels creating an unbeatable team.”


Juha Koukka, Managing Director, Savon Sellu Oy, Kuopio
Benefits

As part of a company development program, Powerflute’s Savon Sellu Paper Mill in Kuopio, Finland wanted a way to boost the mill’s production efficiency, decrease energy consumption and improve overall quality management.

Deciding on a complete Life Cycle Management (LCM) solution, the plant turned to Honeywell, a leader in both the subject matter expertise and asset management best practices, for a multi-year, four-phased approach to automate, upgrade and service the mill.

With Honeywell’s LCM solution, Savon Sellu was able to modernize its facility with a complete technology plan and long-term partner who helped manage all its installed assets. Benefits achieved include:

  • Board machine automation upgrade resulting in increased speed of 5.3%, production increase of approximately 6% and moisture profile improvement of 45%
  • Reliable and fast quality measurements and efficient controls have resulted in better and consistent stock quality and increased operational efficiency
  • Additional pulpering plant and pulp dosing automation improved process understanding and operational efficiency with newly integrated interface
  • Board machine automation enabled energy savings with centralized control strategy and improved reliability and maintenance
  • New actuators and controls for dilution headbox enabling improved quality and CD weight profile and easier operation
Background
Powerflute Oyj is a holding company which, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Savon Sellu Oy, operates a paper mill near Kuopio, Finland, and manufactures a specialized high-quality grade of semi-chem fluting called nordic semi-chem fluting (known as "Powerflute™").

The fluting is made primarily from birch wood sourced from Finland and Russia and is used mainly to manufacture boxes for fresh and frozen produce. Other applications include the packaging of electrical goods and agricultural products and heavy duty packaging for automotive products. Key customers comprise corrugated board and packaging manufacturers including leading manufacturers in the sector. The majority of the company’s sales are in Western and Southern Europe with Spain, Italy, Turkey and Greece accounting for approximately 50 per cent of the total sales in 2006. Asia also represents a fairly significant market for the Group and in 2006, the Group commenced sales to the US market.
Challenge
At the Powerflute Savon Sellu facility the equipment and systems of the board machine date back to the 1960s. A mixed compilation of legacy hardware from more than 40 years ago and more recent software solutions provided a challenge to the outdated mill. The challenge the mill faced was to transfer the board machine to the era of modern automation in the production control and quality control and to eliminate the bottle necks of the production. “Our main goal was to improve the end product quality but also increase the production capacity,” said Juha Koukka, Managing Director, Savon Sellu Oy.
Solution
Powerflute turned to Honeywell, a leader in paper quality solutions and overall life cycle management. After reviewing the challenges the company faced and the goal of wanting to improve productivity and performance, Honeywell wanted to provide a modernization upgrade plan and a risk-free way to help manage the company’s assets long-term.

With Honeywell’s LCM solution, Powerflute’s Savon Sellu mill was provided with a single, multiyear service support agreement based on the site’s needs. The LCM agreement includes automation systems and solutions, basic planning, electrification, field and automation engineering. “We selected Honeywell’s proven solution because of the predictability, reduced risk, increased liability and obsolescence protection that the company afforded us,” continued Koukka.

Powerflute’s Savon Sellu mill worked with Honeywell to complete a four-phase, multiyear project that included the following:

Phase I – The first phase of the project included the delivery of an automation upgrade to the board machine. Honeywell installed the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS), the Da Vinci quality control system and a Devronizer steambox in the mill’s board machine.

The control solution measures moisture, thickness and the basis weight, supervises the MD quality controls, and optimizes the CD profiles. “After having been in operation almost one and a half years, we’ve seen great increases in both the production volume and machine speed as well as a more than 45 percent improvement in the moisture profile,” continued Koukka.

Phase II – In the second phase of the project, Honeywell’s Experion PKS automation system installed in the board machine was extended and the additional pulpering plant and pulp dosing processes were integrated into the system. During this phase Honeywell demonstrated an improved process understanding, new integrated interface and improved field instrumentation and organization.

Phase III – The third phase focused on the board machine automation extension covering the main part of the stock preparation and blending, short circulation and drying section machine controls and automation. Within the LCM agreement Honeywell also updated the board machine process flow diagrams and converted them into an electrical form, which will enhance process management and updates, maintenance and safety procedures.

Phase IV – In phase four, Honeywell will deliver within the LCM agreement the actuators and their controls for the headbox to be installed at the Savon Sellu mill. The goal is to improve the management of the moisture and basis weight profile and to increase the board machine productivity.

With Honeywell’s unmatched 30-year history of continuous evolution and migration, customers like Powerflute can partner with a supplier who has proven that they can support plant assets for decades to come.
Log In
Search

  Advanced Search
Contact Us
Contact Honeywell Process Solutions
Download
Download the PDF version of this Success Story