"With the knowledge and experience of the Honeywell team, we have achieved production targets on time and at high quality levels. In fact, we were able to produce high-quality paper right from the first reel after startup."
DI Reinhold Hochegger, Line Manager, Sappi Fine Paper, Gratkorn Mill
Sappi Fine Paper’s Gratkorn mill installed a complete process automation system based on Honeywell’s Experion® Process Knowledge System (PKS) and Da Vinci™ Quality Control System (QCS). The mill has received the following benefits:
Sappi Fine Paper is the world's leading producer of coated fine paper with manufacturing assets in North America, Europe and South Africa. The company's main product line is high-quality, branded coated fine paper. Sappi also supplies uncoated graphic and business paper, coated and uncoated speciality paper, and casting release paper used in the manufacture of artificial leather and textured polyurethane applications. Its customers in 100 countries include leading printers, publishers and designers.
The Sappi Gratkorn mill has one of the largest and most advanced coated fine paper production lines in the world. The integrated mill is situated either side of the River Mur near Graz, Austria. It has been designed to make superior quality paper at top productivity levels.
Sappi’s Gratkorn mill wanted to improve production performance and paper quality to maintain its leadership in the marketplace. The mill needed a solution to help ensure the production and quality levels meet customer requirements now and into the future. This required a solution that enabled better access to production information in a timelier manner for greater analysis and better decision making.
The Gratkorn mill has a long record of continuous improvement in its manufacturing and environmental activities, and was looking for an automation solution provider that could meet its high expectations for on-time delivery and service to minimize business risk.
Sappi Fine Paper analyzed a number of suppliers but chose Honeywell to provide the process automation and quality control solutions it was looking for.
Sappi and Honeywell quickly formed a project team to ensure delivery was thoroughly planned and executed on schedule. The automation project included replacement of all quality control, process control and sectional drive systems.
The process control system was migrated from an old Alcont control platform to Honeywell’s Experion. With Experion, the Sappi mill is now running the process using the knowledge to support improvements to process control, operator efficiency and overall mill performance.
Sappi’s old QCS system was upgraded to Honeywell’s Da Vinci QCS. Da Vinci provides mill staff with a broad range of advanced quality measurements (scanning and non-scanning), control functions and complete cross-directional actuator systems. Da Vinci and Experion form a true process automation solution to produce top quality at the highest production rates possible.
"The replacement of the QCS system was executed during a scheduled maintenance shutdown in good cooperation with the local Honeywell project and service team," said DI Reinhold Hochegger, Line Manager, Sappi Fine Paper’s Gratkorn mill. "A challenge was the time window given by Sappi to replace the process control system with the new Experion system during the 14-day shutdown. During this time window, 14,000 I/O points had to be checked, new software loaded, 22 operator stations installed and all functions tested for a smooth startup of the complete production line. We did it with support from Honeywell."
With Da Vinci, the Sappi mill now has access to the industry’s most comprehensive suite of online sensors, combined with fast scanner and data processing speeds to deliver precise, high-resolution measurements. Da Vinci’s production reports and process analysis displays provide instant visibility to the efficiency of the paper machine and the quality of the paper that is being produced.
"The team, which included Honeywell engineers and Sappi operators, has done an excellent job delivering the project," said Karl Weiss, Automation Manager, Gratkorn mill. "Even with the tight time schedule, Honeywell was able to have the system ready for production and the entire production line started up one day ahead of schedule."
Da Vinci™ is a trademark of Honeywell International Inc. Experion® is a registered trademark of Honeywell International Inc.