Valmet, a global leader in advanced solutions for the tissue converting industry, supports its clients in maintaining optimal and consistent output over time. For years, Valmet has provided an investment protection system through various initiatives, including technological upgrades to ensure constantly updated plants and monitoring and supervising services carried out by its expert technicians.
These services are a definite plus for guaranteeing maximum efficiency in production line operations and ensuring finished products meet highquality standards. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a decision-making and critical tool for assessing the long-term effectiveness of industrial plants and their components to assure continued functionality.
Valmet is committed to reducing TCO by maximizing OEE and integrating technologies and services designed to simplify tissue manufacturing and packaging processes. Several benefits have generated measurable results for clients. In particular, Valmet’s ongoing diagnostic services have significantly increased productivity, enhancing it by 3% to 13%.
For Valmet, ensuring maximum continuity of client operations involves monitoring 3,000 production lines worldwide via its Tissue Performance Center, achieved through either an ongoing diagnostic connection service or on-demand monitoring.
Technological Improvement Programs (TIPs)
Valmet’s TIPs enhance machine availability by minimizing interruptions caused by unexpected damages and maintenance activities. For example, the replacement of electrical cabinets stabilizes and enhances machine performance by up to 20%, eliminating obsolescence and simplifying command interface. Valmet also prioritizes sustainability, efficiency, performance and productivity for its customers through the implementation of around 185 active TIPs and counts 300 standard TIPs in total.
These TIPs can be tailored to the specific needs of tissue companies. There are six TIP macro-categories designed to minimize the environmental impact of production and finished products while ensuring operator safety in compliance with the latest regulations. These activities can range from small machine part enhancements to complete overhauls of entire production lines, often resulting in new registrations and CE markings based on customer requirements.
Valmet’s TIPs definitely aid clients to enhance and simplify operations. Among the many standard TIPs, noteworthy technologies are: Easy Reel Change System, Auto Web Starter, Warm-Up Contactless and Perini 179AX Log Saw.
First and foremost, Valmet’s Easy Reel Change system facilitates faster and safer changeovers in the production of toilet paper, towels and other tissue products, optimizing line productivity and reducing halt periods significantly. This advanced technology offers several benefits:
- Operators can safely prepare new reels in advance, minimizing the risk of injury.
- The system automatically ejects the finished reel and loads new reels in just 90 seconds.
- It seamlessly joins the web of the finished reel with the new reel.
- Centralizes all loading and unloading operations outside the unwinder.
Secondly, Valmet’s Auto Web Starter addresses common issues such as inefficiency, waste, and the potential hazards of manual web thread-up by providing a fully automated solution that simplifies the process through three sequential systems:
- Shuttle: Plastic shuttles and belts replace manual web guidance. Operators weave the web tail into the shuttles, attach them to the belt, and start the automation from the HMI panel.
- Transfer: The web tail is automatically moved from one belt to the next at low machine speeds.
- Re-start: The system detects when the paper is spread, cuts it, and restarts production at full speed.
Excess cut paper is conveyed to a waste bin above the tail sealer for easy disposal. Downtime reduced from 15-40 minutes to just 4 minutes, enhancing both efficiency and safety by preventing operator accidents. Furthermore, the Warm-up contactless system is a hot embossing system which uses induction heating. This technology heats the embossing rolls from the outside with no need for physical contact with the rolls themselves. This innovative approach offers tissue manufacturers several key benefits:
- CAPEX Control: Retrofit on existing embossing units without major impact on machine layout and without replacing or modifying the existing rolls.
- Efficiency: Cuts energy consumption by 60% compared to other heating technologies
- Flexibility: Eliminates the need for piping and modification of embossing rolls with internal heating elements enabling faster roll changeovers and greater opportunities for expanding product mix.
- Simplicity: Ensures easy, quick installation with more efficiency compared to traditional systems, without complex piping and power heater systems. With this technology, switching from cooling to heating production is as easy as pressing a button.
- Safety: Greatly reduces safety risks by eliminating high-temperature liquids.
The streamlined design of Warm-up Contactless, compared to traditional methods, allows the use of less expensive fiber for up to 20% greater roll volume. Additionally, the Perini 179AX log saw introduces automatic blade replacement, enhancing safety and efficiency by eliminating the need for the operator to enter the machine.
With just a touch of a button on the HMI panel or through the Perini Sam Flow smart application, blades can be replaced efficiently and safely. An adaptable TIP has also been developed for existing machines, enabling them to perform automatic blade changes like the Perini 179AX.
Additionally, a “simpler” version is available that reduces blade change time and increases operator safety by allowing the blade to be held with both hands without the need for any tools. Key features include:
- A 4-minute blade replacement process, reducing change time by 90% and downtime by up to 30 minutes per blade change.
- Automatic grindstone interference settings for consistent sharpening.
- Operator safety is enhanced as they remain outside the machine during replacement.
- HMI panel recipes automate blade diameter adjustments.
- The ability to reuse partially used blades for different product sizes.
Valmet’s TIPs also refine the finished product quality by reducing waste, rework and losses in the starting phase. Last but not least, along with TIPs are Valmet’s Self-adjusting Machines which are sophisticated systems that act as virtual line supervisors, focusing on continuous improvement in production efficiencies:
- They aid operators in delivering consistent, high-quality products.
- The system independently adapts the manufacturing process to avoid deviations and slowdowns.
- It monitors variables such as log characteristics, perforation quality, and package quality, making adjustments as needed.
- Reviews final product results in real time and makes autonomous corrections.
- Ensures optimal OEE and extends the life cycle of production assets.
“The general increase of raw materials and energy costs, the optimization of investment, the lack of skilled labor and the challenges generated by an increasingly global and sustainability-oriented sector are encouraging tissue companies to seek ever more scalable solutions – states Ian Arrighi, CS Sales Product Manager from Valmet and concludes: Every day, we ask ourselves what difference a technology leader can make in a mature market. In addition to making Valmet a strategic partner, our unique supply integrates innovative and sustainable technologies, digital services, and covers solutions for the entire value chain, fostering our customers’ competitiveness in terms of product differentiation and profitability over time”.
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