Digital services optimize production

Through advanced digital services available via ABB Collaborative Operations, ABB's experts in Sweden help customers raise productivity and cyber security. Next step: to complement the digital offering with AI-enabled solutions.

ABB Collaborative Operations brings together digitalization, advanced maintenance and process optimization in order to support ABB's customers. Photo: Jonas Bilberg

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Main facts

Customer BillerudKorsnäs
Country Sweden
Solutions

ABB Ability™ System 800xA

with
Benefits
  • Optimized production
  • Improved productivity
  • Preventing disruptions and production losses
Year
 2019

"This is the future!"

This is how Mathias Nygren, head of the ABB Collaborative Operations Center in Sweden, describes the benefits of connecting advanced digital services, including process control and cyber security, to customer facilities via Collaborative Operations.

"With the help of digitization, we want to help our customers get the most out of their facilities," says Nygren.

Today, more than 40 plants are connected to the center in Sweden and the number is increasing all the time. The technically advanced center is the link between ABB's domain expertise, digitalization,and advanced services. By helping customers with performance optimization and predictive maintenance, our experts at the center help customers increase their productivity and cyber security.

"The key is to fix problems before they arise. Today, our customers carry out continuous maintenance of their equipment, regardless of need. With more information available through digital services, they can take the step of focusing on the equipment that really requires immediate action. For our customers, it frees up time for value-creating work", says Nygren.

Mathias Nygren, head of the Collaborative Operations Center in Sweden.
"The key is to fix problems before they arise. "

A new level of collaboration for BillerudKorsnäs

For BillerudKorsnäs, a leading supplier of renewable materials and smart packaging solutions, the digital services are valuable. Every day, the company produces material for 200 million packaging, so new technology is an important part of the success. But to be at the forefront, collaboration on many levels is required. As part of their service agreement with ABB, BillerudKorsnäs' Gävle mill has its ABB Ability™ System 800xA control system has a connection to services and experts available via Collaborative Operations. 

"We do not have the very specific expertise of the control systems. The Collaborative Operations Center catches up with issues early and gives us access to ABB's expertise. In this way, we prevent disruptions and production losses,” says Andreas Eriksson, service engineer at BillerudKorsnäs.



A secure way to connect to the power of the Industrial IoT
ABB Ability™ System 800xA

Benefiting from system and process expertise

An example of how services delivered via the Collaborative Operations Center adds value to BillerudKorsnäs was highlighted when an alarm was triggered. The alarm indicated that an operator client at BillerudKorsnäs showed abnormal values.

"If I had received that indication myself, I would not have been able to interpret it. ABB's experts in the Collaborative Operations Center analyzed the error and then ABB's service technicians came here and checked the alarm," says Eriksson.

The incident at BillerudKorsnäs is a good example of one of the benefits of Collaborative Operations: immediate access to both system and process expertise. Measuring and analyzing operational performance around the clock, coupled with ABB's global expertise and network of local service engineers, ensures customers quickly and proactively get the support they need.

"Thanks to ABB's knowledge of both the systems and our customers' processes, we can provide value-creating services", says Nygren.



Andreas Eriksson, service engineer at BillerudKorsnäs
"We do not have the specific expertise of the control systems. With access to ABB's experts, we prevent disruptions and production losses”

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

In the near future, the services available via Collaborative Operations will be even more advanced. ABB experts at the Collaborative Operation Center are working closely with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab in ABB Corporate Research. With the focus on development of AI and Machine Learning (ML), ABB's customers will benefit from even more optimization opportunities for their facilities.

"Data and information are prerequisites for applying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Through Collaborative Operations Center we get access to even more data that enables us to develop new advanced AI and ML solutions for our customers, ” says Shiva Sander Tavallaey, AI-Lead for ABB Sweden and responsible for the AI lab.

Nygren adds: "Today, we can monitor, analyze and optimize the customer's facility from the Collaborative Operations Center, and with the help of our knowledgeable service engineers around the country, we can take action on site. When we connect new cutting-edge technology to our services, we can create even higher customer value."


Shiva Sander Tavallaey, AI-Lead for ABB Sweden and responsible for the AI lab
"When we connect AI and ML to our services, we can create even higher customer value"

Collaborative Operations Center

ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations for pulp and paper

ABB's Collaborative Operations Center in Västerås delivers advanced digital services to the pulp and paper industry. The center, which was inaugurated in March 2018, also has deep expertise in the area of Mining, which serves customers all over the world. 

Mathias Nygren, head of Collaborative Operations Center
"ABB's strong R&D culture is a great asset for us. We have the AI-lab, which helps us to continuously develop our services and to build the solutions of the future together with our customers"

Learn more

Original news article in Swedish
The future of the paper industry
Process control and automation for pulp and paper industry
All ABB solutions for pulp and paper industry
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