- ABB to modernize Paper Machine 5 at Billerud’s Gävle mill with upgraded automation, quality control and drives technology
- Project will strengthen operational stability, cyber security and reduce energy and material use at site
- Billerud looking to the future as they prepare for AI-enabled optimization
ABB has signed an agreement with Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer Billerud to modernize Paper Machine 5 at the company’s Gävle mill, one of its key sites for producing liquid packaging board and liner. The contract will bring new automation capabilities, updated hardware, improved quality control and refreshed drive technology to a machine that supports a significant share of Billerud’s global packaging output. The upgrades aim to improve efficiency, strengthen cyber security, reduce energy and material use and build a platform ready for next-generation digital and AI tools.
The Gävle mill plays a strategic role in the global packaging value chain. Board produced there is used in consumer goods and food applications around the world, and the facility supports production volumes equivalent to roughly 200 million containers each day across Billerud’s network. With demand rising for fiber-based and renewable materials, mills must handle production changes with good precision, even as product mixes shift. Billerud’s investment supports more efficient and adaptable production.
The modernization project brings several core systems onto ABB’s latest platforms, including an upgraded ABB Ability™ System 800xA®, new-generation AC 800M controllers, refreshed quality control capabilities and updated drives. With these integrated, the mill gains a more secure and resilient automation environment that handles data more efficiently and gives operators clearer, faster insight into machine performance. Production changes can be executed with greater accuracy, helping reduce deviation from quality targets while trimming raw material use and energy consumption. The new setup also creates room for growth, giving Billerud a path to introduce advanced process control and move toward AI-supported optimization as its operations evolve.
An upgraded ABB Ability™ System 800xA® distributed control system (DCS) will underpin the modernization. Image ABB 
The customer's Gävle mill in Sweden will now have an automation system suited to current and growing needs. Image Billerud
“This project builds on a long relationship between ABB and Billerud in Gävle,” said Martin Björnmalm, Local Business Line Manager, Pulp, Paper and Fiber, ABB’s Process Industries division. “Upgrading both automation and core hardware gives operators stronger tools, makes the machine more resilient, and prepares the mill for future digital improvments.”
Once the modernization is complete, Billerud will have an automation environment built for both current needs and future growth. The system’s flexibility allows the company to introduce new grades, integrate advanced analytics and continue improving resource efficiency over time. The project further reinforces ABB’s role as a long-term partner to the pulp and paper industry, supported by global expertise and a strong local presence in Sweden.
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By connecting its engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries run at high performance, while becoming more efficient, productive and sustainable so they outperform. At ABB, we call this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has over 140 years of history and around 110,000 employees worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB). www.abb.com
ABB’s Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~26,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, Automation helps process, hybrid and maritime industries outrun – leaner and cleaner. go.abb/automation
