DS Smith's Kemsley mill: A model for secure operations and enhanced connectivity in a digital age

Clearly, cyber security is a constant consideration for companies of all sizes, and threats change with technological evolutions. According to Professor Stuart E. Madnick – Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT and Founder of the Cybersecurity at MIT consortium – and Apple, there was a 20% increase in data breaches from 2022 to 2023 with over 360 million instances of corporate or institutional data breaches in the first 8 months of 2023. According to Madnick, these attacks have proven that organizations are only as secure as their ‘least secure link’. Therefore, foundational cyber controls at every level must never be overlooked in efforts to prevent incursions.

A cyber security breach in a pulp, paper, packaging, or tissue mill can bring production to a halt with potentially widespread consequences, even from just a minor breach. One day of lost production or downtime in a mill could cost millions of dollars. There are also many potential sources of indirect loss in the immediate wake of a breach. In the long term, mills must contend with the costs to validate that their systems are back to normal, manage regulatory reporting and invest additional time into rebuilding trust with customers.

New industrial technologies have placed a great emphasis on connectivity. Cyber security efforts in the pulp and paper industry must offer a unified overview of all connected devices, enabling users to patch, protect and analyze security from one central system. ABB recently supported DS Smith to do just that. The two organizations worked together to upgrade legacy systems and establish enhanced cyber security architecture.

Together with a quality control system (QCS), drives and machine control across all three paper machines on the 1.1km2 site, the DCS touches every area of the mill. At such a scale, the idea of a seamless upgrade may have seemed impossible to many.

For the Kemsley mill, cyber security is an important part of its license to operate. The team wanted to maintain their security but recognized the importance digitalization plays now and in the future. Digitalization was a driving force behind this large-scale and complex project, as well as a deciding factor in partnering with ABB.

ABB and DS Smith worked together over an 18-month period developing a process of design, focusing on architecture and a comprehensive solution to deliver on the goals set by DS Smith. This collaborative approach shaped the solution and ensured an effective planning and testing process, mitigating obstacles and challenges ahead of implementation.

The mill scheduled shutdown on all three paper machines, beginning with PM3 and PM4 simultaneously, followed by PM6 and their effluent and freshwater plant. The team recognized the importance of the project and timed it for minimal disruption to normal operations. Having three paper machines on one site isn’t common within the industry and added to the complexities and logistics of such a project – raising the stakes significantly.

It became one of the largest system upgrades that ABB has supplied into the industry, taking over 6,000 hours in advance and 12 days on site. The team completed a full upgrade of the ABB Ability™ System 800xA distributed control system (DCS), quality control system (QCS) and paper machine drives, with mill-wide integration.

Virtual measurements were also included in the scope of project delivery, adding strength and weight measurements for more accurate and frequent measurements. Additional complexity lay in integrating across the operational technology, implementing cyber secure architecture all the way from automation to control to IT.