ABB has worked alongside Fine Hygienic Holding’s Al Nakheel Paper Mill in Abu Dhabi to contribute to a new world record for the fastest production of facial tissues.

Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), one of the world's leading wellness groups and MENA's leading manufacturer of hygienic products, serves consumers in more than 80 countries around the world. Originally established as a paper manufacturer, FHH has transformed into a wellness company dedicated to enhancing global health and wellbeing.

FHH offers a diverse array of award-winning products including sterilized facial tissues, napkins, kitchen towels, toilet paper, baby diapers, adult briefs, jumbo rolls, as well as away-from-home products to accommodate all types of private and public institutions. In addition to its long-lasting germ protection solutions, it also brings innovative nutritional supplements, Motiva, and longevity blend, eon, to the market.

The UAE producer has gained its Guinness World Record of 2,222 meters per minute (m/min), later reaching 2,225 on one of its large Valmet Advantage DCT 200 paper machines while raising its potential annual outputs from 54,000 metric tons to 64000 metric tons. It has done so with 95% efficiency – meaning no sheet breaks and on-specification production, an impressive feat when working with tissue rated at only 13.2 grams per square meter (GSM).

Paper Machine 5 at Al Nakheel had previously been running at lower speeds of around 1,900 m/min, but the operations and management teams believed it was capable of more. Work began to make gradual changes to the control system’s protocol parameters, and the sectional drives were tuned to match. The record came into the teams’ thinking when they broke 2,100 m/min and they believed it was possible to exceed the 2,211 m/min.

ABB worked closely with the mill team throughout, making checks on its components and parts to ensure the required performance. The machine ran at the record-breaking speed for an entire 24 hours, before being reconfigured to a more stable 2,200 m/min, balancing performance with production schedule demands.

“We consider ABB to be one of our key partners, so it was only natural that we asked the team to support with this project.  Not only have we proven that the machine can run smoothly at higher speeds but we’ve entered the record books and made our mark as an industry leader.”

“We consider ABB to be one of our key partners, with use of their technologies for control, quality and measurement on the Advantage DCT machine and across our site, so it was only natural that we asked the team to support with this project,” said Ahmad Hindi, Electrical Department Manager, Fine Hygienic Holding, Al Nakeel Paper Mill. “Through step-by-step increases, we worked to optimize the system’s performance and could not be happier with the results. Not only have we proven that the machine can run smoothly at higher speeds but we’ve entered the record books and made our mark as an industry leader. Thank you to all involved in this magnificent achievement.”

“ABB was excited about this project from the very beginning and we mobilized a team capable of making the adjustments necessary for the higher productivity and to make an attempt at the record,” said Shady Taha, Sales Manager, Middle East, Process Industries, ABB. “Through many adjustments and configurations of the drives and associated equipment, we got there and are so proud to have been part of this historic milestone. We look forward to hearing about Al Nakheel’s continued success and being involved in their ambitious projects in the future.”

ABB has a full portfolio of pulp and paper equipment on the machine and works with the Fine Hygienic Holding mill on an ongoing basis, providing 24/7 support to maintain high levels of plant production. The service includes process optimization, distributed control system (DCS), quality control system (QCS), and machine tuning. The manufacturer currently has two paper mills in Egypt, two in Jordan and one in the UAE. Its range of hygiene and tissue products is a household name across the Middle East and it continues to grow its presence in new markets.