Paper Quality Performance

Improve quality and runnability while reducing losses by identifying current and changing trends in variability to optimize QCS-measured quality parameters during all operational conditions.

Swings in paper properties – like basis weight or moisture – are costly since they can cause rejects and off-spec tonnage, as well as machine breaks due to variability-related issues like wrinkles and soft edges.

Mills can now gain a deeper insight into issues causing variability than with any previously available offerings.

Paper Quality Performance, an ABB Ability™ Performance Service, combines online analytics for MD and CD variability with performance monitoring by experts to identify the root cause of variability issues. Using online paper property data – combined with proprietary algorithms, in-depth diagnostics, expert-based recommendations, proactive improvement actions and predictive notifications – ABB helps you find and solve the root cause of variability to better meet paper quality requirements.

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A powerful combination of monitoring, alerts, diagnostic support and in-depth analytics—including the industry-first, time-based variability analysis—helps mills better achieve quality targets with optimized supervisory controls

Paper Quality Performance identifies both current and changing trends in paper quality with a holistic view of variability; reel-to-reel variability and real- time variability while a reel is being built. Additionally, ABB analyzes each shift report to determine the percentage of time each control is used per shift and measures it against the optimum utilization for a specific control, thus under utilized controls and reducing shift-to-shift variability. 
Reel-based variability

The overall average variability in a reel

Time-based variability

The industry-first continuous VPA analysis enables fast identification of variability changes and detection of variability within cycle times greater than one reel

Control utilization

Monitors QCS MD and CD control usage

What variability can tell us


At reel turnup, variation is quantified for the entire reel using Variance Partition Analysis (VPA). VPA is a means of extracting information from a large block of data and is calculated from the scan profile data. Using this type of analysis coupled with our in-depth analytics and process and quality expertise, mills get insight into:

  • CD variability

  • MD variability

  • MDS or residual variability

  • TOT or total variability

  • Real-time process variability 

Delivery as a service enables expert support

This Performance Service for paper mills is accessed through the ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations for pulp & paper service delivery platform. Data is visualized through a web-based user interface that is easily accessible by customer and ABB personnel.

ABB assists you in deciphering the data and provides periodic reviews of KPIs, trends, profiles and alerts to  identify improvement actions and further improve paper quality. This can be done remotely, meaning you don’t need to wait days or weeks for an expert to travel to the site to resolve the problem.

When you have the facts, you can make the right decisions.

Learn more

ABB Ability™ Quality Management System (QMS) for pulp and paper
Strength Virtual Measurement
VIDEO
Tech Talk: What is VPA?

Partner with ABB to accelerate your digital transformation journey

Getting to the stage where mills can gain maximum results from digitalization demands planning a business relevant and executable path
Digital transformation in pulp and paper industry
Why ABB?
  • Continuous online analysis 
  • Part of a comprehensive and integrated solution set, enabling optimization opportunities on a larger scale
  • Expansive service organization supported by collaborative operations
  • Modular Ability architecture enables low barrier entry and easy, cost-effective expansion for other digital solutions

  • Built on domain, technical, data analytics, drives and control expertise leveraged

    >> ABB references in pulp & paper industry

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