26 ABB
Transparency is key to improving performance
A project to upgrade the PM10 machine at the Stoneywood fine paper mill of Arjowiggins in Scotland has transformed its operation. Vince Maynard was there to see the project signed off
R
eal-time information about the operational performance of any paper-making line
is key to improving quality and productivity. When hardware upgrades were
installed at one of the four lines at the Stoneywood fine paper mill operated by Arjowiggins near Aberdeen in Scotland, a parallel project to install state-of-the-art quality-control systems provided new-found transparency into the line’s improved performance. In a collaborative QCS/DCS
project with ABB worth £1 million, the improvements to the PM10 machine – capable of sophisticated processes such as watermarking and colour variations – demonstrated how new life can be injected into an already well-established process. At the end of May, the six-
month project was signed off to the satisfaction of development
engineer Ian Kilgour, along with documentation that showed the positive effects of the hardware improvements. In April, PPL magazine was
exclusively invited to witness the outcome of the project. While in the PM10 control room mill operations manager Alex MacAllan entered with charts showing the production improvements, key performance indicators that spoke for themselves. Time taken for a total change was down by 12 per cent; weight and moisture change down by 13.2 per cent; colour change duration 14.3 per cent and an impressive reduction in breaks. Following the sign off, MacAllan
was fulsome in his praise, complimenting ABB for the quality of the project. “The mill is very pleased with the outcome of the project,” he said. “It was
a great job very well executed. What is particularly pleasing is how enthusiastic the operations team on PM10 is with the system.” As an example of how the
newly-completed QCS/DCS Project offers immediate operational benefits, the way in which it highlighted the outcome of replacing earlier designs of drives was an eye-opener. Says ABB’s Mick Cowdroy, who
worked on the project with colleague Nick Evans: “The mill upgraded two old drive units at the wet-end of the machine with two new drive units and linked them electronically to the remainder of the machine drive system, thus allowing all sections of the machine to be fully synchronised and controlled more accurately. “This allowed the advanced
controls in the ABB system to be fully optimised and generate increased production benefits through more precise speed optimisation control, faster grade, shade and brightness change control, plus fewer web breaks and faster start-up.” The new system replaced a QCS (Accuray 1180) dating from the early 1980s and with a Taylor MOD300 (also an ABB product) was mainly used as a data gatherer for process signal for collating all the machine process data and sending it to the mill’s Management Information System (MIS). It was also the interface between the QCS and the MIS as the 1180 was incapable of direct linking to the outside world. All of the machine’s process
controllers were ‘stand alone’ units from a number
Pulp Paper & Logistics
September 2012
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