Reel & Roll Handling New found security for tissue business


The UK paper industry is bouncing back, after the inevitable effects of paperless systems and low-cost imports. Consolidation of the UK industry, with major players acquiring smaller businesses, has opened new opportunities for an industry using ageing and problematic legacy equipment


because of the unforeseen power supply conditioning issue. Mitchell provided competitively priced Block AC line chokes, SineTamer for transients and lightning protection, Comsys ADF filters for harmonic mitigation and reactive power compensation for the ABB DC drives. At this point in the project, the tissue business was acquired by a larger and more stable paper hygiene products group. This proved exceptionally good timing for the tissue business, as the buyers recognised the need to invest in the required equipment to move forward. “Installing new drives without power


quality conditioning would have been a bad idea,” explained John Mitchell of CP Automation. “Drives generate harmful harmonics, which cause transformers to overheat. The upfront cost of the harmonic filters will be more than covered by the ongoing saving in energy bills and longer lasting equipment.” “With the help of CP Automation, we


upgrades. An old recycled tissue mill was facing difficulty in 2019. Challenged by aging and problematic legacy equipment, a shrinking market and business uncertainty, times were tough. The drive system for the tissue machine


I


was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. When the manufacturer of the drive system, Harland Simon, went into administration, it became an issue the tissue business could no longer overlook. By keeping a drive system that was showing its age and no longer supported by the supplier, the business was leaving itself vulnerable. The tissue business called on systems


integrators Industrial Automation & Control (IAC), who had provided them with engineering support for many years. Opting for a retrofit approach to keep


costs down, IAC had to extend the existing drive enclosures to make room for the new ABB drives and associated hardware. But IAC then faced a further challenge. It became evident that the old drives relied on built in power supply conditioning. These filters were just as old and problematic as the drive system they served. It was imperative that new power supply


convertermag.com


ndustrial Automation & Control & CP Automation future-proofed a surviving tissue business with crucial equipment


conditioning was added alongside the new ABB drives, but with the budget already stretched, IAC needed to bring in a power quality expert to try and keep costs down. IAC called John Mitchell, global sales and


marketing director at CP Automation, who visited the site and carried out an audit. He concluded that the old power supply conditioning was only performing to 50 per cent of its original capacity. Unless the tissue business wanted to pay ongoing power factor penalty charges by the generating board for inefficient power use, they had no other choice but to source a new power quality filter. The upgrade project was becoming much bigger than originally planned,


were able to deliver a complete solution for our customer,” said Bob Coombes, deputy sales manager at IAC. “Our customer made it clear that any break in production, to swap out the equipment had to be minimal. We planned all installation and commissioning tasks ahead of the shutdown which enabled the work to be completed efficiently. “By utilising a team of our own


technicians and engineers to remove redundant equipment, install new panels and commission the new drive system complimented by CP Automation who commissioned the filter system, migration to the new set up was a complete success.” The tissue business is now in a much


more secure position, using commonly used parts that the industry is familiar with for repairs and maintenance. Additionally, the effective power quality conditioning means the business won’t be faced with further equipment replacements in the future, attributed to harmonic damage. Built on British quality, UK paper industry


survivors can now become leaner and more competitive than ever before, but this will require upgrades to poor performing legacy equipment. To carry out a similar upgrade, contact CP Automation at john.mitchell@cpaltd.net.


ucpaltd.net October 2020 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48