Do you want to optimize your tissue process? Go pilot with Valmet!

A pilot trial at Valmet offers tissue producers a cost-efficient, flexible way to test and evaluate new ideas without disrupting daily production, unlike testing on a commercial machine. Likewise, determining the operating window for a specific process or product is easier in a pilot facility environment.

The pilot trials at Valmet Tissue Technology Center in Sweden are focusing on the paper making process, with the target to help customer developing machine performance, efficiency, product quality or testing new raw materials or configurations.

The labs and pilot lines in Italy, the USA and Brazil are testing and developing converted paper quality. They provide evaluation of paper strength, absorption, thickness and softness for durability and comfort. The geometric and physical characteristics of the finished product are also analyzed to meet quality standards. Additionally, the converting pilot lines conduct comparative analyses of market products and offers consulting services to optimize production processes and improve product quality.

Concern for climate and sustainability steer development efforts

The biggest global concerns of our time, such as climate change and scarcity of natural resources, have driven the need for more stringent climate and sustainability related requirements also for tissue production.

Tissue producers are focusing on increasing resource efficiency and adopting new raw materials to meet tightening climate and sustainability requirements while staying competitive. Further development of attractive and competitive consumer products is also on their to-do list. The priority these hold on different producers' agendas depends on the markets they serve and the end-use areas their products represent.  

“We clearly see that new raw materials are coming strongly to tissue making in the Asian markets. At our facility, customers have conducted pilot trials with straw, bamboo and bagasse, to name a few. The development of production processes suitable for these raw materials is an interesting focus area. On the other hand, in the very competitive North American markets it is important to be able to introduce new attractive consumer products regularly,” says Hans Ivarsson, Project Manager, R&D, at Valmet’s Tissue Technology Center in Karlstad, Sweden.

Making pilot trials easy for customers

Valmet has put a lot of effort into making the pilot trials as easy as possible for customers – from planning to the actual trial run with laboratory services readily available.

“No matter if a customer wants to optimize consumer products, improve machine properties or the blend of water, fiber and chemicals, or cut consumption figures – we can do it all,” Ivarsson says.

Planning starts months before the trial, and is based on the customer’s needs and targets, to ensure the best possible test run.

A wide range of machine configurations available

Valmet Tissue Technology Center in Sweden provides the broadest selection of machine configurations in the world. The machine provides many different concepts and configurations covering conventional, plain tissue, the advanced TAD process for premium-quality products, and hybrid processes for plain and structured tissue paper. Hybrid processes enable high quality textured and structured tissue with less energy consumption compared to the TAD process. In addition, different customer-specific, confidential configurations are also possible.

Having a laboratory next to the pilot machine is a big advantage and means that samples can be analyzed very quickly. It takes only 10 to 15 minutes from the sample entering the laboratory before trial parameters can be changed based on the test result and the test run can continue. It is possible to make up to 20 changes per day to reach the customer’s targets, if needed.

Reliable test data supports customers’ decision making

After the trial, customers are provided with a comprehensive, high-quality test report that has real and reliable production data they can use as a basis for their investment and other decisions.

In times when traveling is restricted, or a customer is prevented to visit in person it is still possible to follow the trial. By web camera and digital connection, a customer can be part of the test and get production data instantly.

Valmet Pilot Centers operates under strict confidentiality and all information is handled with great respect to customers confidentiality needs.

“One thing is clear. There is a visible correlation between business success and market position and the R&D work being done by the tissue produces who chose to utilize Valmet Pilot trials on regular basis,” concludes Ivarsson.

Pilot trials at Tissue Converting

The Tissue Converting piloting offering is truly comprehensive and integrates Valmet’s three areas of excellence into a single value chain: Fabio Perini and MTC for converting and packaging technology, Pivot LAB dedicated to high-level measurement and analysis to predict, understand and anticipate market trends. Finally, Engraving Solutions in Italy and Roll-Tec in Brazil, with two low-speed pilot lines for folding and converting, create products aesthetically similar to real production performance. In Lucca, a modern facility features a climate-controlled laboratory, maintaining humidity and temperature to conduct analyses in accordance with ENI UN ISO 12 6625 standards.

Valmet Tissue Converting operates labs and pilot lines in Italy, the USA, and Brazil to test paper quality, assessing strength, absorption, thickness, and softness. They also analyze the physical characteristics of finished products to meet quality standards. Pivot Solutions provides comparative market analyses and consulting services to optimize production and improve quality.