Smurfit Westrock saves significant amounts of CO2 with Voith’s new HighPerformance Press and also in news new international safety standard for wet-laid nonwoven machinery based on Voith plant safety standards and developed further with Trützschler Pilot.
Pilot customer Smurfit Westrock saves significant amounts of CO2 with Voith’s new HighPerformance Press
- Fast conversion within 38 hours
- Smooth commissioning and full production immediately after conversion
- Increased dry content after the press section ensures increased steam and CO2 savings in the dryer section
The installation of the HighPerformance Press in the press section of Smurfit Westrock Roermond Papier’s PM 1 represents a milestone in the development of the product. After a rebuild time of only 38 hours and a smooth start-up, production was fully ramped up again.
The advantages of the new press solution became immediately clear: The HighPerformance Press increases the dry content of the paper web after the press section and enables Smurfit Westrock to make significant steam savings in the dryer section. As a result, energy consumption and CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced.
Sjon Vrieze, Technical Operations Manager at Smurfit Westrock Roermond Papier, explains: “Thanks to the innovative HighPerformance Press solution from Voith, we can save 7,500 tons of steam and 1,113 tons of CO2 per year. This is an important contribution to our decarbonization roadmap and shows the potential for converting other Smurfit Westrock paper machines.” A big step towards more sustainability in the production process is a goal that Voith and Smurfit Westrock share. Furthermore, the increased dry content after the press section enables an increase in production speed. This in turn can lead to larger production quantities with consistent quality.
Close and trusting cooperation as a factor for success The close and trusting exchange characterizes the long-standing partnership between Voith and Smurfit Westrock, which was particularly evident in this project. As a leading full-line supplier to the paper industry, Voith is able to optimally design all components to ensure the quality, functionality and reliability of the solution. Even after the installation of the HighPerformance Press, Voith supports Smurfit Westrock with optimization measures in order to exploit the maximum potential of the new press solution.
“We were delighted when Voith approached us with its new HighPerformance Press solution. From the very beginning, there was a trusting relationship and close cooperation. It quickly became clear that it was important for Voith to respond to our needs and enable us to achieve significant production benefits with the HighPerformance Press,” says Bas Noldus, Production Manager at Smurfit Westrock Roermond Papier.
About Smurfit Westrock
Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging, operates in 40 countries with over 500 packaging converting operations and 63 paper mills. With the circular economy at the core of its business, it uses renewable, recyclable and recycled materials to create sustainable packaging solutions. As a trusted partner to companies across the world, Smurfit Westrock is dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. We are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.
New international safety standard for wet-laid nonwoven machinery based on Voith plant safety standards and developed further with Trützschler
- For the first time, wet-laid nonwoven production facilities can be designed and installed using a unified international product standard (ISO 22291) to ensure compliance with the most advanced international safety standards•
- Voith collaborated with Trützschler, the leading manufacturer of textile machinery, to further develop the original Voith safety standard for wet-laid nonwoven machinery into the international safety standard ISO 22291•
- Austrian Standards, the Austrian organisation for standardization and innovation, worked together with Voith and Trützschler to ensure the new standard complies with international requirements
Today, a world without wet-laid nonwovens is impossible to imagine. Absorbent, tear-resistant and adaptable, wet-laid nonwovens are ideally suited for wound dressings, hygiene products and cosmetic items. They are also found in clothing, electronics, construction and agriculture. Primarily, these kinds of products are manufactured using a hydrodynamic process, which means they are first dispersed in water and then dried. In this case, the manufacturing process is similar to papermaking with long fibers. However, it also differs in crucial aspects.
Wet-laid nonwovens are manufactured using a process that requires a combination of machinery from textile production and papermaking. As such hybrid machines can be used in the textile and paper industries, they need to comply with the safety standards of both. Up until now, each specification had to be individually assessed, evaluated and implemented, making the process for delivering safe machinery time-consuming and complex.
The first international safety standard for wet-laid nonwoven machinery
Now, for the first time ever, a single customized international safety standard, ISO 22291, applies to wet-laid nonwoven manufacturing facilities. Voith’s own internal plant safety standard for wet-laid nonwoven machines was used as a basis for the new standard and was further developed with Trützschler, the leading manufacturer of textile and nonwoven machinery.
In addition, in another first, since August 2023 this ISO safety standard has been listed as a harmonized standard (DIN EN ISO 22291) for wet-laid nonwoven machinery in the Official Journal of the European Union. By implementing this standard, manufacturers and customers demonstrate that they follow recognized best practices.
“Our goal was to set the safety standards for wet-laid nonwoven machinery at the highest possible level. Working together with Trützschler and Austrian Standards ensured we were able to further develop Voith’s internal plant safety standards into the first-ever state-of-the-art global standard for this field. The process was long but totally worth it. Now, manufacturers and customers of wet-laid nonwoven machinery have a comprehensive and clear basis to implement uniform technical and legal safety measures in the best interest of all parties involved,” says Markus Straub, Director Group Standardization at Voith Paper.
“In wet-laid nonwovens production, two worlds come together. Working with Voith and Austrian Standards, we have combined the safety requirements of paper and textile machinery to create an internationally recognized standard. Innovative technologies demand innovative standards. We would like to thank our partners for this successful collaboration,” says André Kück, CE-Coordinator at Trützschler Nonwovens.
Learn more about Voith innovations for nonwovens production at https://voith.com/corp-en/industry-solutions/nonwovens.html
About the Trützschler Group
The Trützschler Group SE is a German textile machinery manufacturer headquartered in Mönchengladbach, Germany. The company is divided into three business units: Spinning, Nonwovens and Card Clothing. Trützschler machines, installations and accessories are produced and developed in nine locations worldwide. This includes four factories in Germany (Dülmen, Egelsbach, Mönchengladbach, Neubulach), as well as sites in China (Jiaxing and Shanghai), India (Ahmedabad), the USA (Charlotte) and Brazil (Curitiba). Service companies in Türkiye, Mexico, Uzbekistan and Vietnam and service centers in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia provide customer proximity in key regions for the textile processing industry. For more information on Trützschler Nonwovens visit: https://www.truetzschler.com/en/nonwovens/
About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 21,000 employees, sales of € 4.9 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.
The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services and products on the market and offers paper manufacturers holistic solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations facilitates resource-conserving production and helps customers minimize their carbon footprint. With its leading automation products and digitalization solutions from the Papermaking 4.0 portfolio, Voith offers its customers state-of-the-art digital technologies to improve plant availability and efficiency for all sections of the production process.
Contact: Julia Schaefer, Manager Global Communication Voith Paper Tel. +49 7321 37 6995 Julia.Schaefer@Voith.com – www.voith.com
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