[UPDATED ON MARCH 2023]
One of the most critical parts of the paper and tissue production line is the slitter rewinder, a machine that usually requires direct intervention from an operator for manual setting of the knives and handling of the cores.
However, companies often use obsolete systems that are unable to maximize production and are not equipped with adequate safety features. One company that discovered the benefits of the said upgrade was Kimberly-Clark Professional Malaysia. Thanks to this, they achieved a significant reduction in downtime, as well as greater safety and productivity. Here is their story.
Kimberly-Clark Professional Malaysia’s slitter rewinder upgrade
Kimberly-Clark Professional Malaysia is a leading producer of leading-edge hygiene and cleaning solutions for the workplace and washrooms, such as facial and toilet tissue, paper towel, napkins, wipes, skincare and sanitizers, under brands like Kleenex® and Scott®.
One of the areas of the plant that Kimberly-Clark specifically wanted to address was the slitting section of their slitter rewinder. The company wanted to achieve certain results, including:
- Improvement of cut precision and knife quality
- Reduction of maintenance time of the slitting section
- Reduction of the cycle time of the core handling system
- Improvement of the safety conditions of the operator of the slitting section and reduction of the hazards around the shaft puller
After setting these goals, Kimberly-Clark contacted A.Celli to inquire about a new slitting system, and we were more than happy to provide a technical consultation to further understand their specific needs.
The project and the final results
After conducting the aforementioned assessment, A.Celli’s proposal was to carry out a technological upgrade that included the latest knife holders with high-quality blades and a faster and simpler locking system.
In addition to this, there was the new semi-automatic cantilever shaft-puller, which replaced their old manual steel rope shaft-puller.
Our solution allows for a single operator to use the pneumatic system to manually inflate/deflate the expandable shaft, eliminating the need to touch the reel or the shaft iself.
As soon as the new slitting system was up and running, Kimberly-Clark immediately noticed significant results, including:
- Better cut quality, particularly on the edges of the finished reels
- Longer blade life
- Easier knife holder dismantling and reassembly
- Significantly quicker core handling and shaft puller cycle time
- Significant reduction of manual operations
- Increased operator safety
A.Celli’s configurations for the slitter rewinder upgrade
When it comes to upgrading the slitter rewinder, A.Celli is the best choice. By relying on us, in fact, you will be able to choose among four different configurations for the positioning of the knives:
- Manual positioning
- Manual positioning with a measuring device
- Automatic positioning web out (SLITTOMATIC®)
- Automatic positioning web in (SLITTOMATIC®)
Kimberly-Clark is just one example of the results achievable when a company choose our upgrades.
The final result, which is a higher quality product produced in less time and increased productivity, ultimately led to an increase in company profits. Add to this the greater satisfaction of the operators, and you will understand that investing in upgrading your rewinder is worthwhile.
If you want to know more, contact us today for a free and non-binding consultation!
