Valter Canelli, A.Celli Paper Sales Director, was invited by Tissue World Magazine to participate in an interview on the changes taking place in the tissue paper industry and on the recent efforts undertaken by A.Celli Paper in the field of technological innovation.
What changes have you seen in terms of digitalisation over the past year?
Data are among the strategic assets of our era and, if managed so as to exploit their full potential, they help guide business decisions and strategies. Moreover, the new logic dictated by the pandemic in progress have even accelerated this process. It is therefore essential to implement solutions that allow you to manage this precious information asset.
In 2016 the A.Celli Group established its first department entirely dedicated to the development of innovative solutions for the analysis and management of the data of its machines.
The business unit, called Extreme Automation, is a start-up specialized in Big Data Analytics, IT infrastructures, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence that offers cutting-edge Industry 4.0 solutions capable of bringing significant benefits to tissue paper production plants, such as:
- Efficiency improvement and greater energy saving opportunities
- Product optimization and relative standardization
- Reduction in the number of out-of-specification products
- Reduction of raw material waste
- Reduction of downtimes
- Implementation of predictive maintenance processes
- Constant software updating
Furthermore, we must add that digital technologies have allowed us to be ever closer to the needs of our customers, even while respecting social distancing requirements.
In particular, I refer to the opportunity of being able to guarantee the management of the production line remotely, both in the erection and start-up phases, and in the assistance and technical support.
What machinery launches and TM technical developments were key for you in 2021 and why was this?
Research and development is not only a precious activity for A.Celli, but it is the essential strategy for continuous growth and a forward-looking vision. Continuous improvement allows us to gain and maintain a competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive global tissue and paper industry.
During 2021, for example, we have evolved our Yankee Dryer by conceiving the innovative iDEAL® Evo-Lock®. Our new solution is built with all the A.Celli technologies already known and appreciated, including the shell forged from a single steel ingot, with the novelty of a unique and highly innovative head-to-shell connection system, which does not require the use of structural welds or bolts and allows to minimize the costs related to inspection operations.
What progress have you made in 2021 in terms of energy reductions and sustainability on your TM projects?
A.Celli has always been committed to sustainability and all our solutions are designed and manufactured with this objective in mind. To reduce the consumption related to the drying phase, for example, in addition to the conventional suction press roll, A.Celli now offers various configurations like double press, specially designed shoe press for Tissue applications and, last but not least, our new X-ROLL solution. This latest solution is designed to combine the quality obtainable with the traditional single press configuration with an energy saving of over 16% in the drying phase, thanks to a 4% increase in the degree of dryness of the paper exiting the pressing process.
What new technical demands for paper machine lines are you seeing from the market, and how are you responding? Where will your R&D be focused in 2022?
Nowadays every commercial demand coming from our customers needs to be deeply investigated in terms of energy consumption: this is the most delicate point towards which we see the attention of the market.
The paper industry in fact absorbs around 10% of the energy produced in the world, and is second only to that of steel. Much of the thermal energy is transferred to the machine in the form of steam, mainly for multi-cylinder continuous machines, or high temperature gas, in the case of Tissue paper plants. A.Celli Paper's focus for 2022 is to continue investing in the development of solutions aimed at energy saving, with particular attention to the cogeneration concept, intended as implemention of an auxiliary plant capable of simultaneously and virtuously generating the two forms of energy necessary for the paper mill. This eliminates the need on the one hand to draw electricity from the grid and on the other hand to burn gas to produce steam in a boiler. A further topic to be explored will be the one linked to the use of alternative energies compared to the ones currently in use in tissue and paper production plants.
Pre-pandemic, the global tissue market was seeing steady consumption growth. Following the impact of Covid-19 on the AfH and At-Home markets, what opportunities and challenges do you forecast for the global tissue market in 2022 and 2023?
The Corona pandemic caused contradictory developments in the tissue market and revolutionized the logic we used to know.
One of the key questions of any future prediction is related to how and how quickly economies will recover from the influence of the pandemic and factors of production will return to align with standard levels and trends (with a particular focus on the aspect related to energy consumption and cost of raw materials).
In the meantime, all the players in the sector will look for ways to improve their production, to adopt sustainability requirements and to identify best practices by digitizing the industrial assets in order to support the ongoing transition.
Ultimately, we certainly expect enormous opportunities in the field of digital solutions and data integration between processes and systems.