2025-06-05
Successful implementation of OnEfficiency.Strength at DS Smith Witzenhausen for quality stabilization
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Digital solution enables data-driven production control according to flexible target values and cost efficiency
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DS Smith records significant improvements in paper strength consistency and process stabilization
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The solution will be available as part of Voith's MillOne ecosystem, which connects all data in one production center
With the closed-loop control OnEfficiency.Strength, DS Smith has achieved an impressive stabilization of quality on the PM 1 at Witzenhausen.
HEIDENHEIM/WITZENHAUSEN. With over 20 installations around the globe, OnEfficiency.Strength is setting new standards in data-driven papermaking. A recent installation at DS Smith Witzenhausen shows how the use of OnEfficiency.Strength can achieve impressive results in quality stabilization.
The digital solution's key impacts include savings in raw materials such as fibers and starch, as well as reductions in paper machine energy use. Using real-time data from virtual sensors to predict strength, the system controls actuators such as the jet/wire ratio, refiner, starch application and different fiber types according to the highest cost efficiency to produce the relevant paper grade in the desired specification.
As part of an optimization project at the Witzenhausen site, where 430,000 tons of corrugated base paper with a basis weight between 115 and 210 gsm are produced annually, the module initially achieved savings in raw materials on the PM 1.
Thanks to the innovative OnEfficiency.Strength module, real-time control of paper quality is now possible. Using flexibly adjustable parameters, system goals such as raw material savings, strength reduction, quality stabilization or a balanced compromise between these goals can be freely weighted.
OnEfficiency.Strength is available as a standalone solution and will be part of Voith's smart MillOne ecosystem. MillOne aggregates and analyzes all data in one central production center, providing an unprecedented level of integration and consistency in data usage to enhance human expertise and streamline production processes. Thanks to real-time data analytics, predictive maintenance and smarter decision-making, it can make mills more productive, reduce costs and increase profitability.
More information about OnEfficiency.Strength
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About the company
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 22,000 employees, sales of € 5.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.
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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 one 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.