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.