The leading fullline supplier Voith, in collaboration with its customer Visy, a global packaging and resource recovery company, held a two-day workshop on decarbonisation in papermaking last week in Melbourne. This event was supported by Appita, the leading Australasian pulp and paper technical association. The Energy Summit brought together leaders and experts to discuss the latest solutions and proven technologies for energy efficiency, cost savings and operational improvements.
The summary was positive throughout, as Jean-Yves Nouaze, Executive General Manager at Visy Pulp & Paper, also confirmed in his opening speech on Visy's decarbonisation strategy:
"We have a relentless focus on energy efficiency across our pulp and paper factories and developing our own energy supply through on-site clean energy plants. The Energy Summit is an important way for us to stay up to date with state-of-the-art solutions and proven technologies to further drive energy efficiency. By bringing experts together in one room, we have been able to generate new insights and share expertise.”
During the event, various Voith experts showed leading technologies as well as international perspectives that promote energy efficiency in papermaking. On the first day, Michael Weiss, CTO at Voith Paper, presented current research and development work at Voith Paper on decarbonisation and minimization of energy consumption and gave an insight into the energy situation in the German and European paper industry. In addition, Mark Grenning, Director of Policy and Regulation of the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA), presented current developments and challenges in the Australian energy market for large energy users in his keynote speech.
"The Energy Summit builds on a very good partnership with Visy and is a great example of how we can work together to drive decarbonization and energy efficiency in paper manufacturing," emphasizes Michael Weiss. "With our holistic approach and forward-looking solutions, we are aiming for CO2-neutral production by 2030 and are committed to a sustainable future."
Dieter Wenninger, Regional President Products & Services Asia at Voith Paper: "The Energy Summit was a remarkable platform for the exchange of innovative solutions and proven technologies. We also explored efficient rebuild concepts that make a significant contribution to sustainability in paper production. The event not only strengthened our very good partnership with Visy, but also helped to further drive our spare and wear parts business as well as service activities in the region."
On the second day, Voith experts presented opportunities for energy savings along Voith Paper's full-line portfolio as part of a World Café. Topics such as efficient spare and wear parts packages, suitable service and maintenance concepts, as well as analyses of energy consumption and audits were discussed by the mixed groups consisting of representatives from Voith and Visy. The latest developments in digital transformation and automation were also presented. The Voith subsidiary Meri also presented efficient water management concepts that can lead to further resource savings.
Papermaking for Life sustainability program
As part of the innovation and development initiative "Papermaking for Life," Voith Paper presents versatile technologies and solutions that lead to more efficient and sustainable processes in papermaking. The emphasis is on water, energy and fiber savings as well as digitalization, innovations and partnerships as levers for more sustainable production. Another focus is on Voith's own activities at its locations worldwide.