Södra Cell boosts pulp production with Advanced Process Control from ABB

Södra Cell is one of the world's largest producers of softwood pulp. Production takes place successfully at some of the world's most modern and high-tech pulp mills. At the Värö mill, the company has recently taken the next step in its digitalization journey by implementing ABB's Advanced Process Control solution.

The digital transformation at Södra's pulp mills has been ongoing for many years. In 2021, Södra entered a strategic partnership with ABB to further accelerate the development toward a more digitalized and automated mill environment. One of the latest projects within this collaboration is the implementation of Advanced Process Control (APC) in the bleaching plant at Värö.

By integrating APC into the existing operator environment of the mill's distributed control system, ABB Ability™ System 800xA®, processes can be run automatically under operator supervision. The solution also enables prediction of future process outcomes, allowing key operational processes in the bleaching plant to be optimized and prioritized based on data-driven decision support. The solution has provided operators with improved tools and decision support, freeing up time to focus on improvements rather than continuous process monitoring.

"The APC solution has had a major impact, including reducing brightness variations in the bleaching plant," says Jonas Wetterling, Department Manager of the Pulp Block at Södra Cell Värö. "With the new control system, we now have significantly better opportunities to fine-tune the process, shift bleaching work between different stages, vary temperatures, and identify improvement areas that were previously lost in the noise. Overall, this has greatly strengthened our competitiveness."

The collaboration between Södra Cell and ABB is built on a shared vision: to leverage digitalization within existing assets to improve efficiency and enhance the entire pulp mill value chain. By combining ABB's expertise in control systems, advanced process control, and digitalization with Södra Cell's deep process knowledge and continuous improvement mindset, concrete results are delivered at a rapid pace.

The partnership covers all three of Södra's mills, where similar APC solutions have previously been implemented at the Mönsterås and Mörrum sites. This prior collaboration has been a key success factor in the rollout at Värö. Since many of the participants from ABB and Södra have worked together in earlier projects, the ramp-up time has been short, the way of working is well established, and together with local process experts at each mill area, a proven recipe for success has been created.

"It's about jointly identifying new steps within digitalization and developing tools that improve daily operations at the plant, increase availability, and create a more even and stable process," says Marie Boman, Project Manager at Södra Cell. "The collaboration with ABB has worked very well. The project team is close-knit, and once the collaboration is underway, there is a strong ambition to quickly move on to the next project."

Digital solutions enabling value creation

The collaboration agreement leverages ABB's comprehensive digital portfolio tailored for the pulp and paper sector, enabling both parties to collaboratively identify and prioritize solutions that enhance Södra's operational performance. Key enablers in this initiative include:

• ABB's Distributed Control System (DCS), ABB Ability™ System 800xA® - an integrated platform for controlling and monitoring the plant, while exchanging information with other systems to create a collaborative environment where decisions can be made and executed in real time. Södra's mills benefit greatly from a deliberate strategy to centralize control using ABB's control systems, where a homogeneous infrastructure enables large-scale scalability and rapid deployment of new functionality.
• ABB Ability™ Expert Optimizer - a complete Advanced Process Control (APC) solution for the pulp industry that stabilizes operations and reduces operator workload while maximizing yield and reducing consumption of energy, steam, and chemicals. The solution uses data from existing automation systems and combines advanced process control, plant-wide optimization, and AI-driven virtual measurements.
  
  
• ABB Ability™ History - ABB's solution for managing and making historical process data and events available, enabling data-driven analysis, reporting, and decision-making based on information consolidated both on an ad-hoc basis and through predefined reports and dashboards.
  
  
• ABB Ability™ System 800xA Simulator - a process simulator where the existing control system is used in the same configuration as the real plant but connected to an advanced process model that replaces the physical plant to deliver realistic process behavior. Together with process model suppliers, Södra has developed models that, when connected to the control system, provide operators with a safe and realistic environment for training and testing different operating scenarios.

"We are very grateful and motivated to collaborate with such a forward-looking customer as Södra. Their vision and drive enable us to jointly embark on a truly exciting improvement journey toward increased profitability through higher autonomy and quality," says Thomas Andersson, Sales Manager for the Pulp and Paper segment at ABB. "This type of success is only possible when all parties share a common ambition to try new technologies, new solutions, and continuously exploring new ways to develop existing processes. Södra's ability to create strong momentum and a willingness to change across both technical, operational, and process development teams is a key success factor that ensures the right solutions are prioritized and deliver value in everyday mill operations."

Another project jointly driven by Södra Cell and ABB focuses on operator simulators. These provide operators with the opportunity to train on different scenarios in a realistic and risk-free environment. This has become increasingly important as advanced process control takes over more of the control during normal operations. Operators intervene less frequently, but when intervention is required, the scenarios are often more complex. In such cases, being able to practice and test scenarios in a simulated environment rather than in the physical plant provides significant benefits.

"The simulators contribute both to increased confidence in how to act when something happens in reality and to better preparation for daily work, as the training experience feels like actually running the process from the control room," says Marie Boman.

The collaboration between Södra Cell and ABB has so far delivered impressive results, with both innovation and efficiency making significant advances. Through open exchange of knowledge and experience, new solutions have quickly been translated into practice, strengthening both the work environment and production. The solutions have resulted in savings for Södra through freed-up time, more standardized operating modes, reduced variability, and tangible reductions in resource consumption. Together, Södra Cell and ABB are well positioned to continue driving digitalization forward and create even more success in the future.