An interview with Andreas Endters, President and CEO Voith Paper in Heidenheim
Voith Paper is a globally active full-line supplier serving the paper industry and covers the entire process chain for all paper types from stock preparation through to cutting the paper reels. As early as in 1859, Voith began to industrially make paper out of wood fibres using a wood grinder. From these early beginnings, the company grew into a technology concern with a staff of more than 19,000 throughout the world and around 6,600 of these employees work in the paper sector.
Mr. Endters, the Voith Group started out in the paper industry. How important is the paper sector today?
Andreas Endters: Johann Matthäus Voith started out as a repair workshop for the local paper manufacturers' machines and in 1859 developed the first wood grinder for industrial papermaking; water turbines soon followed this since in those days every paper factory used waterpower. To this day paper machine engineering is a mainstay of the Voith Group. When the market for graphic papers slumped, we did our homework: adjusted capacity, reinforced our global presence and fine-tuned and developed our portfolio. We are also systematically driving digitisation forward.
Where do you stand today? Are there any growth drivers?
Andreas Endters: Voith Paper employs today a staff of around 6,600. We achieved a turnover of 1.75 billion Euro in the 2017/2018 fiscal year and our R&D intensity is 4.5 percent. We are back on track for success. We can see robust growth in the hygiene paper sector. This market has an annual volume of 37 million tons and is growing yearly by 3.5 percent. Our machines for board and packaging papers are also in great demand. Many manufacturers are switching to using packaging papers with the machines they have used with graphic paper up to now. Speciality papers, including security papers for banknotes, have also seen positive development recently.
Voith Paper presents itself as a full-line supplier. What does that mean exactly?
Andreas Endters: Our portfolio begins with the conveyor belt on which the cellulose and recycled paper bales are loaded, goes on to pulping and stock preparation and ends at the slitter-winder that divides the parent reel into smaller reels. We deliver machines, spare and wear-and-tear parts and also supply complete automation solutions as well as all-round service including process and productivity consultancy. This offering is in demand because modern papermaking equipment is highly complex. It has more control circuits than a jumbo jet. In the face of this complexity, many customers welcome that we can supply them with everything. In addition, we can implement rapid and efficient installation thanks to products and interfaces that are coordinated with each other.
In what way does stock preparation change when the share of recycled paper increases?
Andreas Endters: That is indeed a challenge - and one we have the right answers to with our new BlueLine machine generation. Fibre quality deteriorates with each recycling cycle, which damages the paper's strength so that the risk of expensive tears increases during the papermaking process. We help prevent this with intelligent, databased and all-round sensor-controlled process management. In addition, our XcelLine paper machines greatly reduce energy consumption. Our machines also set standards when it comes to fibre loss and water consumption. We will soon be introducing a machine with a closed water circulation system. It repeatedly processes wastewater and feeds it into the process, which is a good investment for paper manufacturers. If they can reduce energy and water to a minimum and process recycled paper more cheaply, they can gain a clear edge over their competitors.
Digitisation comes up again and again. What does Papermaking 4.0 actually mean?
Andreas Endters: Papermaking 4.0 is a term coined by Voith Paper. There are two levels. On the one hand, the internal processes: we are in the process of simplifying all interfaces to customers, partners and between our departments with digital platforms and processes. This means our customers can conveniently buy spare parts from our clearly structured online shop with an ordering and price history. The second level is papermaking. Paper machines are highly capital-intensive. Customers therefore rightly expect maximum availability. Papermaking 4.0 helps monitor and understand the state of the equipment or plan downtimes for maintenance and repairs more precisely. At the same time, it can also raise efficiency. Control systems deliver second-by-second tens of thousands of data that need to be utilised.
Do artificial intelligence or virtual reality play a role yet?
Andreas Endters: We have our own specialists, are working with our company's Digital Ventures sector and have partners with whom we are working together in the artificial intelligence area. Together we are optimising algorithms for databased Papermaking 4.0. This calls for our process and mechanical engineers' expertise. We cannot do without them when developing digital tools because only they know what is important when it comes to fully automated papermaking. We use augmented reality for training our service technicians and for supporting them with complex repairs. Using smart glasses or tablets, they can zoom in on the machines and are guided on site by experts in our head office. There is an application in virtual reality that is also fascinating. Customers can explore their individual machine and train staff on it before the machine is built. This has a real impact on the productivity during the start-up phase after installation. Especially our young staff love working with digital tools!
How do virtual sensors help in this 4.0 process world?
Andreas Endters: There are an extremely high number of sensors in our machines and they all need to be regularly serviced and calibrated. Sometimes values are required for which there are no actual sensors available. In such cases, we develop virtual sensors that derive the required values with the matching algorithms indirectly from other process data.
You go to such great lengths for paper that some contemporaries look like a relic from previous eras. What would you say to that?
Andreas Endters: Paper is the future! It is a sustainable product, is ideal for the recycling economy, comes from renewable resources and its ecological footprint during production is becoming ever smaller because the industry has a watchful eye on the costs of power, water and raw materials. Young people especially recognise the advantages of paper in comparison to fossil-based alternatives and consumer goods manufacturers and retailers are also beginning to open their doors. Now it will all depend, for example, on substituting polyethylene coatings on cups and packaging with bio-based, compostable barrier layers.
A final question: where do you see Voith Paper in 2030?
Andreas Endters: Even more digital! Today in Heidenheim we have a test facility in which we are further developing de-inking, pulping, flotation, thickening or dewatering with freely interconnectable devices. In 2030, we will possibly be able to run such trials on virtual machines. We are working on digital twins for papermaking equipment. Thanks to ever more precise data models, they can deliver more and more realistic values for running real machines. Systematic digitisation has an enormous cost potential. We are determined to leverage this potential in the interests of our customers.
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