• Customer selects ABB drives and motors for Lucca Paper Mill, which will be the biggest mill of its kind in the country
• New line is significant for Italy’s paper production industry as it will almost double production capacity on site and support lightweighting of packaging solutions
• Motors with customized winding and control via ABB inverters enable high performance, efficiency, reliability and sustainability
ABB has secured an order from DS Smith Paper Italia S.r.l, part of international packaging company DS Smith, to supply a new sectional drives system for a new containerboard machine at the company’s Lucca Paper Mill in Porcari, Tuscany, known across Italy for its recovered fiber and white liner products. Once operational, Paper Machine 3 (PM3) will have an estimated annual capacity of 450,000 metric tons.
ABB was selected for the flagship project – one of the most significant in the entire pulp and paper sector in Italy – thanks to its proven industry experience and reliability of its products. Used on paper machines for control, drive units and motors, ABB drive systems have been installed in more than 3,000 mills worldwide.
DS Smith selected the PMC800 drive system for its Lucca Paper Mill to improve performance, generate greater energy savings and achieve superior product quality, in addition to fast start-ups, high reliability and easy integration with other mill automation. The system will reduce the cost of ownership over the automation lifecycle and offer a high level of control precision and standardized communication between control systems.
ABB’s scope of work also includes M3BP and AXR asynchronous squirrel cage induction motors with special winding for specific applications, as well as control via ABB ACS880 inverters, which are proven to achieve high performance and efficiency. The 8.6 meters wide (wire) PM 3 machine will produce recycled liner grades with a basis weight range of 70 to 135 grams per square meter at production speed of 1,500 meters per minute (m/min) and mechanical design speed of 1,700m/min.
“This project will help to significantly increase production capacity and improve energy efficiency at our plant in Porcari,” said Massimo Basta, General Manager at DS Smith’s Lucca Paper Mill. “Construction of the PM3 is well underway and we look forward to its successful integration which will make a significant difference to paper production in Italy, providing the high performing paper needed to meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging worldwide”
“It is a moment of pride for the ABB team to partner with DS Smith on this major project – the most important in Lucca and a reference point for the national paper industry in Italy,” said Jan-Willem Bos, Paper Europe Sales Manager at ABB. “Customers in Europe and worldwide continue to recognize ABB as a leader in the pulp and paper industry, and the key role the company plays in achieving production and sustainability performance. Our people are key to making the difference for customers and in this case we recognized outstanding cooperation between the various ABB departments to reach this point with DS Smith.”
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