Page 3 - Electrical Solutions for Pulp and Paper Processing Facilities

Challenge and commitment.
Today’s pulp and paper producers must remain
competitive and profitable while facing challenges
such as:
• Higher energy, raw material, transportation, insurance
and environmental-remediation costs
• Increased environmental and worker safety legislation
implemented by EPA and OSHA
• Foreign competition — including Chinese
government-subsidized exports — entering the U.S.
market and placing pressure on operating margins
• Generally flat market demand and excess global
capacity in many commodity market segments
Surviving and thriving under these market conditions
requires commitment to finding new ways to increase
operational efficiencies, leading to the following trends:
Lifecycle Costing — Investors are pressing paper
companies for higher profits, reducing the amount of
available cash for reinvestment. This drives the need
to specify longer-lasting, high-performance equipment
and electrical systems. Because machinery and
maintenance costs can be very high, new processing
lines are engineered and procured based on lifecycle
cost — which factors in not just acquisition, but
installation, operation, maintenance, reliability, energy
consumption and scrap rate costs — rather than simply
on lowest initial purchase price.
Recycling and Sustainability — Legislation is driving
an increased use of recycled paper, which has been
a challenge for pulp and paper processing.
Plug-and-Play Power Systems — To avoid or minimize
production downtime, many pulp and paper processors
use plug-and-play power systems to keep individual
equipment and processes running while performing
maintenance in another processing area.
Lights-Out Warehousing — Many pulp and paper
processing companies are using automation and
robotics to increase operational efficiencies and safety
in their warehouses.
Renewable Energy — Energy consumption can
contribute as much as 20% of the production costs
in pulp and paper processing. Rising costs for fossil
fuels and electricity have caused many paper mills
to install their own power-generation systems, now
even using their own biomass byproducts for steam,
heat and power.
Alternative Fuel Production — The wood waste
from pulp processing can be converted into second-
generation bioethanol fuel. As technology advances,
this becomes a more realistic option for pulp processors
to increase their profits.
Plant electrical equipment supplies, distributes
and controls the power that drives pulp and paper
manufacturing processes. Thomas & Betts provides pulp
and paper processing electrical system solutions that:
• Increase your Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
• Extend the life of your electrical system by up to 300%
• Decrease electrical system changeover and downtime
by 40–50%
• Reduce product scrap and provide a safer workplace
for your employees
These solutions enable pulp and paper processors to
increase operational efficiencies and revenues, plant
sustainability and personnel and environmental safety.
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Pulping Processing Refining Packing Distribution Forest
Pulp and Paper Supply Chain