ABB awarded collaborative MES agreement, supporting Sappi’s digital transformation across its entire production fleet

ABB has been selected by Sappi Limited to support a major digital transformation project across its global manufacturing footprint in Europe, North America, and South Africa.

The rollout of ABB’s Ability™ Manufacturing Execution System (MES) for pulp and paper will be a key focus in the digital transformation across Sappi’s entire production fleet. The project has begun and will extend over several years.

The implementation of ABB Ability™ MES, specifically designed for pulp and paper process optimization, will enable the improvement of Sappi’s Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) through optimized production planning and execution. Project goals also include making better use of materials and inventory, reducing costs of production and ownership, and reducing its environmental impact by increasing its sustainability performance.

Sappi’s own IT teams will be able to deploy the solutions either collaboratively with ABB or independently in some cases, maximizing user acceptance and supportability. This will also enable Sappi to contribute to the continued innovation of their MES platform.

“For Sappi this is a key global IT initiative that will drive alignment with our Thrive25 Vision, putting in place state-of-the-art systems that will allow Sappi to thrive as the future unfolds,” said Jeff Wright, Project Director and North American CIO for Sappi. “We have partnered with ABB because of their demonstrated commitment to the pulp and paper industry, their proven technical solutions and worldwide team, as well as their clear strategies for future investment and improvement in their MES solutions.”

“ABB’s commitment to a collaborative partnership with Sappi, which supports our desire to innovate for operational performance not only during this multi-year implementation but thereafter, was also key to our decision to choose ABB.”

“We are pleased to be supporting Sappi on their digital transformation journey that will help them realize their operational goals,” said Steve St. Jarre, Global Business Development Manager at ABB. “Our MES will provide transparency across the value chain, and includes optimization of material flow within the pulp mills. We are proud to be Sappi’s chosen partner and provide the traceability needed to enable Sappi to produce the right quantity and quality of any product at the lowest cost, for optimized operations.”

ABB is working in more than 50 countries to provide its comprehensive portfolio of integrated digital solutions, automation and electrification systems, industry-focused products and services to help customers optimize all phases of the papermaking process. The company works across packaging, paper, tissue and pulp disciplines to help drive availability, performance, cost and quality improvements.