Building on a shared commitment to sustainability, ABB and Papeteries de Vizille have signed an agreement for the purchase of an Autoline, the flagship product from ABB’s L&W range of measuring instruments. This order, which includes reconditioned equipment, aligns with a circularity approach, ensuring the same reliability and benefits as new equipment.
Papeteries de Vizille, established nearly 400 years ago and part of the Vicat cement group since 1984, operates in two main markets both domestically and internationally:
- Special paper manufacturing: for safety, food contact, publishing, luxury goods, etc.
- Kraft bag production: for packaging construction products, chemicals, animal feed, etc.
Each type of paper production requires rigorous monitoring and quality control to meet customer specifications.
With commissioning completed in December 2024, L&W Autoline has been integrated into Vizille’s laboratory, enabling comprehensive measurements to monitor product quality. The automated paper testing system, equipped with seven modules, will allow the team to measure grammage, thickness, moisture, porosity, TSO fiber direction, tensile strength, and tear resistance. L&W Autoline siginificantly improves testing speed and accuracy, increasing data points while reducing error risks, allowing laboratory teams to focus on higher-value tasks such as investigating and correcting non-conformities.
With a rich heritage in laboratory measurements, L&W pioneered the automated paper testing method over 40 years ago. Their commitment to reliability and innovation has led to the development of solutions designed for sustainability and an extended lifecycle, allowing customers to reuse L&W equipment efficiently and safely.
“We are proud to continue to develop our production facilities with ABB. In a challenging landscape for the paper industry, we are determined to continue serving our customers with high-quality “Made in France” products. So our investment in the Autoline L&W is a further step towards excellence and a commitment to a more sustainable and ethical industry, in line with our values,” shared P. Bonnet, General Manager, Papeteries de Vizille.
“We are thrilled that our long-standing customer has once again chosen ABB for their laboratory testing requirements. L&W Autoline delivers exceptional efficiency and reliability, which are crucial for maintaining high-quality standards in paper mills. This circular approach gives our customers the opportunity to benefit from extending our products’ lifecycle, aligning perfectly with our shared commitment to sustainability,” said Alain Pitte, Director of Process Industries at ABB France.
For over 140 years, ABB has been developing automation, electrification and digitalization technologies and solutions to meet its customers’ requirements and help them achieve their productivity and sustainability objectives. As part of its Sustainability Agenda 2030, the ABB Group has revised its objectives upwards and is committed to taking action to contribute to a low-carbon society, preserve resources and promote social progress. The integration of circularity into projects is one of these actions, as it takes into account the life cycle of equipment and helps to reduce waste and, ultimately, carbon emissions. This ambition is shared by the Vicat Group, to which Papeteries de Vizille belongs, since the cement manufacturer advocates a responsible purchasing strategy with its suppliers.
This order exemplifies how sustainability and productivity go hand in hand. Indeed, as underlined by ABB’s Real Progress campaign – a global initiative launched in 2023 – it is collaboration across the industrial ecosystem is crucial to leveraging technological leadership and solutions to tackle the decarbonization challenge.
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