Pilot customer Smurfit Westrock saves significant amounts of CO2 with Voith's new HighPerformance Press

From left to right: Sjon Vrieze (Smurfit Westrock), Richard Horn (Voith Paper), Wouter Lap (Smurfit Westrock), Bas Noldus (Smurfit Westrock), Klaus Meier (Voith Paper), Helga Krieger (Voith Paper) and Tobias Englet (Voith Paper).

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  • Fast conversion within 38 hours
  • Smooth commissioning and full production immediately after conversion
  • Increased dry content after the press section ensures increased steam and CO2 savings in the dryer section

ROERMOND/HEIDENHEIM. The installation of the HighPerformance Press in the press section of Smurfit Westrock Roermond Papier's PM 1 represents a milestone in the development of the product. After a rebuild time of only 38 hours and a smooth start-up, production was fully ramped up again.

The advantages of the new press solution became immediately clear: The HighPerformance Press increases the dry content of the paper web after the press section and enables Smurfit Westrock to make significant steam savings in the dryer section. As a result, energy consumption and CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced.

"Thanks to the innovative HighPerformance Press solution from Voith, we can save 7,500 tons of steam and 1,113 tons of CO2 per year. This is an important contribution to our decarbonization roadmap and shows the potential for converting other Smurfit Westrock paper machines.'' - Sjon Vrieze, Technical Operations Manager at Smurfit Westrock Roermond Papier

A big step towards more sustainability in the production process is a goal that Voith and Smurfit Westrock share. Furthermore, the increased dry content after the press section enables an increase in production speed. This in turn can lead to larger production quantities with consistent quality.

Close and trusting cooperation as a factor for success

The close and trusting exchange characterizes the long-standing partnership between Voith and Smurfit Westrock, which was particularly evident in this project. As a leading full-line supplier to the paper industry, Voith is able to optimally design all components to ensure the quality, functionality and reliability of the solution. Even after the installation of the HighPerformance Press, Voith supports Smurfit Westrock with optimization measures in order to exploit the maximum potential of the new press solution.

"We were delighted when Voith approached us with its new HighPerformance Press solution. From the very beginning, there was a trusting relationship and close cooperation. It quickly became clear that it was important for Voith to respond to our needs and enable us to achieve significant production benefits with the HighPerformance Press.'' - Bas Noldus, Production Manager at Smurfit Westrock Roermond Papier

About Smurfit Westrock

Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging, operates in 40 countries with over 500 packaging converting operations and 63 paper mills. With the circular economy at the core of its business, it uses renewable, recyclable and recycled materials to create sustainable packaging solutions. As a trusted partner to companies across the world, Smurfit Westrock is dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges.
We are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

About the Voith Group

The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 22,000 employees, sales of € 5.5 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services and products on the market and offers paper manufacturers holistic solutions from one source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations facilitates resource-conserving production and helps customers minimize their carbon footprint. With its leading automation products and digitalization solutions from the Papermaking 4.0 portfolio, Voith offers its customers state-of-the-art digital technologies to improve plant availability and efficiency for all sections of the production process.