Trends and ideas, Solutions!, Online Exclusives, May 2003

TRENDS AND IDEAS

Iggesund devises way to provide operators with better decision support for more consistent quality. ? A board machine operator has access to hundreds of time series showing different measurements from the manufacturing process. No single human being could continuously make rational decisions based on that amount of data, and two people would undoubtedly make the same decision," says Anders Skoglund, process engineer at Iggesund Paperboard. He is responsible for the introduction of multivariate control on a Iggesund Paperboard board machines. He has also written a licentiate dissertation on the methodology.

The method has been in use on Iggesund’s KM1 machine and has been operating for slightly more than six months. Every minute, 180 selected time series are updated. They are compared with historical data from occasions when the board machine operated optimally for quality and production volume. The operator receives the information as a list of deviations presented in a ranking order to help the operator deal with them.

"Quite simply, it is a basis for helping the operator make the correct decisions. It also involves some form of control. In the long term, this means that the range of variation that can result from different shift teams making different assessments will decrease," Anders Skoglund adds.

The multivariate control method is an on-going development project that will undergo evaluation over a longer period. Positive effects are already evident after only a few months. One indication of the value of the method is that the operators have quickly accepted the system as a tool in their decision-making process. Operators find that the display of deviations is a good way to prevent the process from going off course by working as an early warning system.

The first evaluation of the system revealed that the board machine now works more reliably. Process deviations receive faster discovery and adjustment. No clear influence on productivity and product quality that also depend on other factors is available yet.

"We can go a long way with models and simulations, but the method’s real value is decided in the real world on the factory floor," says Skoglund, who is writing his doctoral dissertation on multivariate control.

Fun Cup makes paper candy bags something from the past. Huhtamaki and Karkkikatu, a subsidiary of Leaf, concentrating on pick and mix candies have cooperatively developed a new concept for selling sweets that makes candy-on-the-go even more convenient. Called Fun Cups, Huhtamaki supplies two different sized paper cups and lids to Karkkikatu. Because the cups are pre-bar coded, they do not require weighing. The retail customers can simply fill the cup according to their tastes and snap on the transparent lid to keep the sweets safely inside. Cups then receive scanning at check out like any other item.

"We were brainstorming for new ideas, and this seemed like a good concept from the beginning" says Yrsa Wilen, Business Unit Manager from Leaf. "We were especially thinking of entrepreneurs who operate in limited space or are only starting to sell candy. With our Fun Cup concept, there is no need to maintain expensive scales. This reduces overhead." Each candy cup has a fixed price regardless of how full the cup is. Being able to avoid the weighing reduces the work of retail outlets and other points of sale. The bar code is printed directly on the cup. There are two sizes of cups available-300 ml and 500 ml.

Leaf’s long experience in consumer research in the grocery sector and in marketing and logistics helped lead to positive results gathered from end users during test marketing. "Fun Cup is a practical, good solution for the end customer too since the cup will fit automobile cup holders. Rigid paper cups protect candy by reducing crushing tendencies common with traditional candy bags. The cups are also a great option for the cinema because they are less noisy than paper bags. The Fun Cup also makes a more attractive present or give-away than a bag," says Wilen.

The idea for the Fun Cup candy cup began during 2002. First deliveries reached customers by the end of the year. Fun Cup offers superior printing capabilities and opportunities for dynamic graphics. Custom printing is a value added feature when retailers are considering special promotions or strengthening their store brands. The cups come from Huhtamaki facilities in small packs containing cups and lids to alleviate the work and avoid storing problems at the point of sale.

Sappi announces silver and bronze printer awards. Sappi Fine Paper North America, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, has announced the Silver and Bronze Award winners for 2003 in the company’s annual Printer of the Year competition that recognizes excellence in printing craftsmanship. Six hundred printers from throughout North America submitted more than 3100 entries in this year’s competition. The selection of Silver and Bronze winners is the first step toward the coveted Sappi International Printer of the Year medallion-the only global award that honors printer innovation and excellence. From these pieces, judges selected six regional Silver Award winners and six regional Bronze Award winners in each of six categories-annual reports, books, brochures, catalogs, magazines, and general. In addition, one Judges’ Award for Excellence in Printer Self-Promotion was awarded. The 36 Silver Award winners will receive recognition at a gala dinner May 17 at the El Conquistador Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The evening will culminate in the naming of six Gold Award recipients.

The Gold Award winners will then compete in the Sappi International Printer of the Year event this fall in North America with final announcement of a single North American Printer of the Year. The chosen North American winner with the South African, Sappi Trading, and European Printers of the Year will be judged to select the 2003 Sappi International Printer of the Year medallion recipient. In 2002, this honor went to Belk Printing Technologies of Pineville, North Carolina, USA.

Sappi Printer of the Year has been held annually in South Africa since 1979, in Europe since 1993, and in North America since 1997. To view the list of awards or to find more information, visit www.sappi.com.

In other Sappi news: The company has released its 2003 call for entries for its annual ’Ideas That Matter’ grant program. Each year Sappi donates US$ 1 million to graphic designers around the world to create and implement projects for their favorite cause, charity, or foundation. Each designer is eligible for a grant of up to US$ 50,000 to create materials for community organizations. Past winners have designed brochures, posters, advertising campaigns, and other materials. Submission deadline is May 31, 2003. More information is available at www.sappi.com or by calling 1-800-882-IDEA.

The potential for new microdenier nonwovens. John R. Starr, Inc., Naples, Florida, USA, has assessed the market opportunities, manufacturi

ng technologies, and costs associated with microdenier nonwovens. The consulting firm has also analyzed producer stages. Consumption of advanced technology nonwovens made with microdenier synthetic fibers should increase rapidly. Development work is progressing with fine denier spunbonded nonwovens consolidated by various means including hydroentaglement. Freudenberg and DuPont are investigating microdenier nonwovens. New market opportunities that will open by the emerging microdenier technologies will draw in new competition in several process areas. For a full report, send email to jstarr@johnrstarr.com or call 1-239-430-1983.

Demand for world biocides to increase by 5.6% annually. The Freedonia Group, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, has released a report projecting the demand for biocides to increase by 5.6 annually to US$ 5.9 billion in 2006. North America and Western Europe will remain the largest regional markets accounting for approximately two-thirds of total demand. The Asia/Pacific region due primarily to continued double-digit growth in China should register the fastest growth through this decade and will be the second largest regional market by the decade’s end.

The report states that regulatory considerations will continue to have a profound effect on the biocides industry most notably in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. Paper coatings markets for biocides should register the strongest growth among major end-use applications. For a full report, contact The Freedonia Group by phone at 440-684-9600 or by email at pr@freedoniagroup.com.

Magnetic Flowmeter Market to Reach $650 Million by 2007. The worldwide Magnetic Flowmeter market that totaled nearly US$ 590 million in 2002 is projected to reach US$ 650 million by the end of 2007 expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just under 2% according to a new study by ARC Advisory Group, Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. "The magnetic flowmeter market is facing serious challenges on several fronts but has stability due to the inherent strengths of the technology. Magnetic flowmeters have no moving parts, a flow path without obstructions, and low maintenance," according to Senior Analyst Paula Hollywood (phollywood@arcweb.com), the author of ARC’s Magnetic Flowmeter Worldwide Outlook.

Lack of capital investment due to current manufacturing overcapacity, the downturn in cyclical industries such as chemical, pulp and paper, and mining have combined with an overall sluggish economic outlook to inhibit the growth prospects for magnetic flowmeters. The increasingly stringent environmental regulations will positively impact growth in the water and wastewater industry. The hybrid industries will provide new growth opportunities for magnetic flowmeters as the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries experience growth.

The mature markets of Europe and North America have basically become replacement markets because they are virtually saturated and are experiencing little organic growth. The Asian market that is primarily China and India presents the best opportunities for magnetic flowmeter growth on a regional basis since these countries continue to build service infrastructure and an industrial base. China and India are also emerging as low-cost manufacturing centers for suppliers.

Further information on this study is available at http://www.arcweb.com/research/auto/magnetic.asp

Foundation™ Fieldbus, Austin, Texas, USA, now has its technical overview available free on the web. It includes the latest updates to the technology used in the architecture such as HSE (High Speed Ethernet), FFB (Flexible Function Block), and MVC (Multi-Variable Container). Intended for any instrument and control engineer but focused on the chemical industry, the white paper begins with an introduction to the benefits of Foundation™ Fieldbus. A later part is a summary of an interoperability evaluation performed by Infraserv Höchst in Germany on behalf of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. A technical overview is available at http://www.fieldbus.org/pdf/techoverview.pdf.

The SC Council, New York, New York, USA, reports shipments of supercalendered paper to North America increased 6.4% in 2002. The Council said that SC is the industry’s fastest growing grade. SCA paper that is the majority of SC paper used in North America was up 12.7%. A total of 2,967,100 metric tons of SC paper was shipped in 2002 compared with 2,787,700 metric tons shipped in 2001. Of the total 2002 tonnage, 81.7% was shipped by North American SC producers and European producers shipped 18.3%. The SC Council is a worldwide association of manufacturers and marketers of quality supercalendered paper.