Managing the Mill Documentation Dilemma, 1993 Process Control, Electrical & Information Conference Proceedings

Johnny Dunlap

Jim Brannan

The design and operation of today’s pulp and paper mills are driven and to a large degree, bound by our ability to integrate detailed real-time process control, manufacturing execution, and business planning information. Consequently, the impact of ISO, OSHA, EPA, and otherregulatory agencies is being addressed with an intensity that signalsits obvious effect on present and future mill operations. The cost of compliance could be staggering.

Fortunately, new and better information and documentation management tools are emerging which give the pulp and paper industry the opportunity to cope with new demands and, in fact, leverage the mill information to improve overall operations. Hypertext, CD ROM on-line electronic documentation, multimedia, real-time live graphics, and active doc-uments are just a few of the concepts that have moved into the mill documentation lexicon.

This paper discusses issues which contribute to present satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with mill documentation systems, and explores the expected future requirements for management of this important aspect of mill operation. Practical suggestions and approaches to better managing the mill documentation dilemma with new technology ate then presented for consideration.