DIGITALISATION WORLD PULP&PAPER 94 communication backbone. This enables ABB and the customer experts to remotely monitor and optimise critical equipment and production processes, together, and improve overall plant performance. Through the utility of ABB’s Collaborative Operation Center, the performance of the lime kiln advanced process control strategy can be monitored continuously and help further optimise the system. The dashboard (see Figure 5) provides critical information that are specifically designed for the various stakeholders in the mill. For example, the process control engineer would have access to the data trends and correlations to troubleshoot problems and identify potential bottlenecks to be able to optimise the system further. The mill manager will have access to key performance indicators, environmental data and also be able to track the monetary benefits over time. ABB can monitor performance, alert on potential problems before they arise, and troubleshoot as required. GAINING BENEFITS WITH DIGITALISATION Through the application of ABB Ability™ APC and Collaborative Operations, significant improvements can be achieved. For the European lime kiln, the process was stabilised and optimised with APC, which resulted in significant cost savings while maintaining all process parameters within operational constraints. Furthermore, over time, benefits such as reduction in makeup lime requirements and reduction in maintenance downtime were also observed. The application of ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations enabled continuous monitoring and sharing of key performance indicators with all stakeholders, through which the performance was sustained and further optimised over time. Digitalisation through the ABB Ability™ platform is not limited to lime kilns and has found applications across the various processes in pulp and paper mills. Improving the pulp quality in the cooking process, minimising water consumption in the washing process, minimising chemical consumption in the bleaching process, improving the runnability of paper machines are a few areas where the ABB digital solutions have been successfully implemented. Pulp and paper companies should continue to explore opportunities for leveraging digital solutions to enable cost optimisation. Figure 5. Collaborative Operations Performance. Digitalisation through the ABB AbilityTM platform... has found applications across the various processes in pulp and paper mills.