Shoe press case study - Remote services available 24/7/365

What is "remote diagnostics" or "remote services"?

Let's face it - the experts are rarely there when a chronic pesky problem rears its ugly head. Typically, they're either at a far distant millsite or catching up on paperwork back in the office between troubleshooting calls. Wouldn't it be nice to harness their capabilities regardless of their location? Well that, in a nutshell, is what remote services allows.

Valmet provides remote services through our Valmet Performance Centers. Our Performance Center teams include people with expertise in our customers’ industries, like process experts and equipment experts, as well as people with expertise in specialized services such as cybersecurity and condition monitoring. These centers connect our experts from all around the world in virtual teams that serve our customers.

Valmet has a network of eight Performance Centers serving customers around the world.

When your shoe press (or winder or ... just about any section of the machine line) is equipped with remote diagnostics by Valmet, you will benefit from realtime 24/7 machine system and subsystems monitoring and data archival. Shoe press experts monitor your process on a regular basis and contact the mill when any issue or negative trend is identified. Your machine is also equipped with independent alarming that automatically contacts Valmet experts via email, fax and mobile phone - thus ensuring 24-hour coverage. Naturally, these experts are also available at your request for help. In addition, your shoe press process information is stored on the secure internet portal which you can access, including:

• quarterly reports detaling analyses and reporting
• machine drawings
• equipment maintenance and operations manuals
• Valmet contact information

Who will be monitoring the system?

Valmet's experts in your process area will monitor the system on a daily basis. In the shoe press area, for example, their experience with Valmet and Beloit shoe presses ranges from 9 to 37 years, with an average of 23 years of pulp and paper experience. Their particular subfields include hydraulics, controls, mechanics, vibration and design. And all of them are ready to contact any other Valmet experts as needed to solve a particular problem.

Example 1: Mill calls for help

A mill in Minnesota was experiencing some moisture profile problems and was concerned that the shoe press might not be functioning properly. The mill contacted a Valmet Service Engineer (who happened to be in Calhoun, TN) for assistance. This engineer conferred with another Valmet Service Engineer (in Cowpens, SC) and together logged on to the mill's system via remote diagnostics to check the press operation. The loading process was verified as operating correctly and all trends were viewed and diagnosed as normal. The mill then proceeded to check other possible sources for the poor moisture profile, satisfied that the shoe press had been ruled out.

Valmet experts consult with each other regardless of their location around the world.

Example 2: Machine calls for help

At a different mill, an alarm setpoint was breached that indicated an elevated shoe press oil return temperature. The shoe press immediately called Valmet for help via mobile phone and email with an automatically generated alarm message. It was also evident that the tank temperature was elevated and leading the oil return temperature rise. Further investigation by Valmet revealed that leading the tank temperature rise was a sudden drop in system and oil film pressure. This was further diagnosed to reveal that the pressure dropped when the spare pump was brought on line, clearly indicating a problem with the spare pump pressure circuit or adjustment.

Annuciation of this problem was automatic and transparent to mill personnel. Analysis was well underway before the mill was even aware they had an impending problem. It is critical that the mill is fully protected and at the same time no inundated with false alarms. Because the Valmet alarm system is transparent to the mill, we can precisely tailor the alarm algorithms and setpoints to capture issues well before they become major problems. This is a luxury that a machine operator tending to several hundred or even thousand process variables cannot afford. This system adds a finely focused machine monitor and backup to key processes that can otherwise easily go unnoticed in a busy machine room.

Benefits of remote services

With remote services for your machine, you will enjoy the well-being of knowing you are backed by an attentive staff of process experts at all times.

Benefits of remote services on your machine

You can also expect:

• Regular reporting and recommendations
• Regular meetings with follow-up actions and decisions made
• Actions performed onsite
• Regular monitoring and analysis
• Fast online responses

... and, most importantly, a smoothly running machine!

For more information on the availability of Valmet remote services for your shoe press, winder or other process areas, contact your Valmet representative.