Pushing the boundaries

The route to optimizing the role of pulp in papermaking is as varied as the end products themselves. So when we seek ways to add value to your business, our Technical Customer Service team never expect to tread the same path twice with the Pulp+ services they offer.

On site and online, our Technical Product Managers for paper pulp, Pär Andersson, Peter Carlsson and Ann Nilsson, drive the quality and performance aspect of Södra’s Pulp+ services, complementing the sustainability data expertise of Eva Thuresson and Sandra Edvardsson. Customers requiring dissolving pulp and liquid bioproducts have their own dedicated Technical Product Manager: Catharina Fechter.

Peter Carlsson specializes in tissue and has recently returned from a week spent in a tissue company reviewing processes across two mills. This is with a view to getting more strength from refining and thereby enhancing runnability and achieving further optimization of the fibre furnish. The mill will now spend time implementing process optimization recommendations before Peter and other colleagues return to review results and fine-tune the project.

“Working on customer-driven projects, from benchmarking optimal fibre mixes to the use of the virtual refiner tool, is challenging and rewarding, because we have the opportunity to help customers achieve that vital competitive edge,” says Peter.

Ann Nilsson focuses on specialty grades as well as printing/writing and packaging: “One scenario in which we can help is when a customer is bringing a new product to market,” says Ann. “It might be a question of recommending the best pulp for a particular application or optimizing refining to achieve specified properties. We work closely with our innovation department and can provide simulation models to enhance decision making at critical times.”

Pär Andersson finds multi-partner projects particularly interesting, and is involved in several at the moment: “We have so much expertise in house but are also well connected with third parties where they have something to add. Often the pulp we supply will stay the same, but our recommendations focus on the process surrounding the fibre and how this can be optimized.”

Catharina Fechter is our specialist for Bioproducts, including dissolving pulp and OnceMore®, having spent 15 years working for Södra Innovation. Her ambition: To help Södra and our customers become an important player in the quest to find sustainable solutions for the future. “We have the tools in place now. The time is right, both for Södra and for our customers."

In increasingly data-driven decision-making processes, our Technical Product Managers and their sustainability-focused colleagues provide an invaluable resource for mills anywhere in the world to develop products and processes, and push the boundaries for sustainability. Get in touch!