Packaging Mill Increases Productivity and Product Quality while Reducing Costs

GoalIncrease productivity and product quality, and reduce program cost.

<h6>Customer Challenge</h6> <p>The operating efficiency of a North American recycled containerboard mill was constrained by dry strength requirements on a range of linerboard grades between 26lb and 42lb.&nbsp; Low values for ring crush, mullen and internal bond strength across the grade line resulted in operating rates below budget, significant overweighting, a high number of quality related downgrades and an inefficient spray starch program.</p> <h6>Recommended Solution</h6> <p>Solenis audited the mill&rsquo;s chemical and mechanical processes and recommended Hercobond Plus HC, a proprietary dry strength and productivity aid program.&nbsp; This program provided the customer with a direct and linear strength response, as well as a significant improvement in fines retention and pressing efficiency.</p> <h6>Results Achieved</h6> <p>The application of Hercobond Plus HC provided increases in ring crush index, mullen index and internal bond strength of 8 to 20%.&nbsp; The mill leveraged these gains to eliminate the spray starch program, increase overall tonnage rates by 5% and reduce basis weights across the grade line by &gt;2% on average.&nbsp; Together, the higher tonnage and lower basis weights resulted in a &gt;7% increase in thousand square feet (MSF) output per month with a lower production cost per MSF.&nbsp; A portion of the strength gain was also traded for a reduction in quality related downgrades.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="max-width: 100%; width: auto; height: auto;" src="/link/896bcc4cd2a04aca8177838a2cd7e13b.aspx" alt="" width="2390" height="1288" /></p>