Solutions

Innovation meets expertise in every piece of Kӧrber converting, packaging, and folding equipment, for the tissue business. Industry-leading technologies and the support teams to maximize their efficiencies, help our partners keep pace with emerging trends, overcome challenges, and redefine the future of tissue with effective, efficient solutions that do the same.

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Equipment Showcase

The place to find quick delivery tissue converting, packaging, and folded equipment solutions that combine advanced technologies and expert support.

Select4U

The marketplace for trusted pre-owned converting and packaging machines, chosen by our industry experts and ready to provide fast restarts in plants worldwide.

Roll

Whether upgrading equipment or adding rolled tissue products to your line to meet demand, the partnership you choose is as important as the machinery. Körber is the trusted name in tissue manufacturing innovation. Our rewinders/winders, log saws, and advanced, custom technologies are designed to solve even the toughest production challenges while enhancing operational efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

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Away from Home (AFH)

Fold

Fold napkins and interfold products continue to gain global popularity and dominate brand expansion. Trusted suppliers are finding it practical and profitable to add Körber converting and packaging equipment that makes it possible to offer folded product services that meet current and anticipated needs.

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Customer Service

Helping our partners succeed doesn’t end at the production line. We proactively lean into training, technical support, data analysis, spare parts provision, and other value-added services that make our equipment, technologies, and relationships more effective and efficient.

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Digital Tissue™

Digital Tissue™ smart services and technical solutions combine the potential of Big Data with our field-proven technical expertise to help our partners realize maximum productivity and profitability. Our industry-leading technologies are reshaping the business models behind how tissue manufacturers go to market.

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Customer Product Development

Kӧrber is dedicated to helping our partners strategically develop innovative products that disrupt existing channels, open new markets, and create competitive differentiation. Our tissue expertise and forward-thinking technologies in design, analysis, prototyping, and embossing address current challenges and prepare our partners for sustained future success.

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Configurable Lines: Converting

How to prepare for a successful digital transformation

18.10.2022 | Körber Tissue Team | 7 min read Topics |

Supply chain disruptions continue to drive raw materials availability down and pulp prices up. Tissue manufacturers need to maximize efficiencies across the value chain, and many are doing it through equipment optimization.

Decision makers are taking this opportunity to evaluate their facilities’ digital readiness in order to align capital equipment investments with short and long term goals. Digitalization drives efficiency, but not every plant is equipped with the same level of digital capabilities.

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Preparing your facility for digital transformation takes a realistic understanding of where you rank in terms of digital readiness. Accomplishing the transformation takes partnering with Kӧrber — a tissue equipment manufacturer that is a leader in digital innovation, and has an ecosystem of integrated solutions to support you.

Determining digital capabilities

Industry 4.0 is centered around technology. Data, connectivity, and automation are all gateways to overall equipment efficiency (OEE) for tissue manufacturers — an important advantage as tissue product lines and customer demand continue to diversify.

However, embarking on a full digital transformation without first evaluating your starting point could prove costly.

To better understand and plan for improving your digital capabilities, evaluate your current status based on the following categories1:

  • Unconnected: No machine networks or data capturing tools are in place
  • Sensor connectivity: Machines contain sensors and/or other data-gathering tools, and production lines are networked and managed by IT professionals; operational processes are not sophisticated enough to fully leverage the data
  • Data-driven efficiency: Machine network connectivity is sufficient to capture critical data (machine downtime, part defects, product tracking information, etc.) and funnel it to a centralized data repository; there is the commitment to use data for OEE but a lack of analytics and plant-level application resources
  • Analytics-driven efficiency: Data scientists/IT professionals oversee data collection, analyze information, help develop plant-level applications and drive business process change within one facility, but not necessarily across locations
  • Transformational capacity: Machine connectivity, security, data gathering/retention/analytics are excellent, and capable of extending across facilities and value chains; there is full and functioning support from leadership including change management teams that encompass communications, processes, training, and analyst resources

You may clearly identify with one category of capabilities, or maybe it’s not that clearcut. An honest assessment of your current status will help you Identify next steps for maximizing OEE while also informing how to derive the most value from digital transformation.

The framework of digital transformation

Knowing your starting point helps you build the framework necessary to make your journey to digital transformation valuable and successful. Use these guidelines to keep you on track2:

  1. Begin at the beginning: Start with assessing your core processes and data collection capabilities related to those processes.
  2. Don’t implement technology for technology’s sake: Focus on automating basic data collection and analyses, using a systematic approach that incorporates phases of sensors and artificial intelligence (AI)
  3. Make sure digitalization benefits everyone: Technologies and data should be able to be adapted and used by all levels of the organization, from the plant to the leadership team
  4. Build in continuous improvement: Being transformational requires benchmarks to measure change. Tie data to key performance indicators (KPIs), and share results to encourage your entire team to support digital transformation

In an industry hampered by uncertainty in supply chains and an ongoing labor crisis, automated production lines that allow manufacturers to remain nimble and responsive to shifting needs are attractive. The key is not to get swept up in all that digital transformation can do, but rather how to use digital transformation — and your strategic partnerships — to your best advantage.

Kӧrber: AI-powered manufacturing efficiency

No one understands the needs of the tissue industry better than Kӧrber.

The Kӧrber ecosystem of interconnected digital solutions help you truly maximize operational efficiencies — and transform your business by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI):

  • K.optimize AI: a product family that improves the availability, performance, and quality of tissue production machines. K.optimize AI® also captures data that improves digital communication and documentation, and simplifies worker-process interaction.
  • K.explore®: a product family that focuses on machine connectivity and infrastructure scalability to promote factory transparency. K.explore services include on-premise and cloud-based Tissue Connect data-sharing solutions, and a user friendly Tissue Analytics smart application for collecting and analyzing critical data across machines, production lines, and/or locations.
  • K.support AI®: remote-enabled solutions that allow expert Kӧrber technical consultants in the Tissue Performance Center to help tissue manufacturers manage assets, systems, knowledge, and data to ensure continuous operations. K.support AI uses technology as a digital asset that is essential for humans-machines synergy and integration of data, solutions, and systems.
  • Digital Ventures: a portfolio of corporate ventures developed through Kӧrber Business Area Digital, focused on software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to improve production efficiency in keeping with Industry 4.0 advancements. In 2020, FactoryPal was the first company launched in the Kӧrber portfolio, introducing digital solutions that leverage machine learning to maximize OEE and profitability.

Digital solutions are fine tuned for optimizing manufacturing processes through expert shop floor consulting and actionable insights. The strategic combination of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), operational excellence, and machine learning  is central to achieving efficiency gains in production line/machine performance and overall profitability.

Sam Operational Solution

Sam operational solution is the ideal set of digital solutions for transitioning to an Industry 4.0 manufacturing plant, focusing on several parts of the production line. Ecosystem Sam flow can be used on any line configuration and is compatible with any OEM tissue converting roll, fold, and packaging machines and layouts — harmonizing product flow, and stabilizing each machine speed:

Converting Roll Equipment

  • Perini Sam perf allows for continuous automated monitoring of perforation quality while the line is running at any speed, for each sheet and roll. Accuracy falls within the range of a few millimeters and can be easily adjusted using the system’s “active” function
  • Perini Sam log is the first quality control system that allows operators to check log winding and, if needed, adjust production parameters to prevent the risk of non-conformities. Controlled via HMI panel, log samples are pulled, checked, and reintroduced into the production line while the machine is running — meaning no downtime and no scrap
  • Perini Sam emb monitors embossing quality live at all speeds using a set of cameras to inspect the web coming out of the enbosser. A neural network trained by a deep learning algorithm processes the images to detect defects and adjust parameter. Desired embossing quality is restored with minimal finished product waste
  • Perini Sam VAR offers advanced machine fault monitoring through video recordings captured and managed within a system of cameras and software for faster troubleshooting and less downtime. Once a fault occurs, the operator can automatically migrate all recordings from the affected area to a dedicated touch-screen monitor for review and identification of the root cause

Converting Fold Equipment

  • MTC Sam cut continuously monitors the position of cutting blades and automatically assesses sheet-by-sheet log cut quality, eliminating the need for manual checks and line downtime
  • MTC Sam reel reads the main characteristics on the parent reel label, and sends the information to the line wherein software-driven automatic adjustments are made to line control and operating parameters
  • MTC Sam vacuum automatically or manually manages the degree of actual vacuum based on head fold speed and on the desired depression set-point, minimizing downtime and saving money by aligning energy demand with need

Packaging Equipment

  • Casmatic Sam pack uses HD cameras, light bars, and a deep learning algorithm to detect primary packaging defects (i.e., poor bonds, errant print positioning, wrap cracks, etc.) and initiate ejection of affected packages
  • Casmatic Sam cut monitors wrapper cutting blade wear, detects packaging film perforation issues, and signals operators to take corrective action to prevent potential jams or downtime — all while the wrapper is running. The technology increases efficiencies and keeps operators out of harm’s way as they do not have to enter the wrapper for fixes.

Regardless of where you’re starting on your digital transformation journey, we’re ready to answer your questions, identify next steps, and guide you through the process. Contact the Kӧrber team to learn more.

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SOURCES
1Sight Machine, How can knowing your plant's digital readiness determine your success?, Undated

2Plant Services, When beginning your digital transformation journey, should you invest in machines or in enabling operators?, January 19, 2022

 

Sustanability

Packaging trends:

insights and solutions for the tissue industry details how increased global tissue demand has amplified challenges and opportunities in tissue product packaging.

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