COMPETENCE IN PAPER

Newsletter

March 2024

From the association

Focus on sustainability

Dear members and friends of ZELLCHEMING,

According to a recent report by the Zukunftsinstitut (Future Institute), no other megatrend is generating as much debate as the issue of sustainable consumption, resource conservation and energy supply. According to trend researchers, it is becoming increasingly clear that efficiency is the path to green prosperity and economic stability. While sustainable consumption was a market driver at the beginning of the century, pragmatic, holistic thinking is now taking its place, they say. ZELLCHEMING has recognized the signs of the times: We have placed the issue of sustainability directly on the Management Board and are now in the process of dovetailing it with the work of the technical committees.

To kick off the ZELLCHEMING Forum on the first day of the fair, I and my deputy, Dr.-Ing. Frank Meltzer, are expecting a number of representatives from politics, associations and companies in the industry. The title of the panel discussion is: "The paper and pulp industry on the way to climate-neutral production - political framework conditions, successful investment projects and promising perspectives!

Prof. Dr. Helga Zollner-Croll, Chairwoman ZELLCHEMING Association

The panelists are Dr. Uwe Knotzer, Managing Partner of Knauf KG, Dr. Markus Wildberger, Corporate Director Technology, Koehler Paper, and Hans-Christoph Gallenkamp, CEO of Felix Schoeller and President of the German Paper Industry Association. The framework will be set by Dr. Ekkehard Griep, Federal Chairman of the DGVN (German Association for the United Nations), who will describe where we stand at the halfway point on the way to the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030.

Sustainability will also be a recurring theme throughout the event. For example, ZELLCHEMING's technical committee DATA will take a closer look at the practical aspects of sustainability and explain the impact of new EU directives on the topic of documentation. The CO2 footprint of the products our industry produces is becoming increasingly important. Customers are demanding more transparency and digital tools are well suited to meet this growing demand. The session will present different perspectives and concrete solutions.

Once again this year, we will live up to our ZELLCHEMING mission statement with an ambitious program at the Expo: As a responsible designer and trendsetter, we want to make a positive contribution to securing the future of an innovative paper and fiber-based industry! We are also one step closer to our goal of becoming a major player in the circular economy, which is increasingly being promoted and demanded by politicians, companies and society, with a sustainability-oriented EU bio-economy as a core element!

We are looking forward to Expo 2024 and hope to welcome many of our members personally at the RheinMain CongressCenter (RMCC) in Wiesbaden from June 18th to 20th!

We are happy to welcome new ZELLCHEMING members again this month!

We welcome to the ZELLCHEMING association:

• Daniele Amici, Lamberti S.p.A.
• Alexander Boeck, Erhardt + Leimer GmbH
• Stephan Dresel, ABB Automation GmbH
• Ikuo Fujita, Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe GmbH
• Stefan Kammerer, Erhardt + Leimer GmbH
• Hans-Peter Neffgen, Lamberti Deutschland GmbH
• Sebastian Peters, Imerys Talc Germany GmbH
• Rainhard Rodler, ABB Automation GmbH
• Christian Rothbart, Münzing Chemie GmbH
• Frank Schroller, Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe GmbH
• Timo Seeger, Buckman Laboratories GmbH
• Dr. Mathias Stanzel, EXIST CeraSleeve
• Andreas Zehnpfund, ABB Automation GmbH

Good reasons for a ZELLCHEMING membership

Dr. Mathias Stanzel, EXIST CeraSleeve

• What role does the paper, pulp or fiber-based industry play for you/your company/institute?

  As a chemist researching new paper coatings and technologies in the field of paper chemistry, the paper, pulp and fiber-based industries are a fundamental part of learning about the current challenges and strategic designs in these industries.

• What made you decide to become a member of ZELLCHEMING?

  Having attended the ZELLCHEMING Expo and Conference over the past few years, I have come to realize that ZELLCHEMING is THE industry network in the German-speaking world. Now there is a potential opportunity to become active in one of the technical committees.

• In what way would you like to contribute to ZELLCHEMING?
  As in previous years, I would like to continue to contribute to the Annual Meetings (e.g. by giving a presentation) and to work together as part of a technical committee on the future challenges facing the pulp and paper industry.

Dates

• 21 March 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Chemical Additives (CHAD)
• 26 March 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Recovered Paper Utilization (RECO)
• 11 April 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Pulp and Paper Testing (DATA)
  Meeting Technical Committee Paper and Board Production (PBTC)
• 16 April 2024
  Meeting Technical Committee Paper Making (PMAK)
  Meeting Technical Committee Coating of Paper and Board (COAT)
  Meeting Technical Committee Microbiology (MBIO) - online
• 19 April 2024
  Meeting regional group West VPM/ZELLCHEMING
• 22 April 2024
  Women4Paper Online Meeting
• 18-20 June 2024
  ZELLCHEMING-Expo

From the office

High occupancy of exhibition space

The start of ZELLCHEMING-Expo 2024 is more than promising: The exhibition space is already about 85% booked, the program planning with the focus on the megatrend sustainability is completed, as well as the practical preparations.

In the tenth week of the calendar, almost 110 exhibitors have already confirmed their participation or reserved stand space. This means that almost 1,700 of the 1,950 m2 of space at the RMCC are currently fully booked.

"This positive development, which we particularly appreciate in view of the continuing difficult economic situation, gives us a lot of momentum for the final phase of preparations for this year's event," says Petra Hanke, Managing Director of ZELLCHEMING Service GmbH. 

New all-inclusive tickets, EC soccer party instead of summer evening

Registration for ZELLCHEMING-Expo 2024 is now open:

The ZELLCHEMING-Expo 3-day ticket costs 119 Euro this year, including networking events (after-show networking event, European Championship soccer party with live broadcast, Women4Paper, Career Day).

After extensive internal consideration of all options, we decided to give the summer evening a different, special character this year as a European Championship soccer party with live broadcast at the RMCC. Several aspects were taken into consideration: On June 19 at 6:30 p.m., the German national soccer team was playing in the European Championship, which was difficult to fit into the schedule, and the cost estimates for a traditional event at the Chausseehaus had risen significantly this year. It was not economically viable there or at alternative locations. We also received many requests to combine the costs for the trade show and the networking events in order to simplify billing within the company.

However, next year, when ZELLCHEMING celebrates its 120th anniversary, we will relaunch the Summer Evening concept and make our milestone birthday something very special!

ZELLCHEMING Career Day gains momentum

The premiere of the ZELLCHEMING Careers Day on the last day of the Expo was already one of the highlights of last year's event, and now this innovative format is expected to gain further momentum. This special focus on the third day of the Expo offers the core target groups - students and trainees - direct and uncomplicated access to companies of the pulp and paper industry. Partners and sponsors include universities, educational institutions, recruitment agencies, institutes, companies, associations and other organizations. "We are sure that many paper, board and pulp producers will actively use the opportunity to present their companies, locations and job profiles and to get in touch with the next generation of the industry", says Dr. Frank Meltzer, Vice President of the ZELLCHEMING Association.

Some paper manufacturers have already registered as active supporters of the Career Day! Please spread the word about this attractive format in your company!

A presentation with all details about the CAREER DAY can be found here.

If you have any further questions, please contact the office.

ZELLCHEMING-Expo Website

Visitors and exhibitors can learn more about Expo 2024 here:

From the membership

Voith presents OnView.Energy - a digital solution for the paper industry

The OnView.Energy digitalization solution enables papermakers to visualize, monitor and reduce their energy consumption. OnView.Energy is part of the full-service provider's Papermaking 4.0 portfolio and is based on the dataPARC Cloud IIoT platform.

According to the supplier, dashboards tailored to the needs of the paper industry and intuitive analysis tools increase transparency and enable the identification of potential savings. In an easy-to-read cockpit, operators receive warnings and alarms of abnormally high energy consumption and can optionally view countermeasures to support optimal operation and reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions and costs. Automatically generated and distributed reports also support companies with ISO 50001 certification and save time and effort. "With OnView.Energy, we offer our customers a new solution for optimizing energy consumption in paper production," says Heiko Held, Director Product Group Digital at Voith Paper.

A reference project for OnView.Energy is Laakirchen PM 10, where the solution has already been successfully installed.

DREWSEN invests €1.4 million in state-of-the-art turbo blower to increase energy efficiency

DREWSEN Spezialpapiere is consistently pursuing its course towards CO2-neutral paper production. As part of the multistage transformation plan, with which 80% of the target is to be realised by 2030, the focus is not only on expanding renewable energies but also on increasing energy efficiency.

For this purpose, DREWSEN is investing €1.4 million in a state-of-the-art turbo blower for vacuum generation in the paper manufacturing process. This investment is intended not only to achieve significant savings in electrical energy, but also to fully utilise the waste heat from the blower in the paper manufacturing process. In addition, the investment aims to provide more robust and increased vacuum generation for paper production.

After 14 months of planning and construction, the turbo blower successfully went into operation in January 2024. "Despite all the challenges that the employees faced, including staff shortages due to illness, the team once again demonstrated its reliability, commitment and, last but not least, its expertise. As a result, the challenging conversion work was successfully completed at the turn of the year 2023/2024." commented project manager Dr Wilken Franke.

Dr Wilken Franke and his colleague Marcus Ramm

The first few weeks of operation have already shown that the efficiency target for saving electrical energy has already been exceeded. The savings are roughly equivalent to the consumption of over 400 average German households. At the same time, all of the waste heat from the turbo blower is already being utilized in the drying process for paper production. In addition, the use of the new vacuum generation technology significantly reduces water consumption.

With the introduction of the turbo blower, DREWSEN is setting another milestone for future-orientated paper production. The company remains determined to pursue innovative paths and implement sustainable solutions in order to make a contribution to climate neutrality.

From the network

Women4Paper: Brain, Body & Business in harmony

The latest online event of the ZELLCHEMING Women4Paper group was very popular: about 20 representatives of the pulp and paper industry followed the invitation and attended Bettina Müller's presentation on the topic of "Compatibility of Health, Career and Private Life".

A trained mechanical and plant engineer, she has worked successfully as a project manager in the paper industry for 25 years and has overseen the implementation of nearly 100 projects on site. These many years of practical experience in a rather conservative industry made Bettina Müller's contribution particularly exciting.

Her message: "Especially in the technical field, it is important to harmonize brain, body and business in order to be efficient and successful in the long term.

The next Women4Paper meeting is planned for April 22nd from 16:00 to 17:00 hrs.

If you would like to attend, just join the Women4Paper group or send a message or email to Cornelia Gembus.

Paper & Biorefinery: Conference and Tradeshow in Graz

For decades, the PAPER & BIOREFINERY CONFERENCE (PBC) in Graz has been an established industry highlight of the paper and pulp industry along with its value chain. Around 500 participants traditionally come together here in spring to deal with topics that are particularly important for the future.

The motto of the conference on 15/16 May 2024 is "Renewable. Responsible. Ready for the future!". A special focus is being placed here on how the sector is meeting the major challenges of climate change and how it is succeeding to reconcile its comprehensive efforts to reach climate targets with its international competitiveness. Furthermore, the conference is shining a special spotlight on the female thinkers, doers and leaders of the paper and pulp industry by launching a new Austrian network for women in the industry.

The conference is characterized by a wide range of topics, perfectly rounded off by an interesting trade show. Enjoyable social events provide the perfect setting for making new contacts or refreshing older ones.

International ZIM Innovation Network "Wood 3.0 – Cellulose hybrid Construction Materials"

HEIQ RAS AG is currently planning an international ZIM innovation network "Wood 3.0 - cellulose-based hybrid construction materials" together with TU Darmstadt/TU Delft as a network management facility.

The aim of the network is the development of new cellulose-based materials and the combination or functionalization of papers, which can then be used in the construction industry.

The aim of the network is to generate and promote joint projects.

Interested parties can download the network profile here.

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