Paper mill productivity jumps following upgrade

Brunswick, Canada -Irving Paper’s mill here is setting productivity records after upgrading a newsprint machine and winder with an Innovation Series ac-coordinated drive system from GE Industrial Systems (Salem, Va.). This was the first installation of GE’s new ac drives in the pulp and paper industry and the first coordinated drive application of its Innovation technology.

As part of a two-phase project to produce higher quality specialty paper, the plant’s No. 2 newsprint machine was converted from a dc- to an ac-driven system. Existing dc drives and motors were replaced with 575-V Innovation drives and motors in less than two days.

Since the first-phase startup about a year ago, No. 2’s output has increased by approximately 6%. The mill’s engineers report this improvement is a result of the Innovation system’s greater reliability and more accurate diagnostics. More Innovation drives were also installed on other sections of the machine earlier this year.

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